For many people, speaking is public is quite scary. There are many fears that people have about speaking in front of many people. There are plenty of things to do that will help relieve you of these scary feelings. If you find yourself needing to make a public speech, take the time to think over the advice given here.
After writing a speech, time yourself. If it is longer than you were expecting, take the opportunity to trim it down. If your speech isn’t long enough, you’ll have time to do some more research to lengthen it. The final tip is to avoid rushing through your speech.
When practicing to give a public speech, it is a great idea to commit it to memory. After you can say it from memory, figure out how you want the delivery to go. Memorize it and you will feel more comfortable with it.
You must not think that just because you are talking, people are listening. You need to work hard to attract their attention and harder to maintain it. Since this is technically a performance, you have to work to get the desired results.
Know as much as you can about your material. Don’t just memorize words, understand facts and even have a relevant story or joke on hand. Work them in on the fly depending on how you gauge your audience. You might also find this information comes in handy when it’s time to answer questions.
During your preparation for the speech, it is vital that you have thorough knowledge about the subject you are speaking on. Conduct research so that you see all sides of an issue. Then, narrow in on individual points, and back them up with carefully crafted remarks. This kind of preparation is bound to pay off handsomely as your audience asks questions.
Make sure you are acquainted with your audience. If you can, learn who the individuals are who are expected to attend. If possible, greet them as the enter the room and ask their names. By knowing who you are speaking to you, you can gain confidence.
Time your speech. This will allow you to edit your speech to keep it within the necessary time constraints. If you find that your speech is very short, consider beefing it up with a little research. Just don’t rush through the speech.
If you are anxious about public speaking, practice deep breathing techniques. Taking some deep breaths and then exhaling all the way before giving a speech can reduce nerves. Inhale and exhale counting to four each time. Do this approximately five times to feel a difference in how calm you feel.
No matter the venue, always look your best. If you feel and look sharply dressed, it will reflect in your speaking. Men ought to wear a tie since it makes the audience focus on his face and thus, his speech.
Be sure you are very familiar with your presentation so you’ll feel confident when speaking publicly. Choose a subject that is close to your heart. Remain conversational the entire time, and you will dazzle with knowledge, not flash.
Commit your speech to your memory as soon as you can. After you are able to do the speech from memory, you will be able to refine your delivery. Memorizing the speech itself also frees you up for improvisation later on.
Note cards can be quite helpful. Though memorizing your speech is always wise, keeping a written copy on hand is also smart. You may not necessarily have the whole thing written out, but having your important points notated can help.
Never apologize, even if you feel nervous and like you are making mistakes. You might think you’re making a giant idiot of yourself, but your audience may hold a different view. If you make mistakes, correct them and move on. You don’t need to apologize for anything.
Visual Aids
Learn the material as well as possible. Don’t just memorize words, understand facts and even have a relevant story or joke on hand. Depending on the type of audience and how receptive they are, you can weave in stories as you go along. In addition, you can rely on them during the question and answer period or during follow-up conversations.
Avoid making your visual aids too distracting. Visual aids should enhance the information you are giving. If you’re offering up too much as far as visual aids, they will be distracting and overwhelming. Any visual aids you use must be of high quality. Color is great, as are graphics and creative fonts. Just don’t go overboard.
Envision the speech you must deliver. Picture the speech as well as the reaction of the audience. You will feel more prepared if you have imagined yourself giving a very successful speech.
Don’t make your audience wait to ask questions at the end of the speech. People might forget important questions. Instead, allow people to ask questions throughout the speech. This will help them appreciate you as a speaker.
Avoid alcohol before you deliver your speech. You may be tempted to consume a little liquid courage, but it is not a good idea. Nothing will ruin a speech faster than forgetting your lines, and that’s exactly what will occur if you imbibe in a few drinks.
Put yourself in the right frame of mind. It’s okay to be nervous. Everyone experiences a little anxiety and nervousness right before an important speech. It is not okay if you are thinking negatively. When you tell yourself that you won’t do well, that’s probably what will happen as a result. Thinking the speech will go well means it probably will.
If you’re nervous prior to a speech, try picturing yourself in the audience. How likely would you be to point at the speaker or laugh at his words? Would it make you think less of the person? If you make errors, it’s not a catastrophe since you’re your worst critic.
Don’t let the audience know you’re nervous. Most often, a speech will carry more weight and command more respect if the listeners don’t hear that confession. It is not unusual for a speaker to believe that the audience realizes that he is nervous, but normally this is not true. No matter how you really feel, let them believe you are confident.
You should know your speech to become comfortable with it. Make sure that you pick a subject matter that you are well versed in and personally passionate about. Keep a conversational tone, you are are sure to impress the audience with what you know.
Vocal Chords
Warming up your vocal chords can help you to speak clearly. If you’re going to be making a morning speech, this is even more important. If you don’t, you may find that you’ll start carrying a lot of tension in your vocal chords during the speech. This can cause vocal cracks and make your voice sound tinny.
From reading the above suggestions, you should have gotten great tips to best reduce your fears. Refer back to this information every time you are going to speak in public. As you practice the ideas in this article more and more, the more at ease you will be speaking. Start practicing today!
Practice your speech as often as possible. You will start to know the material very well, which should help you feel better about the speech as a whole. Have your notes with you as you stand at the podium, even if you’ve done a good job of memorizing your speech. Your note cards may come in handy, should you lose your place during your speech.