I am not sure this was the best topic for a speech but I think it demonstrates how to use language that is best for your audience. See my previous post to compare.

Butch’s point was “Don’t, let a girl put anything over on you.” Because of its human interest, romantic angle, and surprise ending, this illustration was well received by the students. Later, how¬ever, he put the story in a talking picture frame. Told it as people would expect Butch to talk and the way college students would really like to hear it. He dramatized it, and spoke as though the event were happening. at that very moment right before the audience’s eyes. He also gave the talk a title:
THE FLUFF OFF
Last week I was sprawled on my bunk in the dorm when the ‘phone rang.
I hopped up and answered.
Sweet momma! Who could she be?
Sue? Yeah, man.  (A doll in anyone’s arms).
“Would I what, Sue . . . Take you to a party?”
“Well – er – well,  er – YES!”
Dig that, man! Queenie askin’ me — a li’l ol’ freshman to strong-arm her to the party, with all the upper-class wolves glarin’ green-eyed.
I scraped the grouch-bag and dug up fifteen dollars for an orchid.
Queenie must have the best!
An hour later at the party, Queenie said, “Do you know why I asked you to bring me to this party, Butch?”
“No. I wondered.”
“I’m going with two fellows. And as I don’t want to hurt either of their feelings I asked you to bring me tonight.”
“Oh, I see. Back home, in Massachusetts, they’d call me the ‘fall-guy.’”
“Oh, no, Butch. Don’t feel that way about it … Butch . . .”
“Yes?”
“This orchid’s nice. But it is rather small.”
(Small!   Fifteen bucks!  Small?)—This  to   myself of course,
. . . And so on into the evening.

Finally I took her home.
We stood at the door.
There was no good-night kiss. Just a frown from me, as I looked at my watch and exclaimed, “Oh, it’s after twelve o’clock! And I promised my wife I’d be home before midnight!”
Within reason a speaker speaks the language of his audience. As a person wears clothes suitable for the occasion, a style of speaking should also be in harmony with circumstances and in keeping with the audience’s tastes. Naturally if Butch were speaking to a group of teachers about the kind of textbooks students like he would adjust his manner to suit the subject and audience, yet he could still be natural and interesting.

If you want to improve your public speaking and speak with confidence to any size group, enter your details in the box to the tight and receive our free e-course direct to your inbox.

Here is an example of someone who tried to speak in a different accent and someone who spoke naturally and the impact it has on being persuasive or not

For instance, a college student talked with a decided eastern accent. Although he’d perfected this accent well, and he was a clever actor, his speaking wasn’t natural for him. Investigation uncovered that this student was a native mid-westerner however that he hated his “hill-billy” environment. He signed up at Harvard University, but after a few months went back to his native haunts. He brought back with him, however, the Harvard method of talking. Even now he has continued speaking in that manner, most likely not realizing his unnatural-ness, clever as it is, has detracted from his ability to persuade. Once in class he said, “My ten-year-old son said, ‘Fathah, if I talked like you the boys just wouldn’t play with me at all.’ So I haven’t encouraged him to talk like me because evah pe’son must be himself!”
Audience members want to feel that a presenter is genuine, trustworthy, and dependable. And in most cases, however not at all times, they can tell when he lacks those particular qualities. No matter how loudly a public speaker yells, “I am sincere, honest, and dependable!” or no matter how much he purposely attempts to impress individuals with his virtues, his persuasive efforts will usually be fruitless unless those commendable qualities are an ingrained part of his personality. The very fact that a speaker tries consciously to impress his honesty upon an audience may be proof that he lacks this attribute.
Capable personality articulates a subtle, sub-conscious, yet a highly persuasive, language.
For instance, by no stretch of the imagination can Homer Osborn, a grower in Southern Indiana, have been called a 2nd Winston Churchill. He didn’t know the power of words, neither was he very skilled in presenting! However he did possess some basic personal qualities which added definitely to his persuasiveness when from time to time he did address people in his community:
1.    He was as genuine as a gold nugget.
2.    He thoroughly believed every thing he explained.
3.    He was very humble but believed in himself and in others.
4.    His honesty, frankness, truthfulness, courage, earnestness, and optimism induced people to trust and to really like him.
5.Even though he never attended college, his knowledge and good common sense was admired.
6.People knew they could rely upon him and what he said as certainly as they might anticipate a sunrise in August.
7.    He had a firm, sensible faith in God to Whom he turned for extra wisdom and strength.

