Although speaking in public is really a monologue of sorts, this monologue is addressed to a ready, able and receptive audience who wants to learn from you as much as you want to learn from them.
Speaking in public would be more effective if it is listened to. The following are effective tips to maintain that necessary contact with the audience.
Greet them
Minutes before your actual speaking engagement, you could walk around the venue and familiarize yourself with the people who will be listening to you. As the people and the attendees arrive, give them a warm greeting. It is so much easier to deliver a speech to a group of people whom you consider as friends than to a bunch of anonymous faces.
Be positive
Honestly, people expect and want you to succeed. Audiences want to be as informed, stimulated and entertained as they could be. If you fail, they cringe with you. Succeed and your audience benefits just as well from your great speaking performance.
There is nothing to be sorry about
If you mention to the audience that you are nervous or if you express your apologies to any problems you think may exist about your speech or your...