Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Speech Writing
• Method 2 of 3: Preparing to recite a speech
• Method 3 of 3: Speech recitation
• Tips
• What do you need

It's time to talk about what people fear more than death - public speaking.Fortunately, after reading this article, you can handle this challenge for your nerves. You don't even have to imagine your history teacher in her underwear to calm your nerves while reciting a speech.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Speech Writing

1. 1 Come up with a slogan or key phrase. The content of your speech should be reduced to one, maximum two sentences, with which you will begin preparing your speech and which you will return to at the end. The slogan should be simple and memorable so that people can pick up and remember it. In addition, it will be easier for you to cope with the writing of the speech if you can briefly and clearly explain what it is about.
   • So what's your key phrase? Perhaps your teacher gave you a specific topic to write your speech? Or maybe it's something more personal? Several stories from personal experience, united by a single topic, can turn into an interesting and meaningful speech.
2. 2 Study your target audience. This is necessary in order to determine the style of presentation of speech and choose the appropriate vocabulary. Agree, you will not describe in scientific terms the phenomenon of, say, diffusion, speaking in front of four-year-old children, just as you will not begin to explain to candidates and professors why the earth is round. Simply because the former will not understand anything, and the latter will find you strange, because you are explaining simple truths. So before you write your speech, do a little research on who it is for. Below are a few important factors to consider before you jump directly into writing your speech:
   • Who are your listeners? What age group do they belong to? What do they believe in? What are their beliefs? Are they men or women?
   • How well do they know your topic? The complexity of the terminology that you will use in your speech depends on this. (The less the listeners know, the easier and more accessible it is to present the material).
   • Why did they come to listen to you? Do they want to learn something? Are they interested in your topic? Or are they sitting in the audience because it is necessary to create a mass character?
   • How long will they be in the audience before your performance? If you have seventeen speakers in front of you, this is also worth considering!
3. 3 Do some research on your topic. If you already own it, you can mentally congratulate yourself, for half the job is done. There is nothing easier than writing about what you know like the back of your hand. But if you are "not in the subject", start collecting information and studying it in detail. Because if people can find flaws in your reasoning, your speech will be inconclusive and fail.
   • You must have at least three arguments to develop your key phrase. You can also give counterarguments without focusing on this.
   • Complicate your speech as much as it can be perceived by the audience. Do not use jargon and professional terms in your speech that most listeners will not understand and will feel disadvantaged by it.
4. 4 Add stories, jokes and metaphors to your speech. Nobody is interested in listening to a meager summary of statistical data and bare facts. The human brain ceases to perceive such information after a few minutes and simply turns off. Instead, tell stories spiced with metaphors and antitheses. The brighter your verbal portrait is, the better.
   • Self-irony can also take place. It all depends on what kind of audience and what speech you are giving. This may be appropriate if you are in the role of a witness at a best friend's wedding, but not during a speech at a shareholders meeting in front of the director on the costs of the company's annual budget.
   • Antithesis is a play of opposites.At one time, former US President Clinton said about Barack Obama: "I want to introduce you to a man who leads a cool foreign policy, but with all his heart is rooting for the future of America."
5. 5 Use adjectives, verbs, and adverbs. Make your speech lively and rich. Take the sentence “The fishing industry is doing poorly” and change it to “The fishing industry is grossly disruptive in technology.” Consider a more elementary example "We can solve the problem" and "We can solve the problem quickly and efficiently." It would seem that two sentences that are identical in meaning, which, nevertheless, have a different emotional connotation. Most of the listeners will not be able to remember exactly what you told them, but they will perfectly catch the emotional background that the speech carried.
   • Use an active voice. The sentence “If we have willpower, we can change the world” is better replaced by the phrase “We can change the world, we have enough willpower and courage to do it”. Make people feel uplifted and needed, and you won't be able to keep them where they are.
6. 6 Get straight to the point. When a performance is streamed live on YouTube and immediately grabs attention, it's worth a lot. This was the case with Steve Jobs' speech to Stanford graduates in 2005, which he began with the words: “Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. Nothing special. Just three stories. "
   • No hiccups, no forewords, no apologies, no thanks, no please or I don't know, get right to the point. Get off to a good start. Do not talk about the picture, draw it in words so that everyone who sits in the hall imagines it as clearly as if it is standing in front of him. People have come to listen to your speech, they do not care about your excitement and well-being. So do not focus on the hitch that has arisen, just continue your speech as if nothing had happened. No matter how difficult it is.
7. 7 Record your speech on a piece of paper. It is very difficult to structure it in your head. Put your theses on paper - and you will see how they relate to each other, and you will also be able to understand how fully you can use them to reveal your topic and generally decide what is appropriate and what is not. Edit what is written until your reasoning becomes logical and interconnected and will clearly and clearly convey your position on a particular issue to your listeners.
   • Your speech should be structured with an introduction, body and ending. The introduction and ending should be short and, at the same time, capacious in meaning, and the ending is always a slightly revised beginning. As for the main part, it sets out the main arguments and counterarguments on a given topic.

