Public speaking is a skill that people can be afraid to develop, but the truth is it’s an incredibly useful and valuable skill. The problem for many would-be speakers is where to start. There are so many opportunities in public speaking, yet they all seem out of reach.
This blog post will help you find your way into the world of public speaking with five steps that will leave you feeling confident, knowledgeable, and excited about what lies ahead!
Join Toastmasters
If you want to get better public speaking skills and gain experience in a low-stress environment, consider joining Toastmasters.
The best way to improve your speech is by practicing it with a group of people who can give constructive feedback on what you’re doing wrong. And that’s exactly what Toastmasters does for its members – they provide an opportunity for meeting new friends while getting the chance to practice giving speeches (and even potentially winning awards). You’ll also meet other budding leaders and find inspiration from their stories as well.
Toastmaster clubs are located all over the world, so no matter where you live, there will be one close by!
For help finding local groups near you, you can search on the Toastmasters website.
In a low-stress environment, consider joining Toastmasters.
Ask your company or organization if they need a speaker for an upcoming event
If your company or organization is in need of a speaker, you are already ahead of the game. You may be able to do this for free (check with management), and it will give you experience, which makes other speaking opportunities more likely down the road.
If not, there is another route that can also get you some valuable experience without costing anything: Ask friends who have an interest in public speaking if they would like to trade services one time and speak at their event instead.
- Trade services by having them speak at yours.
- Speak on behalf of someone else's nonprofit organizations.
Neither option costs money, but both options provide excellent practice! What about when we’re looking beyond paid gigs? How does someone get started with volunteering?
There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer for public speaking at nonprofits. Just do a quick web search, and you’ll find dozens of organizations that could use your help.
Speak about something you're passionate about at a local meeting, such as the neighborhood association or church group
These groups are usually looking for speakers and would be more than happy to have someone with fresh ideas. Just ask the person in charge if they need a speaker at their next meeting. It’s always nice when someone who isn’t known locally offers something new.
Public speaking experience can also come from public service announcements on television or YouTube videos that one creates as an individual freelancer. If you’re not sure where to start, visit some of these sites: The National Speakers Association (NSA) website or googling “public speaking opportunities,” which will yield many results, including message boards and volunteer opportunities where people offer services such as facilitating workshops or hosting webinars on topics like freelance writing!
The NSA also offers a training program for speakers that covers everything from public speaking skills to marketing yourself, and they don’t charge any fees.
Some other ways you can get experience are by volunteering with your local Toastmasters Club or community theater group. Volunteer opportunities will also be posted on these organizations’ websites as well as the NSA website, where one of their programs is networking.
Regarding social media, it’s always best to start small before diving into more challenging platforms such as Twitter which has 140 character limits per post! Starting off slowly then building up confidence in what you’re doing is just fine because there are no deadlines and timelines when utilizing social media; remember, this medium isn’t about perfectionism but rather an authenticity!
Start teaching English to students in your country and begin with basic phrases like "hello" and "goodbye"
- Teach English to students in your country and begin with basic phrases like "hello" and "goodbye."
- Make it fun! Have a competition between classes. Whoever can say the most words without making any mistakes wins!
- Videos are great for this activity, too: put up two videos on a screen side by side or have one of them projected onto the front wall in class while everyone else watches from their seats. The videos could be about greeting someone you just met, introducing themselves at an event they're speaking at, etc. Ask questions throughout so that students will use sentences with different tenses (present tense vs. past tense). This way, we'll also reinforce concepts like question word order and direct/indirect questions.
- Have students do this activity in groups of three or four, rotating between partners every few minutes so that everyone has a chance to practice their skills with different people and use different tenses as well.
- Take turns speaking for the group: if you're working with your partner one minute and someone else's partner the next, make sure you have something interesting to say about yourself! Remember--especially when it comes time to speak aloud--show don't tell! Make eye contact with each person in turn and give them an opportunity to respond while they are talking (this is good modeling too). If anyone does not want to talk due to shyness or fear of making mistakes, ask them what they would like instead: "Do you want to draw a picture of what we're talking about?" or "Do you want me to read this article and then tell the class what I think is happening in it?"
Offer to speak at schools, churches, libraries, or community organizations
If you have a speaking topic that’s appropriate for schools, churches, libraries, or community organizations (or just want to talk about something in your area of expertise), offer to give a presentation. Some people do this once and never again; other speakers enjoy giving talks regularly at different venues. It can be lots of fun and offers excellent practice!
- Identify the type of venue — school, church, library, or community organization
- Find out who is responsible for booking presentations
- Get permission from the person in charge before sending an email offering to speak
- Offer your services: identify what date(s) are available if they're flexible on when it happens + how much time commitment will be required by you
- If they're interested, have a preliminary conversation over the phone to talk about what is expected from you for the presentation
- Follow up with an email confirming your date and time availability + any other details that may be important for them (PowerPoint slides, length of speech)
- Send follow-up emails as close as possible to the event, so it's on their mind but not too much in advance either. In some cases, this is okay because people might want to review or ask questions before then. But if there are no requests, just send one reminder closer to the day itself—or even call when appropriate. This will keep you top of mind without being intrusive!
Volunteer to speak on behalf of charities that are important to you
If you want to volunteer and get public speaking experience, but don’t have the funds for classes, find a charity that is important to you. If it’s not too much trouble, offer your skills in exchange for free services they provide like homesteading or landscaping.
You can also offer pro-bono consulting work if you’re an expert on certain things like marketing or accounting; just make sure their needs are aligned with what you do well, so both of you benefit from this arrangement. For example, “Marketing mavens” could consult some small businesses about how to attract new customers while receiving valuable public speaking practice at the same time!
Final Words
I’m sure you didn’t think there was a way to get more speaking experience in any economy. But, it turns out that if you want public speaking practice without shelling out money for the privilege of doing so, then these are some ways you can do just that. There may be other things too!
Try them and see what happens-I bet they work for you as well at no cost or very low investment upfront. Remember this old saying? “A penny saved is a penny earned”? Well, when your goal is to save money by getting free public speaking experience (or anything else), “a penny not spent is still one less than before”–so don’t let those pennies stop rolling in!
I hope you enjoyed this post. If there is anything I can help with, please let me know in the comments.
