"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say "What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say."  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson~ Delivery of Speech

Delivery (nonverbal and verbal) Tips for Presenters Things to Avoid Speech Anxiety

A: Delivery nonverbal Posture Quick tip: don’t lean the podium is not there to hold you up, nor are you there to keep it down avoid swaying and bouncing don’t shift from one foot to another give the impression of being on your toes don’t be glued to one spot move around the room good posture portrays confidence; square your feet shoulder-width apart and plant flat on the ground. keep your arms at your sides unless making gestures; to emphasize strong points you’ll want to use movements that are deliberate and precise but look natural and spontaneous. be aware of habits like arm crossing, leaning against a wall or the podium, or tapping a pen Quick tip: Practice your speech in front of a mirror to evaluate your presentation style and body movements and adjust accordingly. Try many different ways to find a comfortable balance of gestures to use in front of an audience.

Delivery con’t… verbal pause before and after don’t state a title some pauses are good pause after an important piece of information to let the audience take it in, etc. don’t state a title if you do a good job constructing your speech, we’ll know what it’s about without the aid of a title don’t say “The End.” that’s what a conclusion is for use voice effectively change your tone when appropriate, vary your pitch and change your volume and the speed of your words; put feeling and energy into you voice if you’re talking about Jim Henson, practice your Kermit impersonation avoid “uh” “and” “um” very distracting maintain eye contact once you break eye contact, you lose your audience, but don’t stare them down either

B: Tips for Presenters Eye contact Understanding Humor Practice

1. Eye Contact Quick tips: not just reading; not turning your back to them; move toward your audience; act like you’re not afraid of them even if you are scan the class as you talk helps your audience feel more relaxed and builds confidence in your speaking knowledge and ability Quick tips: maintain eye contact by knowing your speech so you only have to glance at your notes occasionally find a few friendly faces in the audience; someone who reacts to your message and concentrate on delivering your speech to them don’t actually look at anyone, pick a spot over their shoulder and focus on that

2. Understanding Does your audience understand what you’re explaining? always check for understanding don’t talk over your audience: then no one will understand wait until the class/audience is quiet before you begin/restart speaking good way to get the audience involved

3. Humor inject some humor into your speech the objective is not to be a comedian but to establish a comfortable atmosphere and have fun a little humor in your speech lets the audience know you are human and people actually learn more if they’re having fun humor can mean the difference between an average speech and an outstanding presentation

4. Practice The more nervous you tend to be when speaking in public, the more you need to practice, practice, practice!

C: Things to Avoid avoid the following: gum chewing nervous hand movements i.e. playing with belt, pen, change in pockets, hair, clothes, etc… umms, aahs, and too many ands “You guys”-- use class, students, audience, everyone, etc.

Activity: Avoid No-No’s each group will receive an envelope containing different anxiety markers in speech givers and an envelope containing different tongue twisters pick a slip of paper from each envelope read the tongue twister using the anxiety marker picked rest of group members determine what anxiety marker is being used person wearing the most green goes first

D: Speech Anxiety Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. ~Winston Churchill~

What makes speakers anxious? How to gain some confidence Coping with anxiety Coping during the speech Accepting Criticism

1. What Makes Speakers Anxious? lack of experience feeling different (inferior) being the center of attention “Oh yeah…I should have practiced…”

2. How To Gain Some Confidence prepare and practice often the better you know your speech the less anxious you will feel about screwing up or forgetting something modify thoughts and attitudes; think positively remember if you get called to the principal's office thinking you’re in trouble, all you will hear is negativity

Confidence con’t accept nervousness as normal--work with it rather than fight it you’re nervous, so what use it to your advantage; the more nervous you are the more you need to practice and the more you practice the better you’re speech will be I guarantee you will always be nervous to some extent in public speaking situations

How to fake confidence maintain eye contact control emotions admit mistakes doesn’t fidget uses appropriate facial expressions maintains appropriate distance

2. Coping with Anxiety choose a topic with which you are comfortable prepare thoroughly practice delivery and timing when practicing do not stop until reach end of speech then revise get enough sleep the night before use mental relaxation techniques

Mental relaxation Techniques relax your mind: close your eyes and think happy thoughts, visualize success remember your goal: you are not performing, but communicating concentrate on your message: what ideas are you trying to express study your topic: know your facts prepare your intro and conclusion control your anxiety: remind yourself that anxiety is normal and useful listen to music: pick relaxing music that puts you in a good mood think of your audience as friendly: pretend they are your best friends make yourself yawn breathe by inhaling deeply do slow head rolls sit in a chair and go limp tighten every muscle in body and 1 by 1 release

Other relaxation methods Stress-control breathing Stage 1: inhale air-abdomen out, exhale air-abdomen in; develop a rhythm Stage 2: inhale and exhale while saying a word calm or relax after each exhale take a 3-5 second break Natural Gestures Even though they should look natural, it is best to practice when and what kind of gestures will be used Freedom to Walk you may walk around, but it should not be too often; otherwise it becomes a distraction to the audience

3. Coping During the Speech dress comfortably, but appropriately deliver the speech with outward signs of confidence; fake it if you have to concentrate on the audience instead of self before beginning, take a few deep breaths tense and relax your hands and legs

Accepting Criticism Control Defensiveness Depersonalize the Speech Evaluation look at the evaluation as something to improve on not something that is criticizing you don’t take it to heart, so to speak; anything written in the evaluation is going to be something you can fix Control Defensiveness naturally we react defensively when told what need to work on, realize that these are suggestions to help you, not tear you down Seek Clarification Sometimes the critic is not as clear in what could be improved on, so ask them to clarify what they mean; again not in an oppositional way Understand Reason try to honestly understand why they made the suggestions that where made

Finally… Seek pleasure in the occasion think to yourself, “I’m up here to tell everyone about ________ which is really interesting/something they need to know about. Now’s my chance to help people better understand my topic.”