t out or answer them all. If the response is too long, you may want to wrap it up so you can move forward. 

Sooner or later in our lifetime, we all need to speak before an audience, at a wedding, at work, teaching a course, etc. Preparedness is, therefore, crucial to overcome fear and reach our audience effectively.

   In an Educator’s life, public speaking plays a vital role inside and outside the classroom. An educator not only relates to students in class but also may have to give conferences, lectures, presentations, etc. 

   A good starting point to feel comfortable when speaking in public includes:

   Becoming aware of the fact that in all social situations, we use public speaking almost without realizing it, for example, social and family gatherings, committee and faculty meetings, personal introductions, team discussions, etc.

   Building a comfort zone by practicing any time you can, introducing yourself with people you do not know, being conscious of what you say when talking casually with your acquaintances, and so on.

   Managing fear. Even experienced speakers experiment fear. It is not uncommon at all to feel intimidated by new scenarios and big audiences. However, some techniques help handle it, for instance: rehearse as many times you can until you feel comfortable with yourself no matter the distractions, in front of a mirror, doing the laundry, driving to work, with the TV on, etc.

   Knowing your audience. Is it students, educators, or the general public whom you will be addressing? The more familiar you are with the attendees, the better you will prepare your content.

   Preparing for the Q&A session.The mere thought of answering questions is intimidating. How can one prepare if you do not know what people will ask? 

   Well, by anticipating some possible questions, you can work on their answers. You may also want to write down answers as you hear the questions, rephrase them with your own words, give a structured response, especially if the question covers more than one topic. In this last case, you may want to say that the question covers A, B, and C, and then decide if you will focus on one of them and leave the res

   If you are not sure about the response, you can ask the person to repeat the question or make a pause -picking some water, for instance-, to gain time to think. If you do not know what to answer, you can speak in conditional: "I would need to know more about ... “, “I would consider...” etc., or remit to the future, for example, "That is an excellent point I would like to address in a future project." Just remember that, when faced with challenging questions, the way you answer is as important as the content.

   Being aware of your body language. Apart from what you have to say, your posture, gestures, and face expressions will send messages on your feelings and intentions that your audience will interpret and consequently form an opinion of you. Work on a positive body language that engages your audience. Speak with enthusiasm and energy, smile, and walk upright.

   Testing all equipment and technical aids, from plugs to laser pointer, and internet connection.

  Although the techniques mentioned above are useful in any situation of public speaking, it is worth noting that, in the case of educators addressing students, the speech should lean on instructional speech and relational discourse techniques as part of their pedagogical speech. Knowing these techniques is essential as teachers and professors communicate a specific field of knowledge and need signals from students to show them they are learning.

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