Studies have shown that public speaking is number one on the list of people's biggest fears. Death comes in second. Think about that: people find talking in front of an audience more terrifying than drowning in a lake or getting hit by a car. Most of us would literally rather die than give a speech.

But effective speaking skills are critical for many different types of careers: actors, teachers, news anchors, politicians, lawyers, radio hosts...the list goes on. If you want to make it in any of these fields, you can't give in to stage fright.

The good news is that public speaking doesn't have to be so frightening. By following some concrete steps, you can give a presentation that engages people and leaves a positive impression. In this article, we will examine some common principles of effective speech and how you can apply them to your own work

Learning Goals

By the time you have finished reading this article, you should be able to:

• Name six principles of good public speaking.
• Define the three Ps of public speaking preparation
• Explain how to manage stage fright
• Describe two ways you can improve your public speaking
• Use the included links to get additional information about public speaking techniques