When you speak in public you want to put forward the best you but not a “fake” you. If you are struggling with public speaking or presenting at work or speaking up in meetings, try out our free e-course on speaking with confidence by typing your name and email address in the box to the right.

Being able to speak with confidence in public speaking is a challenge for a great number of people. But it doesn’t have to be you. Many of today’s confident speakers did not have the ability to speak with confidence when they started out. They have gone from nervous speakers to where they can now deliver a speech confidently and fluently.

Why Speak With Confidence

Having the ability to speak with confidence has a number of benefits for the individual. Some of the benefits are; performing better at job interviews, getting noticed by your boss, getting promoted, demonstrating leadership qualities, better team meetings, winning more business, being able to influence others.

Speak With Confidence Techniques

It is quite normal to have nerves before you start to speak, it shows you care about what you are about to present.  This is normally at its worst just before you start to speak. Take a few deep breaths to relax yourself. Smile a genuine smile as this not only makes you feel better but conveys confidence to your audience.  Look out your audience and you will find they are not too bad. Don’t focus on your nerves but on what you are to present.

The following two ideas will give you logical reasons to speak with confidence.

Being thoroughly prepared for your speech helps you to build your confidence.  This involves knowing your audience, planning what you are going to say, how you are going to say it, researching your topic and knowing what your purpose for delivering the speech is.

An Important Speak With Confidence Idea

The activity that does the most to develop the ability to speak with confidence is practice.  It is by practicing and doing that builds your confidence. There are two types of practice that will help.

The first is to use every opportunity to speak up. Start small, a couple of minutes are all you need and if possible do this in situations where you are comfortable, such as with people you know. As your confidence grows start speaking for longer and to larger groups.

The second type of practice that helps to speak with confidence is to practice your speech before you have to deliver it. Practice in front of a mirror, in front of friends until you are comfortable in delivering your speech.

Nervousness and fear of public speaking will not be overcome overnight but with more speeches given you will quickly develop the ability to speak with confidence.  Anyone can develop the skill to speak with confidence and in time become an exceptional presenter.

Once you have written a speech or presentation then it is important to practise your delivery. There are basically two ways to practise a speech, inputting and outputting. Inputting is reading your speech to yourself whereas outputting is actually delivering your speech out loud. You should practise using both methods but there are ways to maximize your results.

To input your speech all you need to do is sit down in a quiet room, free from disturbances, and read your notes to yourself. This aides in memorizing your speech so you can make eye contact with your audience as opposed to just reading from your notes. You may also spot small mistakes at this stage that you can correct before moving to the outputting process. There are no real keys or tricks to this method, only constant repetition.

There any many different tricks you can use to improve your outputting your speech. To perform at your best on the day of your speech you should aim to replicate the conditions you will be giving your speech in during practice.

Variables you need to consider when outputting your speech include whether you’ll be stood up or sat down, if you’ll have a microphone to speak into, if you have technology such as a laptop and projector at your disposal and what type of clothes you’ll be wearing. The more accurately you can simulate the conditions in which you are giving your speech the better prepared you will be.

With practice you can perfect your delivery and timing and really get to grips with what it is you are saying. However even after much practise you will probably want to write down some key notes on a piece of paper or a number of small cards. Well written notes/bullet points will help keep you on track and provide a reminder of the details you want to get across.

As one last little tip I would recommend practising your speech in front of a mirror. This will help you get used to making eye contact with an audience and quell any nerves you have about speaking in public. Just remember practice makes perfect! Jake Rhodes is the author of many self-help articles and currently runs top hypnosis site http://www.hypnobusters.com along with professional hypnotherapist, Jon Rhodes.

