How to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills

Answer by Mira Zaslove on Quora.

The biggest tip to improve your public speaking? Think less about yourself, and more about your audience.

Specifically, focus on 3 main things:

1. Who are you speaking to?

Research ahead of time as much as you can, as to who your audience is. Tailor your presentation to them. Cut out anything that doesn’t directly pertain to them. Be ruthless.

People have short attention spans. Stick only to what is necessary, and focus again, not on yourself, but rather what will be most useful for the audience.

2. Why are you giving the speech?

Why have people showed up? Why do they care? Give the audience what they came for. People have showed up for a reason. Keep that in mind.

Tell the audience clearly why you are there, and why you are excited to speak to them. Speak to what is relevant to them, and tell them why you believe it is relevant.

3. Wrap it up quickly. What now?

Don’t ramble on. After you’ve told the audience what they need to know, give them a clear call to action. End the presentation with summarizing what you said, why you said it, and what they should do next.

Don’t assume that your audience is automatically going to know what to do with what you told them. And don’t just hope that they will remember to do it later. If you are selling something, end with specifically asking them to buy. If you want them to sign up for something, have the sign up sheet ready. Be prepared to get what you want. Make the call to action easy, immediate, and seamless.

This question originally appeared on Quora: What are some tips and hacks for public speaking?

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