The single best way to improve your speaking skills is to practice speaking at every opportunity. Look for opportunities to speak in front of groups whenever you can. You might want to start with small groups and work up to larger ones, but practice, practice, practice!

Here are some ideas about how you can get more practice speaking and become a better public speaker.

Take an active role in your professional or community organization. When you accept a leadership position with a group you will be called upon to make short presentations regularly. You may be asked to give an update about your committee’s activities, introduce a speaker or chair a meeting. Each of these gives you the chance to practice speaking in front of a group of people.

Take an improv class. One of the reasons many people fear speaking is that they are afraid they will forget what they were going to say or that something will happen to distract them during their talk and take them off course. Learning improvisation skills will make you confident that you can handle anything that happens with skill and grace.

Join Toastmasters. There are Toastmasters groups everywhere, and joining a chapter near you will give you frequent opportunities to speak. The best part is that you will be in a supportive environment where the other members of the group will encourage you as you improve.

Record every presentation you give. Get a pocket-sized digital recorder and record every talk. We tend to be hypercritical when we hear ourselves, so listen to the recording not only to see how you can improve but to acknowledge what you do well.

Video tape yourself practicing your speech. Set up your video recorder at home or in your office and practice speaking. Watch yourself carefully to pick up good and bad mannerisms. Are your hands jingling keys in your pocket? Do you keep touching your tie? Are you blinking or otherwise looking nervous? Also watch for what you do right. Are your hand gestures natural? Do you have a great smile, and use it often?

Get honest feedback from others. Many years ago I was in a training program for speakers where we evaluated each other. After a presentation, each person in the class would tell the speaker one thing they had done well and one thing they could do better next time. Ask someone you trust and respect to do that for you. Constructive criticism (“Here is something you could do better next time…”) makes you better if you accept it and use it to improve.

After you have been speaking for a while, go back and listen to a recording (or watch a video) of one of your early presentations. You will be amazed at how much your speaking skills have improved!

Having an audience that is involved and responsive not only makes the speaker feel better, it creates positive energy that makes the experience better for everyone.

Although good speakers will direct their attention to each section of the audience at various times during their talks, most will also choose a few people in the audience who will get more attention from them. That is because those audience members are giving them good feedback.

On more than one occasion, I have had speakers tell me that I was their “touchstone” or their “rock” during their presentations. They knew that when they looked at me, I would be paying attention and responding. That gave them (and their presentations) more energy and excitement.

Being a good audience member is good for you, too, because you will get more out of it when you are alert and involved with what the speaker is saying.

Here is how you can be a better audience:

Pay attention—and let the speaker know you are paying attention. Watch the speaker and really listen to what she is saying.

Be responsive. Make eye contact. Nod. Smile. Laugh at his jokes. Look serious when he tells a somber story. Let the speaker know he is getting through to you.

When the speaker tosses a question out to the audience, or does something that calls for a response, respond enthusiastically. Even if it just means giving a cheery, “Good morning!” in response to the speaker saying, “Good morning, everyone!”

Don’t look at your watch, check your email or text during the talk. The exception would be if it is appropriate to tweet updates from the presentation.

When tweets are displayed behind the speaker (as they are at many conferences) do not tweet something that will cause the audience to react and disrupt the presentation.

Don’t interrupt the presentation. Unless the speaker has indicated that you may ask questions at any time, hold your questions or comments until the end.

Ask good questions during the question and answer session. Don’t try to put the speaker on the spot, but ask a question that will help her to better develop a point she made during her presentation.

These all assume that the speaker is good. So what if the speaker is a dud? Even if you think the speaker isn’t interesting, give others the chance to listen. It should go without saying that you should not talk or be disruptive, but some audience members seem to believe that if they are not sufficiently entertained they should make their feelings known.

Make the most of the situation, and give the speaker a chance to win you over. You will both benefit from your effort.

Will someone ask something you don’t know? Will there be questions you don’t even understand? Or, perhaps worst of all, will no one ask a question at all?

Here are some of the things that can go wrong—and how to handle them and come off looking good.

There is a deathly silence after you ask, “Are there any questions?”
Instead of asking if there are any questions ask, “Who wants to ask the first question?” If no one pipes up after a few seconds, ask, “So who wants to ask the second question?” That will probably get a chuckle (or at least a smile) and will loosen up the crowd a bit.

You can also plan for this beforehand. Ask a friend in the audience to ask a question if no one else does. Once the ice is broken, others will be willing to speak up. If you are really desperate, ask a question yourself. Say something like, “One of the questions I hear a lot is…” then give the question and answer it.

Someone asks a question that is specific to them, and not of interest to the rest of the group.
These questions are usually the type that go on forever, as the person wants to give you every detail of their personal situation. A good way to handle this is to find a place to gently interrupt and say, “I’m not sure I can answer your question properly in this public forum. Can you speak with me after we are finished here, so I can answer your question appropriately?”