Whenever a survey is published on biggest fears you can always guarantee that public speaking will be towards the top of the list. It’s easy to why this is the case – you’re stood up in front of a group of your peers purveying your thoughts and ideas. The nerves and anxiety felt by many just thinking about being in this situation is enough to put them off public speaking for life. However with correct preparation public speaking can actually be very easy and create an adrenaline rush unequalled by anything else.

Whether you just have one speech to deliver as a best man or matron of honour, or you’re a businessperson who wants to make confident presentations to enhance your position in the company then ask yourself the following questions to fully prepare for your speaking duties.

Who Will The Audience Be?

Before you give a presentation or a speech you should carefully consider exactly who the audience will comprise of. This includes how many people you will be speaking to and the relationship between yourself and the audience. The more you learn about your prospective audience the easier it will be to prepare your speech.

What Do Your Audience Want To Hear?

If you’ve been asked to give a presentation to upper management types then they’ll want to hear a lot of stats, facts and ideas for the future. On the other hand a best man’s speech will be a lot more humour based with a couple of stories and is generally best kept to a short length of time so that the festivities can continue.

How Long Do You Need To Speak For?

Always ask how long you need to speak for. “Just get up and say a few words” isn’t specific enough, push for an exact length of time. The vast majority of public speaking doesn’t last much more than five or ten minutes.

What Should The Tone Be?

Depending on who the audience are and the purpose of the speech you should be able to grasp what the tone should be. If you’re making a short speech at a close friend’s birthday party then you can afford to be a little more risqué than you could giving a eulogy at a funeral. Similarly when you’re giving a business presentation there are circumstances where you can be more informal than usual depending on who the audience are.

Where Will You Be Speaking?

Always consider where it is you’ll be speaking as it makes a big difference. If you have access to a laptop and a projector then you have the option to use visual aids which makes public speaking easier as you no longer have to worry about the audience visually focusing on you. If you’re making a wedding/party speech then there’s a good chance you’ll have a lot of background noise to contend with. Will you have a microphone or will you just have the power of your voice?

The more information you have the better. With clear guidelines you are much more likely to make a speech that stays on point and serves the purpose it was intended Jake Rhodes is the author of many self-help articles and currently runs top hypnosis site http://www.hypnobusters.com along with professional hypnotherapist, Jon Rhodes.

Not everyone has severe stage fright or fear of public speaking. Many people tell me the first few minutes of a talk or speech are filled with tension and anxiety. But, they say that once they get past the first five or ten minutes, they feel OK. When I ask them to evaluate what happens in the first few minutes, they realize that it is making genuine connection with listeners that allows them to relax and share their ideas.

For years I struggled with stage fright and fear of public speaking. My struggles led me to develop ways to manage my tension and eventually to create a method that transforms the tension of stage fright. One of the greatest things I have learned is how to consciously generate connective presence before I start to talk. As a result, I now feel at home and comfortable from the very first minute of a talk. There is no waiting to get comfortable or hoping to get relaxed since I have learned to be present with audiences. There is just a stepping into being with my audience from the first moment. All my efforts can then be put into building deeper and deeper rapport with listeners and on sharing myself fully with them.

Here is how you can create connective presence at your next opportunity to speak up or to speak in front of a group. The following steps will help you to manage your tension, intention and attention so that comfortable connection is a natural outcome of your presence.

First, get yourself into a state of presence by focusing your awareness on being in your body. Simply place your attention in each part of your body, one part at a time. Start by focusing your attention inside your head for 5 or 10 seconds. Be aware of being in your head. Then focus in your neck, then your chest, etc, working your attention all the way down to your feet. You will notice that energy flows where ever you put your attention. By the time you get to your feet, you will be grounded in your body, feeling connected to yourself, filled with energy and present to the moment.

Next, set your intention to care about your listeners. Decide to love them rather than worrying about whether they will like you or not. Decide to be there for them to share your ideas, insights, expertise and talents.

