Oratory skills are skills that are inbuilt into people naturally. In sporadic cases, it develops with external influences. However, this skill is still something that is very powerful and influencing. Oration is a becoming a whole new line of competition, and new speakers are emerging every day that have exceptionally stood out from the crowd. Here are a few tips and tricks that you can use to polish your oratory skills as well.
Know your audience
Knowing your audience plays a vital role in defining what you want to say. This can pave the way for you to speak forcefully, efficiently, and keep track of how you are going along with your speech. Make sure to carefully develop your knowledge of your audience to know how deeply you want to focus on a topic.
Make notes and mental images
It’s always nice to keep notes and constantly revise them to know what you are speaking about. A better approach will be to keep them organised. Notes always help to maintain your flow and direction of speech.
Be original
Always be sure to maintain your personality. Again, this is something that is exclusive to you, and it’s up to you to live up to it. Bring your own personality to your oration and let everyone see your originality in it.
Practice and prepare
Nervousness is a very common issue with a lot of budding speakers. However, this is completely normal and is something that always gets better with time and practice. Make sure to go over your notes a lot and keep practising until you have a firm grip on what you are speaking about and how you are speaking it.
Notice reactions
For a good speaker, feedback is almost as valuable as delivering his speech[1]. Keep a lookout for even the minute details in the audience that gives you a direction of how your speech is sounding to your listeners and work your way around it. Be sure to keep your eyes open and keep your audience engaged.
Use your body to your aid
Being an orator does not mean that you only use your mouth and lips for all the work. Your body takes as much part of your speaking skills as the way you speak. Move around the stage, use gestures to counteract the small pulses that make you jerk towards unwanted directions, and ooze confidence. Remember, there’s a reason behind you standing where you are and the audience standing where they are[2].
Use audio-visual aids
Oration is all about keeping your audience engaged. Therefore, it’s best to use aids to your advantage. Be sure to prepare a presentation to keep your audience visually occupied. Use mics to make sure that everyone in the audience gets to hear what you have to or want to say. This enables speakers to maintain a direct connection with the audience and it remains strong through different aids[3]. If one of the aids breaks, then it is quickly re-established with the other.
References
German, Kathleen M. (2010). Principles of Public Speaking. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. p. 6. Retrieved 28 October 2017, from the web
General Purpose of Speaking. 2012books.lardbucket.org. Retrieved 28 October 2017, from the web
Marjorie Lee North. 10 tips for Improving Your Public Speaking Skills. Retrieved 28 October 2017, from the web
