Public speaking coaching is a regularly scheduled, one-on-one communication session between you and your coach. Coaches are experts at helping people express themselves effectively and gain confidence in their communication skills, whether that’s for public speaking or running meetings, or leading projects.
Their help will help you gain the skills to ensure that every communication with others is successful. From dealing with difficult people, having a presentation ready for your next meeting or simply learning how to communicate what you’re thinking without putting others off – coaching can give you the tools and techniques needed to make yourself understood with ease.
Most of us are pretty terrified of public speaking, but it’s a skill that can be taught – and with today’s busy modern world, it’s one that you’re likely to face at some point.
So whether you’re getting up to speak in front of hundreds of people or making an impromptu presentation to your team – coaching can help boost your confidence so you know you’re giving it your best shot.
Public speaking coaching is designed to help you express yourself effectively and gain confidence in your communication skills, whether that’s for public speaking or running meetings, or leading projects. Most of us are pretty terrified of public speaking, but it’s a skill that can be taught – and with today’s busy modern world, it’s one that you’re likely to face at some point.
Public speaking coaching is a regularly scheduled, one-on-one communication session between you and your coach. Coaches are experts at helping people express themselves effectively and gain confidence in their communication skills, whether that’s for public speaking or running meetings, or leading projects. Their help will help you gain the skills to ensure that every communication with others is successful.
What does a public speaking coach do?
Public speaking coaches do a lot more than just help people overcome their fear of public speaking, although that would certainly be enough to earn them the title. Public speech coaches deal with clients who all have specific and unique problems they need help in overcoming and finding solutions for those problems. Those solutions may affect the actual presentation and performance before an audience as well as other areas such as communication and behavior.
Breaking down the audience into smaller groups helps the speaker become more comfortable talking in front of people.
People who feel that they need help with their public speaking usually suffer from a lack of self-confidence, continuously feeling ill before presentations and speeches, and/or having feelings of panic and worry before and during the actual speech. These issues, when left unaddressed, can lead to low self-esteem and even panic attacks. Public speaking coaches help their clients find ways to prevent this from happening by working with them on many different levels such as behavior and communication. This is true for both professional and non-professional audiences.
Public speaking coaches help their clients develop and strengthen their communication skills.
The best public speaking coaches work with each client one-on-one to determine the root of the issue and then attempt to fix it. They typically start by finding out about the speaker’s history and any issues they may have had in this particular area, such as negative experiences in the past with people criticizing their speech. Then, they work on finding ways to improve the client’s current behavior and communication when it comes to giving a presentation by breaking down the entire process from beginning to end in order for them to become more comfortable with each step.
In order for a public speaking coach to be successful, then they need to have an in-depth knowledge of various techniques to help their clients overcome their fear and anxiety when it comes to public speaking. The more knowledgeable a coach is in this area, the better they will be able to help each client work through their specific problems, allowing them to become the speaker that they always wanted but never thought that they could become!
A big part of what makes public speaking coaches successful is their ability to make each client comfortable. This means that the client will become more open and honest with the coach, which in turn allows them to help their client overcome any issues or problems they may be having at that moment.
Public speaking coaches work with clients on every level of communication when it comes to public speaking. This includes body language, behavior, tone, and other nonverbal aspects of public speaking. They also work with their clients on the actual content that they will be delivering to ensure that it is interesting and engaging for the audience while still maintaining the credibility of the topic.
Effective public speaking coaches know how to encourage their clients while at the same time pushing them out of their comfort zone. They can do this by working with each client on their own personal issues and then placing them in front of a group to practice what they learned, and then giving appropriate feedback and encouragement as needed.
Typically, public speaking coaches begin working with their clients about 4 weeks before the actual performance or presentation is to take place. This allows their clients to practice what they learned and become more comfortable with each step of the process.
The first few sessions between a coach and client typically involve some type of assessment as well as working on self-confidence, which is one of the most important aspects that will help someone overcome those fears and concerns when it comes to public speaking.
During the assessment, a coach will typically determine what exactly is causing those initial fears and anxieties as well as how to work through them. As far as self-confidence goes, they help their clients believe in themselves and become more comfortable with each step of delivery, regardless of who or where they are speaking in front of.
As an example, a public speaking coach might help their client become more comfortable with standing up and then walking around by using simple exercises that can be done at home. They will typically have the client stand up in front of a full-length mirror and practice what they are going to say as well as how they are going to say it. They work on effective eye contact using the mirror as a way of gauging how they are actually performing to help build their confidence.
Public speaking coaches also spend time with their clients working through their fears and anxieties by placing them in front of various audience members or managers so that they can practice what they have learned, making any necessary adjustments along the way.
As far as the actual presentation gets closer, public speaking coaches will help create a mock presentation to help their clients get used to all of the necessary components that are needed in order for them to be successful. This includes everything from what they are going to wear, how they are going to set up their equipment, who is sitting in the audience, etc. By taking time to walk through all of these different elements, they are preparing their client for the real presentation which should help to reduce their anxiety and stress about the event in general.
The public speaking coach will typically meet with their client in the weeks leading up to the actual presentation and then on the day of and even after it is completed in order to get feedback. By having this type of relationship with their client, they are able to help them work through any problems or issues that may have come up during the presentation while also making sure that it went as smoothly as possible.
Public speaking coaches typically charge either an hourly rate or a flat fee for their services depending on the type of client that they are working with. They can also provide the necessary assessment and any additional material that their client might need in order for them to be successful at public speaking which can help businesses stretch out their budget.
How can I learn public speaking online?
There are many free resources that can help you learn public speaking online. For example, YouTube hosts hundreds of videos covering techniques to help with public speaking. TEDTalks is another excellent resource for learning public speaking online. TEDTalks are 19-minute long talks about a variety of scientific, artistic, or socio-political topics, all given by experts in their fields. In addition to these resources, below are three more ways you can learn public speaking online for free.
Take a Public Speaking Course
The first resource for learning public speaking is to take an online course or in-person speech course. If you live near your college, the best way to learn public speaking might be through taking a class with one of your peers and instructors who are familiar with what it takes to give presentations.
However, if you are unable to do this, taking an online course is the next best thing. Coursera, which partners with top universities worldwide to bring courses online, has several options for courses that may help you learn public speaking online. Some examples of courses you could take as a student include “Mastering Public Speaking” from the University of Washington or “Public Speaking for Undergrads” from Duke University.
Read Books and Watch Videos on Public Speaking
Another way to learn public speaking online is simply by reading books and watching videos. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of options for learning public speaking online; however, we’ve listed a few recommendations below that you might find helpful.
“Confessions of a Public Speaker” by Scott Berkun: This book offers insight and advice for how to succeed as a speaker and public speaker.
Berkeley’s Guide to Public Speaking by Martin Harry Greenberg: Incorporating a traditional textbook format, this book covers basics about how to deliver a speech.
“Speak Like a Winner: 21 Days to Dynamic Public Speaking” by Bret Ridgway: This unique book is broken up into 21 daily exercises that will help you build the confidence and skills required to speak in public.
Watch TEDTalks
TEDTalks are an excellent resource for learning public speaking online. TEDTalks include 19-minute long videos of people presenting on a variety of scientific, artistic, or socio-political topics – all given by experts in their fields. All talks are available on TED’s website to watch completely free.
You can even go one step further and apply the lessons you learn from TEDTalks. Take any lesson you learned and apply it to your own life by practicing in front of a mirror or anyone who will listen. Then, make sure you give yourself time for additional practice as much as possible before your next presentation.
With this solid preparation, we hope that you gain the confidence necessary to do well when you do give a presentation. Happy public speaking!