Tips on Giving an Effective Speech

Nervous about Giving a Speech? The mere thought of giving a speech is nerve wracking for even the most confident people! You’re not alone! Researchers have found that the majority of people are more anxious about public speaking than they are about going to the dentist!

Speech Preparation Learn, Practice and Rehearse your speech - there's nothing more boring than someone who reads a speech word for word... Try your speech out on a willing listener and be prepared to make changes to improve the speech

Paper leads to Problems! If you use sheets of paper to help you remember a speech it will give you problems: – You will be tempted to read the speech word for word and will sound boring and stilted – Words may 'swim' in front of you and you might lose your place and disrupt the flow of the speech – Papers can get out of order and you could drop sheets – You will concentrate on reading rather than delivering Use note cards as prompt cards to avoid all of these problems

Time your Speech OK, you've written your speech, you've put the main points on your prompt cards and you've made sure that your speech flows with good links between the sections

Presenting your Speech Successful Speech Presentation is dependent on a just a few good rules: – Know your subject and be well prepared – Use positive Body Language and Gestures – Vary and Change your voice – Vary your speed of delivery – Know your audience We'll start with everyone's favorite subject... Body Language!

Body Language Stand upright in a confident position with your feet slightly apart and firmly planted on the ground! Think of yourself as a strong tree. Keeping eye contact also shows confidence. “Fake it ‘till you make it!”

Gestures Includes hands, gestures & mannerisms! Good gestures helps to underline what is said Bad Gestures distract! Twitches, fidgets and repetitious movements are fatal! DON'T – Jingle your change – Play with your hair/pen/pointer/end of your shirt sleeves – Scratch anything! – Put your hands in your pockets.

The Triangle Move around! Begin and end your speech Continue your speech

The Voice Modulate the voice (meaning vary or change it!) Voice Modulation helps to highlight individual words and makes it easier for the listener to comprehend the importance and meaning You can use inflexion to change the meaning of words! Practice using voice inflexion!

Speed of Delivery Vary the speed of your delivery – Fast to excite and stimulate – Slow to emphasize Use increased volume to get attention Never underestimate the power of the pause!

Props and Media I’ve changed my mind… Take advantage of useful audio or visual aids to make your point clear. – Including: speeches, pictures on a PowerPoint, graphs, document camera, video (short), etc. You must be choosing it for the right reasons. Does it support your speech or just look (or sound) good?

The Keys… There are really only three keys to delivering a good speech – Prepare! – Plan! – Practice! Practice! Practice When you know what you’re going to say & how you’re going to say it you will feel completely in control!

Some Practice Choose a partner and find a space in the room. Stand facing each other. Partner A will get a prompt first. Talk, without stopping, for 1 minute. Focus on voice, eye contact, gestures, speed, etc. Partner B’s turn! Any really brave volunteers……

PowerPoint Do’s and Don’t’s

How is this distracting? Busy backgrounds make it hard for your audience to read your text – it’s too distracting.

How is this distracting? Simple is better. It may not be as fun, but it’s much more effective.

How is this distracting? Annoyingly slow animations make it frustrating for you and your audience: You’ll feel awkward having to wait.

How is this distracting? Simple text animations add spice, but don’t detract.

 Death Penalty  Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the killing of a person by judicial process for retribution, general deterrence, and incapacitation. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from Latin capitalis, literally "regarding the head" (Latin caput). Hence, a capital crime was originally one punished by the severing of the head.  Capital punishment has been practiced in virtually every society, excluding those with state religious proscriptions against it. It is a matter of active controversy in various states, and positions can vary within a single political ideology or cultural region. A major exception is in Europe, where Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits the practice.[1] Remember that slides are just a visual aid -- if you overload them, the audience will end up trying to read the slides and not paying attention to you.

 Death Penalty  Also known as Capital Punishment.  Killing a person for punishment  From Latin “capitalis” = regarding the head Short, succinct bullet points are much more effective. You will need to talk BEYOND the slide. That’s what note cards are for. Put the most important information as bullet points and your commentary can be part of your note-cards.

What’s wrong here?

What’s Right Here? Bright colors strain your audiences eyes; stick to darker colors (like black, brown, navy) for your backgrounds. Also, use text colors and background colors that contrast. What’s Right Here? What’s What’s

What’s wrong here? Too much animation is distracting and takes away from your hard work.