There are people in this world who deliver such powerful speeches that they have the ability to convince others, inspire them and touch their lives; almost as if they know exactly what to say. These people are considered Eloquent. Eloquence is when someone has the ability to give fluent, elegant and very persuasive speeches or talks. By expressing themselves, eloquent people can express their emotions, transmit ideas and even convince people to do as they say.
Before you get to practice and follow our tips to become a more eloquent person, you should really understand the importance of strengthening this skill. Let’s say you just got a promotion or a new job where you need to constantly speak in public and address a lot of people and you want to have a positive and strong impact on them. You want to be respected and you even want to be admired for your thoughts however, not being able to communicate them properly could have the opposite effect. This is one of the main reasons why people improve their eloquence. Keep reading to discover how to be more eloquent when Speaking in public.
1. Use Less Words to Say More
Following the “less is more” philosophy, keeping your speeches briefer could go a long way when trying to be more eloquent. There’s no need to use a thousand words to prove a point when you could pick the right 10 words and say the exact same thing. When you use too many words people could get confused or worse, end up getting bored during your speech. An eloquent person keeps their sentences brief yet very clear.
2. Read More
Reading more has never hurt anyone. In fact, if you become an avid reader you could easily boost your knowledge, learn new words or mannerisms and overall increase your general knowledge to speak more fluently about all topics. Reading is one of those activities that stimulates your mental abilities and help you feel more relaxed when speaking on several topics, and can even help you express yourself with more adequate words. So if you’re looking to be more eloquent, it’s time to pick up a book once in a while.
3. Don’t Leave Body Language Aside
Body language is as important as your verbal language and the way you address others. When you’re speaking in public, people will feel more comfortable around you and pay more attention if you move around a bit and make physical reinforcement of your words with your hands and even your face (by making expressions), rather than just staying still in one place without lifting your arms.
Related: How to Judge a Person by Their Body Language
4. Leave Filler Words out and Enunciate Correctly
Filler words can be a speaker’s worst enemy. Even though words or phrases like “you know”, “I mean”, “like” are pretty common in casual conversations, they could also be a big indicator that the person who’s speaking hasn’t mastered the topic or feels uncomfortable with it. Sometimes we use filler words to fill uncomfortable silences, but those silences are not only okay, sometimes they’re needed to prove a point. In addition to this, make sure that the words that are being mentioned are enunciated correctly, otherwise you could end up looking like a fool in front of others.
5. Think Twice, or Thrice, Before You Speak
One of the most seemingly obvious pieces of advice could actually be the one most people forget to follow. Before you start to deliver a speech or address a group of people, think very clearly about what you’re going to say. Make sure you have a clear objective in your mind and make the whole speech relevant to it. It is also very helpful to make a list of the points you don’t want to miss.
6. Slow Down Your Words
It’s normal that, when you’re feeling a bit nervous, words start rushing out of your mouth and it seems like you’re eager for the speech to end quicker. In order to become more eloquent, you need to start slowing down your words just a little bit more, even slower than they come to your mind. Speaking in a paced manner will help you enunciate better, have some time to think about what you’re going to say next and even measure your audience’s reaction.
7. Take a Relaxed but Firm Posture
Even though it’s important that you’re somewhat prepared to give a speech or to address a lot of people in public, you should also work in trying to be more spontaneous, or at least look so. When you stand up in front of a lot of people, be firm so you don’t look insecure in front of others but also make sure people perceive you as relaxed, otherwise the tension could be felt by others and they’ll concentrate on how you look instead of what you’re telling them.
8. Bring Life to Your Speech
What makes a great speaker? The ability to bring life to their words. After all, giving speeches or speaking in public is all about getting your listeners to connect with you on a deeper level, and the only way to do that is by painting a picture as realistically as you can. Talk to your listeners about real life experiences and examples, give them metaphors, similes and make references to everyday events or situations they can end up relating to. This way people will hear more than only words.
9. Gain Confidence in Yourself
This is a somewhat difficult tip to follow since it involves feeling prepared and knowing that you dominate the topic you’re about to talk about. But feeling confident is not impossible, you just have to reassure yourself that the words will come out of your mouth correctly and that you’ll be able to connect with your audience just the way you want to.
10. Practice a Lot in Front of a Mirror
We strongly recommend that you practice your speech a lot in front of a mirror. When you practice in front of a mirror you’re able to see for yourself exactly what you’re doing wrong or what you could do even better to give the best speech you can. You’ll also start to loosen up and feel more confident when you see how others will see you.
Follow these handy tips and make sure every time you stand up in front of a group of people, all eyes will be on you and you’ll be able to connect with them.
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