public speaking

public speaking speech topic

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Public speaking strikes fear into the hearts of many a grown man and woman.

But public speaking need not be so fearful. If you give me just 5 minutes to read the article below, you'll discover how you too can learn the basics of how to prepare and give a speech, and put yourself well on the way to becoming a polished public speaker.

Come into the room with the attitude that you�re simply having a conversation with a roomful of friends - you�re going to tell them a story about � whatever your speech is about. If you�ve researched your topic, know your material and practiced what you�re going to say, you�ll find it easy to have this mindset.

Your presentation should be interesting - regardless of topic. Don�t drone on and on and on for days about some boring little detail - tell them the facts and get out of the way. Don�t be one of those public speakers who can�t shut up - who loves the sound of their own voice so much they just can�t seem to stop talking. Believe me, your audience will be too polite to say it, but they�ll wish you put a sock in it.

Some speakers find it easy to use props to help keep them on track with what they want to say during their presentation. For example, I know one man who wears a different hat for each segment of his speech � he changes the hat and replaces it with another when he goes to the next segment. The hats remind him of key points to cover in each portion of his speech.

Not at all. But consider this - if your audience isn�t listening � if you�re boring them, you�re not delivering your message in an effective manner. And if you�re not getting through to them � you�re wasting your time and your message is being lost. You don�t have to become a comedian to be a good, but you do have to know when to use humor to get your message across.

The word �props� actually derives from an old theatrical term � �property.� In public speaking terms it means any object or item that the speaker uses to help get their message across to the audience. That could mean anything from a podium to a laser pointer, a flipchart to a PowerPoint projector, handouts to a DVD player. Virtually anything can be used as a prop.

Some simple preparation and advance planning will get you past that overwhelming fear you feel about public speaking. There are relaxation methods you can practice prior to giving your speech, not to mention going over the actual material in your presentation until you know it backwards and forwards. In fact, that�s the place you need to start - knowing your material.

Don�t feel that you have to cover your entire subject in excruciating detail in order to deliver a good speech � hit three or four high points (depending on the length of your speech) and end it on a conclusive note. There is no need to bore your audience with hours of minutiae � hit the main points and stop.

Identify your message - your message needs to be clear � what is it that you want people to do? Sleep more? Take better care of themselves? Be kind to one another? What makes your message special? How does your message stand out from the crowd?

The single best way to avoid all that public speaking terror is to know your material. Be familiar with your subject, and you�ll relax. If you know your subject, if you�re the expert in the room - why on earth would your audience scare you? What is there to be frightened of if you know your topic more thoroughly than they do? You�re there to teach them what you know about a particular subject or topic.

Your personal style and the subject matter of your speech should dictate the types of props you can use. For example, don�t use a humorous prop with a serious subject. Props can be simple or complex � they don�t have to be elaborate � the key to using an effective prop is that it should help convey your message � no more, no less.

Like it or not, public speaking is part of the entertainment industry � and even if your message is a serious one � audiences still want to be entertained. If you�ve been hired by an organization or a service club to stand up and deliver a message, you need to be able to do just that � or you won�t be invited back. Nor will you receive any recommendations to address any other group they might be connected with.

Vary your presentation - use audio visual props such as flipcharts, PowerPoint presentations, pass out handouts for your audience to read, use different intonations of voice - speak louder or softer - don�t make the mistake of using a monotone. Move around the stage (within reason - you�re not up there to give a Chorus Line review.)

Have you ever had the feeling when you get up in front of an audience to give a speech that you�re utterly and completely naked? Not in the real sense, of course, but in the sense that it�s just you, the microphone and the audience. You have no podium to hide behind � no slide projector or pointer � in other words, you have no props.

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