Back in 2019 I had a goal to improve my public speaking - not only for work, but importantly ahead of my wedding speech.
One of the main sources of support was joining Toastmasters. A group which originated in America and now meets with sessions all over the world. I roped in one of my sisters to join the fortnightly group with the main goal of practicing public speaking. Many of the members had been attending for years but were welcoming to new members and very encouraging. It was good to see many of the group used it to extend their English vocabulary.
I found the experience really helpful, if not a little over the top, for example the persistent clapping feels quite extraordinary. Everything is timed to the second so it encourages good timekeeping of speeches.
From the speeches I delivered and learning from others I learnt the following points:
Have good eye contact with the audience – eyes convey sincerity. Equally when others are talking, be their ally and nod and acknowledge when they are delivering, to show you are listening
Rest your eyes on different people around the room and involve everyone
A recommendation is to alter the pitch when necessary. Opening should be forceful and louder than the main narrative
Remember people recall how you made them feel before they remember what you said
You can mirror a question back to buy time in answering it. This was key in the table topics where you are put on the spot to speak on a topic for 3-5 minutes
Keeping some humour is good!
Avoid a barrier from the audience if you can i.e. the lectern can be moved out of the way
A key development area for me was to try to watch ums and aahs; I should use pauses more comfortably. Equally try not to use as many ‘so’s’
Smiling relaxes people
It still takes me some practice to speak in very large groups, but I would highly recommend Toastmasters as a way of practicing your public speaking. Some people go for years and get involved in all the roles there, but for me it helped my confidence greatly ahead of my wedding speech... and what a fabulous day it was.

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