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Toastmasters offers tips for public speaking
PUBLIC-SPEAKING TIPS
Feeling nervous before giving a speech is natural and even beneficial, but being too nervous can be detrimental. Here are some proven tips on how to control your butterflies and give better presentations:
• Know your material. Choose a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your speech. Use humor, personal stories and conversational language — that way you won’t easily forget what to say.
• Practice. Practice. Practice! Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using. Revise as necessary. Work to control filler words; practice, pause and breathe. Practice with a timer and allow time for the unexpected.
• Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers.
• Know the room. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area, and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.
• Relax. Begin by addressing the audience. It buys you time and calms your nerves. Pause, smile and count to three before saying anything. (“One, one-thousand; two, one-thousand; three ,one-thousand. Pause. Begin.) Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.
• Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and confident. Visualize the audience clapping — it will boost your confidence.
• Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They’re rooting for you.
• Don’t apologize for any nervousness or problem — the audience probably never noticed it.
• Concentrate on the message — not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties, and concentrate on your message and your audience.
• Gain experience. Mainly, your speech should represent you, as an authority and as a person. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A Toastmasters club can provide the experience you need in a safe and friendly environment.
Updated: July 29, 2012 6:05AM
Feeling nervous before giving a speech is natural and even beneficial, but being too nervous can be detrimental. Here are some proven tips on how to control your butterflies and give better presentations:
• Know your material. Choose a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your speech. Use humor, personal stories and conversational language — that way you won’t easily forget what to say.
• Practice. Practice. Practice! Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using. Revise as necessary. Work to control filler words; practice, pause and breathe. Practice with a timer and allow time for the unexpected.
• Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers.
• Know the room. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area, and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.
• Relax. Begin by addressing the audience. It buys you time and calms your nerves. Pause, smile and count to three before saying anything. (“One, one-thousand; two, one-thousand; three ,one-thousand. Pause. Begin.) Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.
• Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and confident. Visualize the audience clapping — it will boost your confidence.
• Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They’re rooting for you.
• Don’t apologize for any nervousness or problem — the audience probably never noticed it.
• Concentrate on the message — not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties, and concentrate on your message and your audience.
• Gain experience. Mainly, your speech should represent you, as an authority and as a person. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A Toastmasters club can provide the experience you need in a safe and friendly environment.
