For many people who speak English as a second language, public speaking can be an especially nerve wracking experience. Even for those who are native speakers of English, speaking in a public setting can be scary, causing stage fright, trembling hands, and poor delivery for those who have not faced their fears. The key to successfully speaking publicly is practicing, and gaining a level of confidence in your English pronunciation that will send an internal message to you: “I’ve got this, I can do this, my English is good enough, and I feel self-assured about how well I will execute this public speaking event!“
Public Speaking Pointers for Nonnative Speakers of English:
Relax: When you know what you’re talking about, have done your research, and are sure of your source material, you can relax knowing you are prepared. There’s no replacement for putting in the hours it takes to be prepared, but once prepared, take comfort in knowing that you can relax, and allow yourself to calm down. Breath, calm your nerves, and remind yourself that you are more than capable of presenting the material at hand.
Know your audience: It’s always a great idea to begin with an icebreaker to lighten the mood and reduce the tension between yourself and the audience you face. If you know any of the people in the audience or have personal or working relationships with them, call them out by name when appropriate. For example: “Our sales numbers are down from last quarter, and no one can tell us more about how we can improve that than Chris and Mary on our data analysis team.”
Fake it until you make it: Jittery hands, shortness of breath, stumbling over words, and falling back into old patterns of your native accent despite all your accent reduction training due to your nervousness are all natural side effects of delivering public speeches. Use techniques like standing tall, smiling, and taking deep breaths from the diaphragm and deep abdominal area will help your body naturally reduce the effects of the adrenaline that might be running through your veins.
Practice, practice, practice!: You just cannot undervalue the benefit of knowing the material you are presenting inside and out. In addition, practicing will help you identify the parts of your speech where you stumble over words or struggle with your English pronunciation. Practice these portions of your speech with this in mind, and as you approach these portions of the speech during the public engagement, remind yourself that you have practiced with these challenge areas—this will bolster confidence yet again.
Share these tips with friends and colleagues who may also be concerned about speaking publicly. It’s extremely common and totally natural to be anxious before speaking in a large group or giving a presentation. But when you take action using the tips listed above and incorporate the help of online pronunciation classes such as those offered by PronunciationPro.com, you will have a much better chance at achieving your goal of delivering a phenomenal speech!