Method 2 of 3: Preparing to recite a speech

1. 1 Write down the main points on paper. Once you are completely sure what you will say, sketch out a kind of speech outline for yourself. Write down your key thoughts on cardboard cards and decide if you can reproduce your talk using only these kind of prompts. How coherent is the speech? What parts are causing you difficulties?
   • Practice until you can reproduce the speech, relying only on the clue cards. The better you feel, understand and know your speech, the more effect you can make on your audience. ...
2. 2 Memorize speech by heart. Okay, it's not really necessary, but more than desirable. It's just that if you memorize the speech, you will be able to keep eye contact with the audience, and not get lost in your notes, sometimes written in less than perfect handwriting. The importance of eye contact lies in the fact that in this way the speaker encourages the audience to dialogue and sets up a trusting mood.But don't worry if you have little time to prepare before speaking, because memorized speech is just an advantage, not a rule.
   • This does not mean that, having learned the speech, you should go on stage without any materials at hand. You can of course take your abstract cards with you! And then, if you forget something, you can look at them and, as if nothing had happened, continue your speech. It is for this that you have run away speech with cards a dozen times.
3. 3 Give a speech to someone before speaking to the general public. This must be done for a number of reasons:
   • First, this way you can get used to the fact that someone will be watching you when you speak. The fear of performing in front of an audience is natural, so a little practice in front of a small audience is a great way to overcome it and calm your nerves.
   • And secondly, try to interest your audience. At the end of the speech, ask the audience what questions they had during your lecture? Have they found flaws in your reasoning? Or maybe they were embarrassed by something in your story.
4. 4 Practice reciting in front of the mirror and in the shower. You can practice public speaking anywhere. But keep in mind that these are the places where you can practice more effectively than anywhere else.
   • Practice reciting in front of a mirror to follow your body language. What gestures do you use? What do you do during breaks?
   • Practice reciting in the shower, because this is one of the few places where you can do it in a completely relaxed state on the machine. If you notice that you cannot remember any part of the talk, repeat it.
5. 5 Time your presentation. Perhaps you already have a certain idea of ​​how long it will take, or you have a certain limit set. Try to make sure that your speech is above the minimum, but below the maximum in duration, then in case of acceleration or hitch, you will still get a middle ground.

