Know your material well and practice your speech multiple times. Use body language like gestures and facial expressions to engage your audience rather than just reading your notes. Relax before speaking and greet audience members to reduce nerves. Focus on delivering your message clearly rather than worrying about any mistakes. Gain experience speaking to build confidence over time.
2. THE TIPS
Know your material. Pick a topic you are interested in. Know more
about it than you include in your speech. Use humor, personal stories
and conversational language that way you wont easily forget what to
say.
Body language is important. Standing, walking or moving about with
appropriate hand gesture or facial expression is preferred to sitting
down or standing still with head down and reading from a prepared
speech. Use audio-visual aids or props for enhancement if appropriate
and necessary. Master the use of presentation software such as
PowerPoint well before your presentation.
Practice. Practice. Practice! Rehearse out loud with all equipment
you plan on using. Revise as necessary. Work to control filler words;
Practice, pause and breathe. Practice with a timer and allow time for
the unexpected.
3. Do not read from notes for any extended length of time although it is
quite acceptable to glance at your notes infrequently. Speak loudly and
clearly. Sound confident. Do not mumble. If you made an error, correct
it, and continue. No need to make excuses or apologize profusely.
Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they
arrive. Its easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers.
Relax. Begin by addressing the audience. It buys you time and calms
your nerves. Pause, smile and count to three before saying anything.
("One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand. Pause.
Begin.) Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.
Add humor whenever appropriate and possible. Keep audience
interested throughout your entire presentation.
4. When using audio-visual aids to enhance your presentation,
be sure all necessary equipment is set up and in good
working order prior to the presentation. If possible, have an
emergency backup system readily available.
Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want
you to be interesting, stimulating, informative and
entertaining. Theyre rooting for you.
Dont apologize for any nervousness or problem the
audience probably never noticed it.
5. Concentrate on the message not the medium. Focus your
attention away from your own anxieties and concentrate on
your message and your audience.
Gain experience. Mainly, your speech should represent you
as an authority and as a person. Experience builds
confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A
Toastmasters club can provide the experience you need in a
safe and friendly environment.