Search:

How To Use Eye Contact For Successful Public Speaking

Eye contact is what links you to your audience in public speaking despite all the preparation efforts and practice you may have done. Great speakers use this technique to finally get the message across to the audience.

Preparing the speech, doing the research and knowing the topic well are only the first few basic steps. Once you are in front of your audience, your body language becomes important when delivering the speech. Have you seen people fidget or move unnecessarily when making speeches? It can be really distracting.

Since you are the center of attention while making the presentation, you should mind every move that you make so as not to bore or distract the people listening to your speech.

So now, you are all prepared and have good content. How can you make sure that the audience gets the maximum value from your all the hard work that you have put in? Especially, considering the fact that the audience will have a very short attention span. How to keep them interested in what you are saying?

The trick is to maintain eye contact. This is one public speaking technique that great speakers use when addressing a large group of people.

Here are some tips on how you can use this "trick" to keep your audience interested while delivering a speech:

Once you have already started speaking and have delivered your introduction, take a look at your audience.

Do not be nervous if you see one or two people frowning as you are not sure of exactly what they are thinking.

Instead of looking out for unfriendly or blank faces, search for the people who are smiling and nodding their heads.

Try to focus on this person for a couple of minutes and look him or her in the eye.

This way, you would have an immediate "friend" in the audience to whom you can look at and gain confidence from.

This will not just increase your confidence but also relax you in the course of your speech.

Gaze steadily at your audience, moving from one part of the room to another. This way, you would immediately grasp their attention.

Never read your speech. Just make an outline of the important points that you can expand on.

If you have visuals, do not read the bullet points word for word as this might imply that your audience cannot read that themselves.

With this, you are instantly creating a "bond" with your audience as a speaker since you do not have to keep on looking at your notes through the course of your speech.

The key to delivering a great speech is to just breathe, relax and make eye to eye contact with your audience.

Thus, you are not just making a physical connection with them but you are also ensured that you come out as a sincere speaker who wants to inform and interact with the audience through your speech. Once you realize the power that eye contact brings to public speaking, it will start coming naturally to you. Initially, you will need practice. Just be patient and keep at it!

Additional Articles From - Home | Public Speaking

A Good Structure for speaking at a wedding - By : Gareth Berry
How to Become a Motivational Speaker - By : Andrey
Conference Speaker - Top Tips on How to How to Make Money Doing It - By : John Bell
Public Speaking Nervousness - How To Overcome It - By : Regina Maniam
How to Master the Art of Public Speaking - By : Regina Maniam
Tips To Overcome Your Fear Of Public Speaking - By : Regina Maniam
How A Public Speaking Course Can Help - By : Regina Maniam

	Print This Article
	Post Comment
	Add To Favorites
	Email to Friends
	Ezine Ready

Sitemap | Articles | Resources | Additional Recommended Links