EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SPEAKING HOW TO DELIVER YOUR SPEECH

BE YOURSELF IN THE ROUTINE CONVERSATIONS WE HAVE EVERY DAY, WE HAVE NO PROBLEM BEING OURSELVES. YET TOO OFTEN, WHEN WE STAND UP TO GIVE A SPEECH, SOMETHING CHANGES. FOCUS ON THE SPEAKING AND LET GO OF THE “PUBLIC.” THINK OF IT AS A CONVERSATION BETWEEN YOU AND THE AUDIENCE. IF YOU CAN CARRY ON A RELAXED CONVERSATION WITH ONE OR TWO PEOPLE, YOU CAN GIVE A GREAT SPEECH. SIMPLY BE YOURSELF!

LET GO OF PERFECTION IF YOU MAKE A MISTAKE, MOVE ON. DON’T DWELL ON THE MISTAKE THE LESS YOU REACT, THE LESS YOUR AUDIENCE WILL NOTICE, OR EVEN CARE THAT THE MISTAKE OCCURRED. PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO HEAR FROM SOMEONE WHO IS “PERFECT;” THEY WILL RELATE MUCH MORE EASILY TO SOMEONE WHO IS REAL.

VISUALIZE IT ATHLETES CLOSE THEIR EYES AND IMAGINE THEMSELVES MAKING THAT BASKET, HITTING THAT HOME RUN, OR BREAKING THAT RECORD. THE SAME IS TRUE IN PUBLIC SPEAKING. THE BEST WAY TO FIGHT ANXIETY AND TO BECOME A MORE COMFORTABLE SPEAKER IS TO PRACTICE IN THE ONE PLACE WHERE NO ONE ELSE CAN SEE YOU—YOUR MIND. IF YOU VISUALIZE ON A CONSISTENT BASIS, YOUR MIND WILL BECOME USED TO THE PROSPECT OF SPEAKING IN PUBLIC. PRETTY SOON YOU’LL CONQUER ANY FEELINGS OF ANXIETY.

PRACTICE YOUR GOAL IS NOT TO BE A PERFECT PUBLIC SPEAKER. THERE IS NO SUCH THING. YOUR GOAL IS TO BE AN EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SPEAKER. LIKE ANYTHING ELSE IN LIFE, IT TAKES PRACTICE. PRACTICE READING YOUR SPEECH IN FRONT OF A MIRROR, TO YOUR FAMILY, OR TO YOUR FRIENDS RECORD YOURSELF

BODY LANGUAGE YOUR BODY IS A NATURAL TOOL OF COMMUNICATION—AND A POWERFUL ONE AT THAT. AUDIENCES NEED YOU TO GIVE PHYSICAL EXPRESSION TO THE THINGS YOU'RE SAYING. ALWAYS STAND RATHER THAN SIT MAKE YOUR GESTURES SPARE, FEW IN NUMBER, AND STRONG ENOUGH TO EMPHASIZE THE POINT YOU'RE MAKING. USE SPACE EFFECTIVELY; MOVE AROUND THE SPACE

VOCAL DELIVERY YOUR VOICE IS THE MOST FLEXIBLE COMMUNICATION TOOL YOU OWN. TO SPEAK WITHOUT VOCAL VARIATION MEANS USING A "MONO" OR SINGLE TONE; AND FROM THE COMBINED WORD MONOTONE DERIVES THE DEROGATORY MONOTONOUS. YOU TYPICALLY INCORPORATE A LIVELY VOCAL DYNAMIC WHEN YOU'RE PASSIONATELY ARGUING A POINT WITH FRIENDS, OR SHARING THE EXCITEMENT OF A MOVIE, SPORTING EVENT, OR IMPORTANT MILESTONE IN YOUR LIFE. SHARE THAT ENTHUSIASM WITH YOUR AUDIENCE IN FORMAL SPEAKING SITUATIONS.

PACING PACING IS THE SPEED, OR TEMPO IN WHICH YOUR READ YOUR SPEECH TO AN AUDIENCE. GOING TOO FAST WILL LOSE YOUR AUDIENCE; IT CAUSES CONFUSION AS THEY WON’T BE ABLE TO ABSORB WHAT YOU ARE ARGUING. GOING TOO SLOW WILL CAUSE YOUR AUDIENCE TO LOSE INTEREST AND ZONE OUT. FIND A COMFORTABLE PACE IN WHICH YOU CAN READ YOUR SPEECH. PRACTICE!