You can not understand the question.
Whether the problem is that the audience member’s speech is difficult to understand (perhaps they speak with a heavy accent) or the question doesn’t make sense, one way to deal with this is to ask others in the audience to repeat the question to you.

Never blame the questioner: “I can’t understand a thing you are saying.” Instead say, “I’m sorry but I am having trouble hearing the question. Could someone help me out?” If you are in a group where the people know each other, they may be better able to understand the questioner and can tell you what was asked.

You do not know the answer to a question that was asked.
First of all, no one knows everything, not even you. Be willing to admit when you do not know an answer. If appropriate, offer to find the answer and get back to them. Then do so. Never bluff and pretend you know the answer when you don’t. Someone in the audience will know the answer, and you will lose credibility. And that reminds me of another way to deal with this. Say something such as, “I am not familiar with that. Does anyone else here know that answer to Mary’s question?”

You do not have a good way to close at the end of the question and answer session.
You may have given a dynamic speech and dazzled them with your ability to answer every question they threw at you, but if you close with, “Uh, well, if those are all the questions, I guess we’re done…” well, you’ve lost them at the very end.

Have a few sentences prepared that you will deliver at the end of the Q&A to close on a high note. Summarize your top points, remind them of any action steps, and thank them for coming to hear you speak. That is their cue to applaud wildly.

Question and answer sessions do not have to be frightening. Remember that the audience wants you to do well. Give them your best and respond to their questions in a genuine way, and they will become your fans.

The fact is that in order to make a sale, you’ve got to ask someone to buy. It’s not being pushy, it’s just asking.

A while back, I attended a class where I knew going in that the instructor had some optional materials to sell. I had my cash in hand when I walked in, ready to buy, but he never mentioned what was available. I saw the books sitting there and took a look during the break. But even with several of us looking them over, he never asked for the sale. Finally, at the end of the class, when many students had already left, he said something like, “Oh yeah, we’ve got these here if you want one. They’re $15.”

Well, by that time, I’d talked myself out of buying. If he had asked up front, or better yet right before the break, I would have bought one. And many other people would have, too. As it was, he sold a few.

Failing to ask probably cost him a few hundred dollars that night. Look at what he had going for him: All of us knew coming in that something would be available to buy. He did a very good job teaching the class, and showed he knows his stuff. He created the demand, but didn’t show how he would fill it.

He gave out several resources in the class (such as web site addresses) that are listed in the book, and he missed opportunities to say, “These are all in the book I have available, if you don’t want to write all of this down.” That would point out one of the benefits of buying his printed materials.

Most importantly, he failed to show his product respect. If it is really good, he should want us to have it, and encourage us to buy it—not simply mention it as an afterthought.

How can you avoid this trap?

When you do a presentation, ask for the sale. No, you won’t say, “So, do you wanna buy this, or what?” But you can ask, “Would you like to put this on your credit card?,” or “Would you like to take this with you today?,” the ever-popular, “Would you like this one or that one?,” or even “How many would you like?”

Weave benefits into your presentation. Whether you are doing a sales presentation or a speech, talking to one person or thousands, use the opportunity to talk benefits—what your product does to help people.

Tell your audience what you have available for sale. Put the thought in their minds that they could buy and own the item.

Tell them how much it costs. People like to know what their commitment will be.

Encourage questions and objections. Don’t make people sell themselves. Encourage them to ask questions to get the answers they need. It gives you a way to demonstrate the benefits most important to them.

Make it easy for them to buy. Accept checks, credit cards, oh, and cash, too. Sell on account, if that’s appropriate. Some publishers will send a book out before receiving payment. They simply enclose an invoice. Those who have tried it say they get paid every time (although it may depend on your target market).

Respect your customer. They’re not stupid and they don’t want to be pressured. They are however, willing to learn. Teach them about your product, what it can do for them, and why they need it.

Respect your product. Handle it carefully. Have you ever looked at diamond necklaces at a jewelry store? They are displayed on velvet. The salesperson gently removes them from the display case, and hands them to you with care. The atmosphere promotes the idea that these products are valuable. Don’t your products deserve as much respect? (Although you might be able to forego the vault and the guys with guns!)

First, create or obtain products you can sell after your talk. The fastest way to do this is to buy products from someone else. For example, if you are a expert on personal security, you could offer a few security devices (such as hand-held alarms or pepper spray).

You can also develop information products. Put together booklets of personal security tips for women, security for travelers, keeping your home secure, etc. They don’t take long to write, and can be produced in small quantities for less than $1 each. Additional information products would include books, posters, audio CDs, DVDs, t-shirts, etc. An audio program can be created simply by recording one of your talks.

Always provide a handout when you speak. One page is fine. Include some of the important points from your talk, or some tips related to your topic. Make sure you include information about how you can be contacted. On the back, put a brief bio and/or information about your products and services. Include a special offer or coupon, with an expiration date, to encourage the audience to contact you.