Finally, open yourself to receiving their attention. As you step into the center of attention, be intentional about taking in their attention as support. You will literally sense their energy coming towards you. When you can take their energy in, there is no need to defend, protect or deflect their attention. It simply comes into you, filling you up with a bodily-felt sense of support. You are now in a state of connective presence, being with your listeners and ready to share your ideas.

Managing tension is about consciously focusing human energy through intention and attention. It is what athletes do to get into the ideal performance state so they can play their best game. If athletes can learn this skill, then so can you. Try it and report back to me. If you need some help with grounding in your body, try my Grounding Meditation to support the process of developing your own connective presence.

Sandra Zimmer works with high achievers who are struggling with communication and who may be uncomfortable speaking in groups. She helps them transform the way they express who they are so they feel confident to share their ideas, insights and expertise. Sandra has developed the Zimmer Method for Authentic Communication. Her method guides people through an experiential process that connects them to their natural abilities to express themselves

In business, there’s no time to lose. Grab the audience’s attention and make sure that you retain it.

The key question is – what is the purpose of your presentation? What do you want to achieve?

Do you want to inform, persuade, inspire, entertain?

Make the context crystal clear. Spend a long time considering your subject and gathering appropriate material that will punch your key messages home. How long will you be speaking for? What is your place on the speaking programme? Do you have to tie in with someone else’s contribution? The auditorium and number of guests present can have a big impact on you and your speech. Find out who’ll be there? Could they have an impact on your speaking career?

What visual aids equipment will be there? (or do you want to be there)? Know how to use it properly – and carry spares! Ensure that you know the requirments of the auditorium. Agree them up front with the organizers.

Get the sequence of your talk right. Would an agenda help? You will need a logical and ‘signposted’ structure with a definite conclusion (do not leave it in the air!). Have a strong opening with impact, something that the audience will remember long after. Similarly, the ending should be memorable. Research shows that your audience will probably remember the beginning and the ending if they are delivered convincingly.

Establish your audience’s level of knowledge by research before the event. The army has an interesting saying: ‘Good reconnaissance is never wasted.’ Ensure you adapt your presentation to their level of knowledge and interest.

Check for rapport with your audience. Are they nodding with agreement. Win them over. Smile, talk of ‘we/us’, and never talk down or patronize your audience.

Keep them awake. It’s better without a written script (unless you have to). Aim for variety of voice – word pictures can be highlighted within a long talk – visual aids, maybe (with pie charts rather than tables) or break it up with a 2-man act.

If you have any briefing materials, distribute them before the event. Or tell them at the start if they’ll get notes at the end. Be prepared for questions. Note and remember who asked the question. With Q&A sessions, always repeat the question.

If you don’t know the answer – never flannel – it will show!

There are three keys to success: preparation – preparation – preparation.

Explore all three in great detail and you will probably succeed in your assignment.

There is no substitution for preparation. Plan your structure. Don’t waste people’s time – get into it. Time is money – deliver your messages confidently http://www.collegeofpublicspeaking.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_Frost

The preparation of your material not only must be thorough, but also must be personal, because to discuss a subject effectively at a management meeting or to present it to a group convincingly and speak with confidence it is important to project your own self into your talk.

Nobody likes to listen to a ghost-written address read with the zest of a secretary reviewing last month’s minutes; such an impersonal speaker wastes his listeners’ as well as his own time.

Ghost-writing is practiced by public characters that either have little or nothing to say—or who do not know how to express their own ideas. These people simply hire better informed or more articulate characters to provide them with language and also ideas.

When a ghost-written composition appears in print or is passed off as oratory, the public is deceived into believing that it is an authentic discourse which originated in the mind of its putative author who, in fact, is nothing more than a literary microphone or megaphone.

Many individuals are full of good words—so they become ghost-writers—but a good speech requires not only superb language but also a thorough knowledge of the subject. The subject may be foreign to the ghost-writer, and to cover any deficiency he may resort to pious platitudes, but fancy phrases are no substitute for lack of knowledge of the sub¬ject. That knowledge a speaker must possess personally in order to present his ideas interestingly and convincingly.