Method 3 of 3: Speech recitation

1. 1 Pay attention to your body language as well as your posture as you perform. You will never be able to deliver an outstanding speech and attract the attention of the audience by curling up in the letter "si" or bending over the stage. Keep your back straight, feet shoulder-width apart, and your hands can be gestured while speaking.
   • Your speech carries a certain charge of emotions, doesn't it? (Correct answer: Yes). Take note of the most emotional moments for yourself and move in time with them. In everyday speech, you actively gesture with your hands in order to express your feelings and experiences. So, speaking in front of an audience differs from ordinary conversation with people only in scale. This means that you can absolutely calmly continue to gesticulate while reciting a speech.
2. 2 Use props. If you haven't heard one woman at a TED talk talk about schizophrenia and cerebral hemorrhage, be sure to check it out on Yotube. Spoiler alert: The woman talked at a TED talk about schizophrenia and cerebral hemorrhage, and then pulled out a real human and spinal cord in the middle of the talk, which caused the audience to simply drop their jaws from such a sight. So sometimes, in order to draw a live picture, you need not only to talk about the phenomenon, but also to demonstrate it clearly. And then the effect of the information bomb is guaranteed.
   • Props should be used wisely and carefully. Do not take out various objects after each said phrase. Decide on one prop that works best, like this woman's brains. Tell the story of how your father, a firefighter, put out a burning building? Showcase his safety helmet.Met a celebrity at a restaurant or coffee shop? Show everyone your autograph on a cup or postcard. Use props sparingly but effectively.
3. 3 Learn to use illustrations to illustrate your words. A PowerPoint presentation can be a great addition to a speech (at least on some topics). Learn to use it wisely. You don’t want the audience to simply keep their eyes on the beautiful pictures instead of listening to you.
   • Use graphs and tables to illustrate your point of view, especially if it is difficult to perceive it by ear. Visual images are much easier to remember, no matter how important information you tell people out loud.
   • Do not look at pictures as they are shown in your speech. You already know what is depicted on them, which means that you should not be distracted by the contemplation of the monitor in the process of declamation of speech.
4. 4 The most common misconception of aspiring speakers is that they think they need to scan the audience with their eyes or pretend to be diligently staring at the opposite scene while speaking. In fact, this kind of thing should be avoided. Imagine that you are not speaking in front of an audience, but talking to someone face to face. Make eye contact first with one person in the room, then with another, and so on in turn. Then the audience will not feel discomfort.
5. 5 Experiment with your tone of voice. Basically, you should speak calmly and pronounce every word clearly. This is at least. But at the same time, you must make sure that your speech is not monotonous, otherwise your audience will simply fall asleep. If you are delighted with some passages, do not be afraid to emphasize them. Speak loud and enthusiastic! You can even clap your hands if necessary. And then you will start singing the lullaby again. Or recite a part of speech in which you need to pause to emphasize its emotional coloring. Believe me, in this simple way you can make your speech more effective. Feel free to experiment. Experience will come in the process.
   • Express your emotions with your tone of voice. Don't be afraid to laugh, show sadness, or show disappointment. You are human. The most ordinary mortal man. Your viewers are looking for simple human communication, they do not need a soulless robot, reciting words in an even voice that do not carry any thoughts, feelings or emotions.
6. 6 Don't forget about pauses. Remember the saying "Silence is gold"? So, pauses are no less powerful than the loudest words. “Dihydrogen monoxide kills 50 million people every year. Fifty million. Just think about it. " Now say this sentence with a constellation. Sounds more convincing, doesn't it?
   • Take a piece of paper with a written speech and mark the pauses on it to make the task easier. You can do this by marking "/" between words to visually visualize where you can take a break from your monologue.
7. 7 End with your key phrase and say "Thank you for your attention." You recited a speech, you see, this is not fatal at all. So it's time to move on to its logical conclusion. Take a look around the audience, thank them for their attention, smile and leave the stage.
   • It's time to breathe a sigh of relief - you did it. Next time you will be giving a lecture on the intricacies of public speaking. What made you nervous last time, do you remember?

Tips

• Record your voice on a voice recorder, and then listen until you get used to the sound of your voice.
• In fact, no one would like to be in the speaker's place. Therefore, if you are very worried, imagine that the people sitting in front of you, no matter how strange it may sound, are just your cat, dog or ottoman for your feet.That you are completely alone in the room and just want to talk. And everything will become a little easier.
• Breathe deeply, look in front of you, do not lower your eyes to the floor or pretend that you are diligently studying the ceiling. Don't stand like a statue of liberty, move around the stage while reciting a speech.
• Be prepared to be asked questions. If you do not know the answer to any of them, do not panic. Just say bluntly that you find it difficult to answer the question, but be sure to take the time to study it in detail. You shouldn't reinvent the wheel if you don't know something.
• Do not use swearing in your speech, and also do not blaspheme. Not all people are tolerant of obscene language. The Russian language is already rich and powerful enough, which means that you can choose less expressive expressions in order to state your position on some issue without offending your listeners.

What do you need

• Pen
• Paper
• Sources of information
• Cards with tips
• Mirror
• Listeners