Customers often need to see you more than once before they make a buy decision, so keep yourself in front of the audience. Collect names and addresses of the audience members, and mail to them after the talk. Remind them when and where they heard you talk. The organization may give you a list of attendees if you ask. Or, you can collect the information. Offer a drawing for a prize (such as one of your booklets or other products) and collect business cards for the drawing. Or offer to send additional information to those who provide a business card.

Encourage audience members to sign up for your email list. Do not just add people to your email list because you have their email addresses. Make sure you also have their permission to email them. Doing otherwise makes you a spammer.

After you have been speaking for free for a while, you will get asked about your fee to speak. This opens the door to a whole new set of opportunities. If you are asked about your fee for speaking, it means you are ready to become a professional speaker—a professional expert on your topic.

Learn more about creating information products and making your speaking more profitable here.

I found it hard to believe that he gets the fees he claimed, based on what I heard. He may charge those fees, but I don’t believe he gets them. What I mean by that is that I believe he has a fee schedule that says he gets $15,000 per speech, but he actually works for free, a reduced fee or a percentage of product sales. Having a fee schedule that says he is a $15,000 speaker sounds impressive, but if he does not deliver a $15,000 speech he loses credibility instead of gaining it.

This is an example of someone whose resume has outpaced his abilities. That is, his claims are greater than what he can produce.

There is nothing wrong with setting high expectations and promising great things. However, if you don’t deliver on those promises, you can do serious harm to your reputation and your future. This speaker damaged how I think of him with his poor performance, and I suspect I am not the only one who had that reaction.

Don’t misrepresent yourself, especially if your performance will not live up to your representations or your claims are easily disproved.

Take a look at the following list–do you do these things when you speak?

• Be prepared.
• Begin slowly.
• Be modest.
• Speak distinctly.
• Address all your hearers.
• Be uniformly courteous.
• Prune your sentences.
• Cultivate mental alertness.
• Conceal your method.
• Be scrupulously clear.
• Feel sure of yourself.
• Look your audience in the eyes.
• Be direct.
• Favor your deep tones.
• Speak deliberately.
• Get to your facts.
• Be earnest.
• Observe your pauses.
• Suit the action to the word.
• Be yourself at your best.
• Speak fluently.
• Use your abdominal muscles.
• Make yourself interesting.
• Be conversational.
• Conciliate your opponent.
• Rouse yourself.
• Be logical.
• Have your wits about you.
• Be considerate.
• Open your mouth.
• Speak authoritatively.
• Cultivate sincerity.
• Cultivate brevity.
• Cultivate tact.
• End swiftly.

And here is where we swiftly end this post. Is there anything you would add to this?

If you try to remember all of these while you are speaking, you will drive yourself (and probably your audience) to distraction. A good way to use these tips to improve your public speaking skills is to review the list and look for things you do when you speak. Are you a nervous speaker who fidgets or clears your throat? Do you speak in a dull monotone when delivering a speech? Or speak too quickly? Choose one or two bad habits, and concentrate on ridding yourself of them.

Use an audio or video recorder to record yourself delivering a speech. As you review the recording, watch and listen for opportunities to improve. Even if you are an experienced public speaker, you can always improve. I have spoken in front of hundreds of audiences and I consistently receive excellent evaluations from audience members. Even so, I consistently make an effort to be a better speaker at each presentation.

These tips will help you, too, to be a better public speaker.

• Don’t rant.
• Don’t prate.
• Don’t fidget.
• Don’t flatter.
• Don’t declaim.
• Don’t be glib.
• Don’t hesitate.
• Don’t be nasal.
• Don’t apologize.
• Don’t dogmatize.
• Don’t be slangy.
• Don’t antagonize.
• Don’t be awkward.
• Don’t be violent.
• Don’t be “funny.”
• Don’t attitudinize.
• Don’t be monotonous.
• Don’t speak rapidly.
• Don’t sway your body.
• Don’t be long-winded.
• Don’t “hem” and “haw.”
• Don’t praise yourself.
• Don’t overgesticulate.
• Don’t pace the platform.
• Don’t clear your throat.
• Don’t “point with pride.”
• Don’t tell a long story.
• Don’t rise on your toes.
• Don’t distort your words.
• Don’t stand like a statue.
• Don’t address the ceiling.
• Don’t speak in a high key.
• Don’t emphasize everything.
• Don’t drink while speaking.
• Don’t fatigue your audience.
• Don’t exceed your time limit.
• Don’t talk for talking’s sake.
• Don’t wander from your subject.
• Don’t fumble with your clothes.
• Don’t speak through closed teeth.
• Don’t put your hands on your hips.
• Don’t fail to stop when you have ended.

And that brings me to the end of this post, so I will follow the advice of that last tip and stop here.