Tips to Prepare You for Your Speach

We've all heard that the fear of death is often surpassed by the fear of public speaking. Think about the positive results of doing a presentation. That may help to motivate you to work through your fears. In case that isn't enough, take time to work through the following exercises to help you channel all that nervousness into energy. These are techniques that can help you through your first listing presentation, to your turn to do the morning meeting, to your acceptance speech as the top producer of your company.

Physical preparation

Warm up and relax your body and face.

If you are wearing high heels take them off. Now, stand on one leg and shake the other. When you put your foot back on the ground, it's going to feel lighter than the other one. Now, switch legs and shake. You want your energy to go through the floor and out the top of your head. This sounds quite cosmic; it isn't It's a practical technique used by actors.

Shake your hands...quickly. Hold them above your head, bending at the wrist and elbow, then bring your hands back down. This will make your hand movements more natural.

Warm up your face msucles by chewing in a highly exaggerated way. Do shoulder and neck rolls. Imagine that you're eye level with a clock. As you look at 12, pull as much of your face up to 12 as you can; now move it to 3, then down to 6 and finally over to 9.

All of these exercises serve to warm you up and relax you. Exaggerating the movements makes it easier for you to flow more naturally.

The Opening

Psychologists have found that the first and last 30 seconds of any speech have the most impact. Give the opening and conclusion of your talk a little extra thought, time and effort. It's probably not a great idea to open with something like, "Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to be here tonight." You're wasting those precious 30 seconds.

Opening a speech with a joke, or funny story, has been the conventional wisdom. Before you do, ask yourself a few questions. Is it appropriate to the occasion, for the audience? Is it in good taste? Does it relate to me, my product or service, or the event or the group? Does it support my topic or its key points? A humorous story or inspirational vignette that relates to your topic or audience is a sure way to grab some attention. However, it may take more presentation skills than you possess in the beginning. It's safer and more effective to give the audience the information they most want to hear. By now, you know the most frequently asked questions at a cocktail reception or professional society meeting. Well, put the answers to those questions in your speech.

I helped a neighbor with a speech he was putting together for my women's organization. He's a senior scientist with Genetech. I suggested that since most of us don't know hwat scientists are like or what they do, he should tell the audience what it was like to be a scientist. "Being a scientist is like doing a jigsaw puzzle in a snowstorn at night...you don't have all the pieces... and you don't have the picture to work from." You can usually say more with less.

Think about your audience. What information do they most want from you? If you know your business, you'll be able to predict at least some of their questions simply by experience. If you're not sure what a particular audience might want to hear, talk to the program chair and get that information from him or her.

The Closing

The conclusion should be the highlight of your speech. Summarize the key elements of the investment process, etc. If you plan on accepting questions from the audience, you may want to say, "Before my closing remarks, are there any questions?" Finish with something inspirational that proves your theme. Finish on an upbeat note. You have taken the time to prepare your speech; make sure your audience remembers it.

Published: November 4, 1998

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Editor's Note: This article reflects the opinions of Patricia Fripp only and not necessarily the views of this or any other publication, organization or Website owner.