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Humanness is the Most Unused Element of Public Speaking
How to improve your speaking and break through the nerves.
“Not Hannah’s!” I said to the waiter as he tried to take away my plate. I wasn’t finished eating yet. Laughter erupted from my family and the neighbouring tables. It was my 2nd birthday and my first foray into public speaking.
But definitely not my last.
What is Public Speaking?
Public speaking has 2 main elements: an audience and a message.
“Public” relates to any person that you are in communication with. And “speaking” means to communicate.
All types of speaking (outside of the silent conversations that you have with yourself in your bedroom) is public speaking. Conversations, negotiations, pitches, and speeches all count!
Oftentimes you use “public speaking” and “speaking to crowds” interchangeably. But if you can broaden your understanding of public speaking to mean speaking of any kind, you are likely to take the pressure off of yourself to perform every time you “public speak.”
An estimated 25% of North Americans are afraid of speaking in front of crowds. But most are able to hold a…