Public Speaking Classes

The Art of Public Speaking
Our Public Speaking training classes are designed for both the inexperienced presenter or as a refresher for more experienced members of your company or organization. Our public speaking classes are offered in most major US cities and across Canada. Our public speaking skills training classes are small which will give the Public Speaking Class Participants up to 10 Video Taped practice exercises as well as hours of instructor face to face interaction.

Our public speaking training classes (and our one day public speaking class) will eliminate any fear which is caused by lack of experience or nervousness due to inexperience in public speaking and will dramatically improve each participants speaking skills whether they are persuading, educating, or informing their audience. Our highly interactive classes focus on professional business communication including proper preparation, structure, delivery, and strategy, the correct use of visual aids, and handling questions & answers. Contact us today by phone at 713-627-7700 or via email: service@publicspeakingtraining.net

Public Speaking Classes: Public Speaking With Credibility

How important is credibility as a speaker? So important that if you don't have it nothing else in your speech matters. Credibility = believability. Think about politicians. We've become so jaded about politics that politicians have very little credibility.

Only your audience can decide if it considers you credible. For example, when I was teaching, every year we'd get new teachers, fresh out of college. Usually they knew enough to keep quiet but every now and then, one would lecture us in a meeting. He'd go on and on about the wonderful things he did as a student teacher and why we should do things his way too. Maybe his ideas were wonderful and maybe they were valuable. It didn't matter. He had no credibility and no one listened.

In fact, some teachers actually resented him for presuming to tell them what to do. This is a common situation in any field and one you need to think about. Who is your audience? Why should they listen to you? Every person in your audience is listening to radio station WIIFM (What's In It For Me). If you don't tell them, and tell them quickly, why your information is important to them they will turn you off.

What can you do to increase the chances that your audience will view you as credible? There are several variables:

1. Confidence: Why should your audience believe in you if you come across as insecure, nervous and hesitant? You have to present the image of an expert if you want to be seen as one.
2. Credentials/Competence: What do you bring to the table? What degrees, training or experiences qualify you as someone worth listening to? What reason do they have to listen to you?
3. Likability: This has cut short the aspirations of many a presidential candidate. If people don't like you they won't believe you. Some people are very good at getting others to quickly warm up to them. If that's not you, you might visit a speaking or personality coach to get some tips. You can learn to be more likable!
4. One note: You don't want to be the one tooting your own horn about how great you are. This can turn people off. Let your introducer brag on you and/or put your credentials in the event program.
5. Testimonials add to your credibility, especially if they are from leaders in the industry in which you are speaking.

A speech is more than just the words. To get your point across to your public speaking audience you have to sell it. This can be a terrifying prospect to a shy or introverted individual. But anyone can learn to deliver a competent public speaking piece. The marvelous film "The King's Speech" makes that clear. Once you have the necessary credibility the audience will be rooting for you to do a great job. Put in the practice and you'll be a success.

Barbara Toney: link

Subject: Public Speaking Classes