It's time to address one of the most feared topics by all: public speaking. Fortunately, this article will help you manage this nerve-wracking event. Start at Step 1 to learn how to get through your next speech without having to think about your history teacher in underwear!
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Prepare the speech
Step 1. Choose a message
Your speech must be summarized in a single sentence or at most two, if you really want! But that is what it must be reduced to: the message is the point you will start from and the point you will return to in the end. It is a simple system that manages to appeal to the public. And of course, it's easy for you to remember!
So what's your message? Did the professor give you a specific theme to develop? If so, what is your position on this? Or is it more personal? Two or three personal stories with a theme connecting them can almost make up the whole speech
Step 2. Try to understand the audience
This is what determines the almost entirety of your speech. You certainly wouldn't give the same kind of speech to 4-year-olds and a company manager! So, commit to getting to know your audience. Here are some tips:
- Who I am? Age? Type? Believe?
- How well do they know about meteria? This is what determines the possibility of using technical language (if they don't know the subject, don't use it!).
- Why am I here? To learn something? Why are they forced? Why are they genuinely interested?
- How long have they been there? If you're the 17th of 18 speeches, take that into consideration!
Step 3. Research your subject
If the subject is you, then congratulations! You probably already know what to say perfectly! But if that's not the case, then do some research and cover "Pros" and "Cons". If people find holes in your arguments, then that's not convincing.
- To support your message, look for at least three points (and that short sentence you're working on). Think of an antithesis as well, but don't focus on just this one.
- Don't make things more complicated than your audience can handle. Stay away from jargon or technical terms if they can confuse the public.
Step 4. Use stories, humor and metaphors
A speech full of monotonous and meaningless facts and statistics won't win you over. The mind easily loses attention if it only listens to such things. Instead, choose stories - it's easier to follow the structure - and bring them to life through metaphors and antitheses. The more vivid you make the image you are telling, the better.
- Being self-deprecating is an advantage. But remember that it always depends on the audience and the format of the speech. A witness speech? Definitely appropriate. Inform the president of your company about market shifts? Maybe not.
- The antithesis concerns the way you use oppositions. Clinton said referring to Barack Obama: "I want to run a man who is cold on the outside, but who burns for America on the inside." A very clear sentence.
Step 5. Use impactful adjectives, verbs and adverbs
Make your speech vivid! For example, take the phrase "The fishing industry is evil" and turn it into "The practices of the fish industry are outrageous!" Even something as simple as "We can solve this problem" can become more impactful by changing it to "We can quickly solve this problem". Your audience may not remember exactly what you said, but they will remember the emotion you caused them.
Think actively. The phrase "If we are many, we can induce change" invokes a much more powerful image if reversed: "We can change things if we are many." Pin your audience to the chair, right?
Step 6. Get straight to the point
If a speech goes viral on YouTube, it means it has potential - and Steve Jobs' speech to Stanford graduates did exactly that. Jobs began by saying, "Today I want to tell you three stories that happened to me. That's all, nothing important. Just three stories." Boom. Captured!
Don't flinch, don't apologize, no "I was wondering" and no "Thank you" - be shameless and confident. Be there. Don't speak abstractly but create an image. They are there to hear you speak, not to know how you feel or what you think about your speech. Capture them from the start with a powerful out-of-the-box joke
Step 7. Write your speech
Forming a speech within one's memory takes a lot of work. Write it down, realize how it goes from point to point, if it covers all the topics you want to talk about, and if it really communicates what you mean. If it doesn't, shape it to fit your needs!
Your speech should consist of a clear introduction, the body of the speech, and a conclusion. The introduction and conclusion must be short and concise; the conclusion must resume the introduction. As for the body, well, it includes everything else
Method 2 of 3: Practice
Step 1. Write down the main points
When you have a clear understanding of the content of the speech (and perhaps when you have already written it), make a list of the main points. Use some cards and try to understand if, by looking at them, you can cover all the topics you want to address. Is the speech fludio? Are there any sections that convince you less than others?
Get to the point of being able to deliver the speech using only the cards. The more comfortable you are with the speech, the more you will notice it as you deliver it
Step 2. Store
It is not absolutely necessary, but it remains a good idea. This way you can make eye contact with the audience and worry about details, such as gestures and inflections. Don't worry if you realize you don't have enough time. But if you have it, take advantage of it!
This does not mean that you will face the speech unprepared: you will always have the cards with you! If you have a memory lapse, you can always take a look and go straight to the point you need to remember. For this reason, you will surely have gone over the cards at least ten times
Step 3. Give it a try and deliver your speech to someone
It's a great idea for a number of reasons:
- Doing a dress rehearsal helps you get used to the idea of having someone watching you while you speak. Public speaking can be very frightening - exercise will help calm your nerves.
