GIVING YOUR FIRST SPEECH

THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

01/16/2013

“He that wrestlers with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skills. Our antagonist is our helper.”

— Edmund Burke Irish orator, political theorist, and philosopher.

DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE One of the major concerns of students in any speech class is stage fright.

Stage fright: Anxiety over the prospect of giving in front of an audience.

NERVOUSNESS IS NORMAL Most people tend to be anxious before doing something important in public. Make it an advantage:

- Get psyched!

but stay in control.

DEALING WITH NERVOUSNESS

Turn your nervousness positive.

Positive nervousness: controlled nervousness that helps energize a speaker for her or his presentation.

DEALING WITH NERVOUSNESS Six ways to turn your nervousness from a negative into a positive: 1.  Acquire Speaking Experience 2.  Prepare Prepare Prepare

§  1-2 hours per minute of speech time. 3.  Think Positively

4.  Use the power of visualization

5.  Know that most nervousness is not visible AND

DEALING WITH NERVOUSNESS 6.  Don’t expect perfection. TIPS §  Be at your best physically and mentally

§  Relax before your speech

§  Breath in Breath out before you start

§  Work especially hard on your introduction

§  Keep eye-contact

§  Focus on communicating with your audience

§  Remember that you may use visual aids

GIVING YOUR FIRST SPEECH

PREPARING YOUR SPEECH 1.  Developing the Speech 2.  Organizing the Speech

1.  Introduction 2.  Body 3.  Conclusion

DELIVERING YOUR SPEECH 1.  Speaking Extemporaneously 2.  Rehearsing the Speech 3.  Presenting the Speech

1.  Be yourself 2.  Keep eye-contact 3.  Project your voice 4.  Don’t forget that nerves can be a good thing