Public Speaking Tips

Any public speaking involves delivering information to people who are, in one way or another, waiting to get some information. This is a key reason why you should pay careful attention as you prepare to make your speech and as you plan to meet your audience.

Some people are naturals at public speaking and getting to audiences; (you may think of politicians or a good college professor you took some classes with), the fact of the matter is most people are not good at making speeches and the vast majority of people are terrified of delivering a speech. This should not discourage you in any way, since many experts have studied this and worked hard to help you to deal with these problems in speech making.

If you are at a point that you are going to deliver a speech, you probably are at a stage in your life where your thoughts are worth something to other people.  This means that people want to get into your head and they appreciate your talent or skill in some particular field.  The people that will listen to you have something to learn from you.

But you are not thinking of these people, are you? You are thinking of the few people that probably know more than you and will be in the crowd. This is a big mistake, first because you should think of the person that will profit from your knowledge and get to him, and second because you probably have something in you that will benefit even the ones that you fear.

The key to all this is simple--it is preparation! Yes, it is the most basic, banal and trivial thing, but it is the base of success in any field. Lets think about speech making preparation.

First think about your audience:
who is the average person coming to your speech?
what does he know?
what does he need to know?
what will inspire him and make him listen carefully to what you have to say?
and how will you get him to appreciate your speech?
It is not that difficult, it is actually good to start at this point, remember – people want to know what you are thinking, you just need to keep them interested.

Rehearse, practice the speech again, and again, and again. Obviously you don’t have all the time in the world to perfect it, but there is a value to this.  Timing your speech, and pre setting spots in which you will change your tone, your speed and rhythm, will make you a better speaker and a better speech planner. So rehearse your speech and listen to yourself while doing it.

Start strong and confident.  Talk about things you know so that no one can beat you or undermine you.  Let the confidence and the experience shine through.  People feel that, and if you do this right, you will own your audience.

Think about your entrance and the first 3 minutes of the speech.  Pay attention to the way you walk in.  Project confidence and calm, do not rush into anything, even if you are late or under a tight schedule.  Do everything slowly and thoughtfully.  Show the room that you are entering your speech zone and that no one is allowed in, they can sit and wait for a few seconds (which seem like hours) – its only a few seconds. Make sure you got the attention of the crowd, and start strong. Pick the words of your opening carefully, and trust yourself.

Good luck.

To your speaking success

Fran Watson

P.S.  For more free speaking tips, click here

Where Have I Been?

Wow. I didn't realize how much time had passed since I last posted. Made me stop and think - where have I been? Last year I was the Public Relations Officer for the District. My term ended June 30th, so May and June were very busy with conference and newsletters and more. I also became very involved with a project in my home town - The Diversity Festival - which was held on July 7th and was very successful. Then we were in to the summer with a family reunion, my boyfriend's family visiting from overseas, my daughter coming from Taiwan for a visit and work. Recently I presented a 3 hour workshop to the local military base on communication. So, that's where I have been.

Where am I going now?

This year I took on the role of Area Governor, which means that I took on a role to help the clubs in my area learn and grow. Yesterday I attended training designed to make me more effective in this role. I am in the process of organizing an Area Speech Contest for Humorous speeches and Evaluations. I am learning more about speaking and life in general through a course called BANABU and I am continuing to present workshops on Time Management, Conflict Resolution, Personality Dimensions, Communication and more.

I will get back to my blogs and provide content for club members and anyone interested in public speaking.

If you have a comment or a question, something you would like me to discuss or provide more information on, please comment below.

All the best to you and your speaking career.

Fran