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Related Reading
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 Basic
Public Speaking, 2nd Edition
The speech student's best resource for everything you need
to know about becoming an effective speaker! Basic Public
Speaking is an informative, succinct, and humorous step-by-step
guide for everyone who wants to learn how to become a confident
speaker — perfect for the middle and high school student!
 Using
Stories and Humor: Grab Your Audience (Part of the Essence
of Public Speaking Series)
This is a valuable book for the public
speaker who would like to enhance his speaking style by the
use of stories and humor. It provides practical tips and exercises
to make effective use of stories in public presentations.
Stories have always been used in our society not only to add
flavor and appeal to presentations, but also to instruct and
inform the audience. —
Xavier Thelakkatt
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Nix Your
Nerves
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Your voice cracks. You rub your palms on your pants, hoping
nobody notices how much you're sweating. You try to stand
still, but you're shaking so much, you feel like your body's
become a human blender.
Why's this so difficult? What is it about public speaking
that turns faces three shades of red? If you'd rather stand
in front of a firing squad before stepping behind a podium,
get over it! Check out these tips for squashing
stage fright.
• Always be prepared. I know, I know, you're not
a Boy
Scout, but the motto still stands true. You'll decrease
your anxiety and gain confidence if you're well prepared
and have rehearsed your speech. If you choose to wing it,
you may get confused and flustered — that firing squad
is looking pretty good right now, huh?
• Choose a topic of interest. Speak about a
subject that means something to you. If you want others
to care about what you're saying, you should too. Plus,
if you're really interested in the topic, it'll be easier
to remember your speech, and that'll make you more confident
and less nervous.
• Use your nervousness. The same nervous energy
that causes platform
panic may be used to a speaker's advantage. Transform
that energy into enthusiasm. The audience will respond to
your excitement.
• Use visual aids. If you can't stop your body
from swaying or your hands from shaking, then visual aids
may help! They provide you with activity during your speech
and allow your body to process nervous energy without distracting
the audience.
• Don't focus on failure. People do want you to
succeed.
The audience is not hoping to see you fall on your face,
although you may think otherwise. They want to hear what
you have to say, so say it!
• Gain Experience.
It's one of life's truths that the more you do something,
the better you become at it. So, don't give up! Experience
builds confidence, and your anxieties will decrease the
more presentations you give.
Written by Jordan Meffert
Are you a public speaking
pro? Share
your tips with us!
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On the Web
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The Art of Speaking in Public
SpeechTips.com
Public-speaking.org
SelfGrowth.com
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Famous Lines
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American history is littered with great public speakers. Here's
a glimpse at excerpts from some of the most famous speeches
of our past.
Susan B. Anthony
Women's
Right to Vote (1873) "... The only question left
to be settled now is: Are women persons? ..."
Lou Gehrig
Farewell to Yankee Fans (1939) "... Yet today I consider
myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. ..."
Patrick Henry
Liberty
or Death (1775) "... I know not what course others
may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"
Martin Luther King, Jr.
I Have a Dream (1963) "... I have a dream that one
day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and
sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together
at the table of brotherhood. ..."
John F. Kennedy, Inaugural
Address (1961) "... And so, my fellow Americans:
ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you
can do for your country. ..."
Abraham Lincoln
The Gettysburg Address (1863) "... and that government
of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish
from the earth."
*Take this quiz
to see if you are an effective public speaker. |
