Public Speaking is no less than a craft. It involves communicating with large crowds while hooking the audience and maintaining your composure. Great public speakers and leaders managed to succeed due to their great communication skills. So, today we are going to throw some light on the 3 b’s of public speaking.
It’s perhaps one of the most overlooked skill sets for all leaders. Whether you’re hosting an event, delivering a speech, or addressing a crowd as a leader, effective communication skills can add significant value to your skill set. Though it may come as naturally as taking a sip of water to some, others acquire this skill through guidance and practice.
If you struggle with communication skills, the bare thought of standing up in front of an audience could be terrifying, let alone speaking in front of them. So, we’ll introduce you to the 3 B’s of public speaking that can help you become the great public speaker you want to be.
Following are the 3 Bs of public speaking that work for everyone despite the nature of the profession, size of the crowd, or purpose of the speech.
Make sure you speak in brief to make your audience understand your topic.
The first B stands for – Be Brief. It sounds a tad easier than it really is. Even though being brief sounds like something anyone can do, it’s in reality more difficult to give a brief statement than a lengthy monologue.
However, it does bust the myth that says one has to communicate for an extended period of time to come off as a good public speaker. The truth is, brevity is your friend as a public speaker.
Although being brief doesn’t mean you have to be out after two sentences. Your content should be long enough to unpack the subject matter of what you are communicating. The idea is to not draw it out so long that people start looking at their watches, shifting in their seats, and wondering when it will be over. As a public speaker, your task is to find the sweet spot on how long you should communicate.
An accepted way to do that is to be clear about your goal first. If your goal is to talk just as much to dive into the depth of the point you’re trying to make then do just that while keeping it entertaining. Speaking for less or more time than that will be more harmful than helpful.
Another positive aspect of brevity is that you are able to sharpen your delivery and put more thought into what is essential and non-essential. Since our brains are constantly exposed to so much content, you must make sure that you’re only publicizing essential information that can grab the audience’s attention.
The next ingredient of your successful public session is the second B – Be brilliant. Even though you’re going to keep your session brief doesn’t mean it can’t be brilliant simultaneously. In fact, your goal must be to deliver a speech full of brilliant ideas and insights every time you step on the stage.
Share your insights in such a way that your audience can connect with you
A good public speaker gives their audience several ‘aha’ moments that make people wonder about the subject being discussed, leave with a thought-provoking set of information and take away the points you’re trying to convey.
Being brilliant doesn’t mean that you have to reinvent the wheel. It means you have to be original with your insights and share your expertise in a better way. It can be a simple phrase or an anecdote that can play the part of brilliant in your speech.
Your aim must be to offer up new and exciting facts to ensure audience interest, rather than to repeat or imitate others. As a public speaker, you are presented with an opportunity to give valuable content to your audience, and you must use it wisely. The important idea here is to offer what your audience will find interesting and not what you think is great. Often your interests may not align with your audience’s demands, and it’s your task to keep up with what the audience wants. That’s the essence of being a brilliant public speaker.
Have you heard of the saying – leave them wanting more? That’s what the third B of public speaking is about. After you have delivered your brief & brilliant piece, be gone from the stage before you begin to bore your audience.
There is a short window between the moment your audience is engrossed in our content completely, and the moment they feel overwhelmed, distracted, or saturated. Your success lies in identifying and utilizing that window to stop talking before your listener loses interest in you and leaves them wanting for more.
As you must understand so far that the 3 B’s of public speaking are essential for any public speaker to make an impact, here’s how you can practice and employ these tactics in your next important presentation.
Learn how to practice 3 B’s of public speaking
When getting ready for a performance or any stage event, make sure you plan and prepare. It’s not just about preparing yourself to give the speech but preparing your content as well so that whatever you say is to the point and leaves a mark.
Think about your goal and what is important to you as a speaker to begin this process. Also, since you’ll get a limited time on stage, take less time than you are allotted and leave some room for questions and discussion.
As a public speaker, your confidence in yourself and your energy matters a lot to your audience. So, enter the stage with a positive mindset and believe in your expertise. You must come off as a confident person who knows what you are bringing to the table in front of your audience.
Empathy can be the most powerful arrow in your quiver as the majority of public speakers are able to establish a connection with their audience through empathy. So, while you prepare your content and speak in front of a large crowd, be mindful of them, and acknowledge their feelings and fears. Sometimes, empathy is all your need to make or break your performance.
Learning and practicing the art of public speaking is not an overnight job, but following the 3 B’s of public speaking and a few tips from the experts will make it easy for sure.
You can also learn about Public Speaking Pyramid. The public speaking pyramid is a renowned concept that helps aspiring public speakers learn the art and become proficient in it.
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Learn from the best coaches and embark on your journey to be the next great public speaker who aces the 3 b’s of public speaking.
Jeremiah O’Brian is a faculty member at the USC School of Dramatic Arts. His exceptionally diverse background – from gritty nuts-and-bolts firefighting to film and theatre credits and accolades – is bolstered by his several graduate degrees.