- Make sure they really listen to you. At the end of the talk, ask him what doubts you raised. Were there holes in your arguments? Did something confuse them?
Step 4. Practice in front of the mirror and in the shower
In fact, you should practice where it happens. But these two spaces are particularly useful:
- Exercising in front of the mirror will help you understand your body language. What gestures are suitable? How do you feel and how do you behave during the breaks?
- Practicing in the shower is useful because it is probably one of the few times a day that you will be able to rehearse the speech automatically. Are there any points where you lose the thread? If so, review the speech until it satisfies you.
Step 5. Consider the time
You probably have an idea of how long your speech should be, or they may have given you a specific time or length to stick to. Try to stay above the minimum and below the maximum: this way if you accidentally slow down or speed up the speech, you will stay within the limits.
Method 3 of 3: Deliver the Speech
Step 1. Think about posture and gestures
Standing impaled as if you were only wearing a fig leaf is not the right way to make an attention-grabbing speech. Just as it is not going to the other extreme and clinging to the podium. The best thing is to stand normally, with legs shoulder-width apart, and use your hands as naturally as possible.
Your speech contains a certain amount of emotion, right? (Correct answer: yes). Let these moments take you. Every day you use your hands to express emotions, and with this speech you don't have to behave differently. You are always communicating something to people, only on a larger scale. Although the scale is different, the gestures are the same
Step 2. Use special effects
Have you seen that show in which a woman, talking about schizophrenia, tells that she herself had a brain problem? No? So, have you seen that show where a woman, talking about schizophrenia, talks about having a brain problem herself and then shows the audience a real human brain, with spinal cord and all? In this video, you can literally hear the audience's jaws drop. So, always try to draw impressive images.
But remember to take it easy. Don't pull off a special effect with every sentence. Hooked up to one special effect, like the story of the brain. Are you telling the story about the last burning building your father entered? Bring your burnt fireman's hat with you. Are you talking about when you met a celebrity in a bar? Bring the autograph he gave you on a napkin and show it when you tell how you felt while asking for an autograph. Use special effects in moderation but in a way that makes them impactful
Step 3. Learn to recognize the right time to use images
A powerpoint presentation can be a nice addition to the speech (for some topics, at least). But be sure to use it in your favor! You want them to listen to you, not lose their attention looking at beautiful pictures.
- Use charts to better illustrate your positions, especially if they are difficult concepts. Pictures can be easier to remember than simple news, regardless of how important or well explained it may be.
- Don't look at the pictures while you speak! You know what's in the presentation, keep talking to the audience, not the screen.
Step 4. Select people in the audience to watch, don't stare at the audience in general
Many believe that staring at the audience is a good technique, because if the nervousness increases, you can always look at the wall. But no! Hold on! Think of your speech as a conversation between two people. Make eye contact with several people, engage them one by one instead of making them feel swiftly reviewed.
Step 5. Change the tone of your voice often
In general, you should speak calmly, understandably and clearly. You should do it from start to finish. But to keep the audience awake and the speech dynamic, the tone varies a little. The passages you are passionate about must be emphasized to the maximum! Speak loudly and vigorously! Beat your fist if necessary! Then there will be moments that will resemble a lullaby and sections that will have to be accompanied by pauses to allow the emotions to settle. And then, there will still be a time to use a passionate tone. This will certainly be clearer to you verbally than in writing. Did you understand.
Let the tone be pervaded by the emotions you feel. Don't be afraid to giggle a little or show frustration or pain. You are human. Your audience is looking for a human connection, not a robot that shoots words in bursts
Step 6. Don't forget the breaks
Pauses have the same power as words. Think of the phrase: "Hydrogen monoxide killed 50 million people last year. 50 million. Let us assimilate this concept." Now think back to the same sentence interspersed with a pause at the end of each sentence. It looks more serious. True?
Take your speech and write down where to add breaks. Insert a slash to indicate the pause. Once you have the text written, it will be easier for you to understand where to put one
Step 7. Conclude by repeating your opening message and saying a simple "Thank you"
You have finished your speech, no one is dead and it is time for the conclusion. Stay focused, look the audience in the eye, say thank you, smile and step off the stage.
Woooow! Take a deep breath! You did. Next time you will give a speech on how to give speeches. Why were you so nervous at first?
Advice
- As you practice repeating the speech, record and listen again until the voice and the way of speaking have convinced you.
- Remember that no one would change his or her post to that of the speaker for anything in the world! Keep calm by pretending that the people around you are just your dog, cat, or trainer.
- Take a deep breath, be confident, smile and take the stage.
- Be prepared for questions. If you don't know the answer, there's no need to panic. Be honest and that you don't know what to answer but that you will work on it. Don't make up answers.
- Don't be blasphemous and don't swear. Just because you get the chance to do it doesn't mean others will approve. There are so many words in Italian that you can use without offending your audience.
