The moment has come. You are about to make an important speech in front of an audience. You get up, get ready, open your mouth … and silence falls. Here are some tips for delivering an effective speech in front of a large audience.
Steps
Step 1. Write the speech
Take notes of what you would like to include in your speech. Is there a subject you need to talk about or is it personal? Do some research! Find interesting items related to your topic. Add some special effects. Bring the audience to reflect! Pause where you should think, such as a past experience, an answer to a question, an opinion. Write sentences or paragraphs that lead the audience to visualize something. "Imagine …" or "What if …" are two ways to get started. You can also add a fun touch. A joke every now and then will keep the audience interested.
Step 2. Review it
Check for embarrassment, don't say words you can't pronounce correctly. Don't use terms you don't know the meaning of, misspelled words or don't know how to match the right emotion. If you use too many words that people don't know, you may get bored, so remember that everyone needs to have an idea of what you are explaining. Consider the speech as a school assignment and review grammar, hyphenation, punctuation, etc. Even the slightest mistake can make you all wrong. Finally, ask a friend or two to read it. Ask their opinion, if there are things you could improve and try to understand if they got the point, if they have learned anything. Using these tips, make your speech better.
Step 3. If you are nervous, practice at home
The more confident you become, the less anxious you will be. If people get you off guard, imagine you are in your room (or where you practiced) doing one last test.
Step 4. Be yourself
Don't write something in technical jargon just to try to impress. Add something that suggests like "This is mine, it's my words, not the person sitting over there." The more you customize it, the less work you will have, i.e. the less you have to worry about.
Step 5. Write down notes
They are easier to use than fathom the speech when you don't remember the next point of the discussion. Try not to put a lot on each card. Usually one card per point is enough, but if you have too much information, do two, three at the most. Don't write whole sentences, just a few words that you remember how to connect the speech. This way you will maintain eye contact.
Step 6. When the time finally comes, take a deep breath
Not just a second between inhalation and exhalation. Inhale for ten seconds and exhale for the same amount of time, letting the belly move but the shoulders remain still. If it doesn't work at first, do it again and again until you feel relaxed and confident. You should be able to get rid of the nervousness enough to start talking and get to the bottom.
Step 7. Look for a friendly face in the crowd
Use it as a motivation to make the best speech possible. If you don't find him, remember that he is there and he looks at you, even if you don't see him.
Step 8. Start talking
Wait, start talking l e n t a m e n t e! If you think you're going too slow, that's perfect. If you think it's okay, it's usually too fast for the listener. Articulate every word! It's fun to see how a word can become something different with the right sound, but it won't be as pleasant for you! Speak with this principle in mind. Usually, after about a paragraph you will start thinking, "Hey, it's not that bad!", And it will be easier to continue. If it doesn't happen to you, wait a little longer.
Step 9. Add emotion to your speech
How many times have you heard a monotonous speech or one that sounded read word for word? Boring! Pretend you're acting. Everyone sees what you do and your aim is to get something, not get fired. If possible, move, gesticulate, and if you really want to exaggerate, say a part of your speech as you say it. If you don't grab people's attention in this way, you won't be able to otherwise. In the middle of the speech, stop and ask a participant to give an opinion on what you are doing, then show if he is right or wrong. Try to get an opinion from someone who doesn't seem to be following you, just to regain their trust. Some people listen and start thinking "That's right, it's true" or they are more childish: "Ha ha! You're wrong!". This shows that they pay attention to you. Ask questions and add breaks. Go out of your way to get the audience to reflect! And keep in touch with "the whole" audience (or look over their heads if you don't want to stare).
Step 10. Enjoy
If you don't like what you're talking about, the audience won't like it either. But if you enjoy it, your words will testify and even those who listen to you will be passionate.
Advice
- If you get a knot in your stomach, take a few deep breaths to calm yourself and speak loudly, especially if you are in front of a lot of people.
- Know what you are talking about.
- You smile.
- Believe in yourself!
- Practice. By practicing regularly with small groups like Toastmaster's, you will increase your confidence and improve your communication skills. Check www.toastmasters.org to find a local club.
- Show your personality.
- Learn to understand what kind of audience you have in front of you to know how to set diction and choice of words.
- Speaks slowly!
- Be confident and energetic - not a negative energy, but one that affects others as well.
- Get excited.
Warnings
- If you make a mistake, don't act like it's the end of the world or you'll be convinced.
- Don't be negative about yourself or your speech.
- Don't put too much effort into writing the speech. If you don't come up with ideas, take a break.