An audience wants a speaker to speak with confidence, conviction and sincerity.  Perfect English is not required for effective public speaking or presentations. The audience want the presenters to know their topic and deliver a speech that is worth while to them.

Ghost-written speeches do have their place, but to enable the presenter to speak with confidence they must have input into the writing so that it reflects their knowledge and personality. In this way they will develop into a confident public speaker.

Being able to speak with confidence is a highly respected skill, but it is usually the opposite to this that people focus on when they asked to speak – they look for what could go wrong, not how to make it go right. Outlined here is a method that can help all speaker to speak with confidence and deliver a more effective speech.
When a person agrees to give a speech, his first problem is to determine how to go about preparing and delivering the speech. Although each speech situation is different in many respects from every other speech situation, the over-all task is the same: to give a speech that is worth while in purpose, acceptable to the audience, and to some degree skillful. The way in which a speaker goes about accomplishing this task, like the task itself, is nearly the same in all speech situations. This way of going about one’s task is best described as method. Intelligence, it is said, is knowing what can be done in a given situation. Wisdom is knowing how to go about it. Wisdom is the prac¬tical aspect of knowledge. In this respect, the practical aspect of speech training is the method used to prepare and deliver a speech.
If a person is faced with a problem which he does not know how to solve and if leaving this problem unsolved leads to dire consequences, the person will usually have a sinking feeling and become panicky. This is exactly what may happen to us when we are asked to give a speech. If we do not know how to go about preparing or delivering an acceptable speech, we anticipate embarrassment and loss of prestige. In another situation, in which we know how to go about solving our problem, our fear subsides and we lose ourselves in the process of solving the problem. The more sure we are that our solution will work, the less we are afraid. So when we are asked to give a speech, if we are sure we know how to go about preparing and delivering one, our fear will subside and we can lose ourselves in the preparation of our remarks. Good preparation will allow us to   speak with confidence and often with pleasure.

Public speaking is like private conversation with more people present. Private conversation can be used to help develop the ability to speak with confidence in public speaking. It will also help with conversation skills.

Two areas that will benefit are the ability to speak expressively and being more enthusiastic. Conversation is usually “safer” than public speaking and will give you the opportunity to be more confident in these skills before trying them out in public.

Vivid Speech

Each day there are  numerous opportunities to engage in public speaking because every conversation is, in a way, a speech. Why not make your everyday conversations vital, vivid, and realistic? When you speak with one person or to groups of people color your words and ideas so they will appeal to hearers’ natural senses. Make your word pictures so vivid an audience can feel, hear, and see them as clearly as a talking picture on the wall and you’ll be an interesting, persuasive speaker.

Enthusiasm

When you speak show enthusiasm for it is highly contagious and if you enjoy your subject and your audience, the audience will reflect the same feeling toward you and your subject. So in daily conversations,  or in any human relationship, give yourself completely, and you will find that the enthusiasm you give to others will be reflected back to you many fold.

The emotion of enthusiam will help any speaker be more convincing. Developing a more expressive way of speaking both in the words and how you use your voice will help you to be a more interesting speaker. Practicing during private conversation gives a more “secure” environment to develop the ability to speak with confidence and persuasiveness by trying out new things to expand the”comfort zone.”

Being able to speak with confidence is a problem for many people.  Confident public speaking  is something that is in the reach of most people.

One of the keys to confident speaking is to talk or present on a topic that you are interested and are knowledgeable about. By mastering your topic you can master your audience.

Proficient public speaking requires a thorough knowledge of your subject matter. Your perfectly pitched voice may be pleasing to the ear; you may be a master of delivery and have a fine command of the English language. Despite all these attributes your performance still might be a flop if you are not thoroughly conversant with your subject.

This lack of thorough subject knowledge is the rock that wrecks more public speakers’ ambitions than any other. Veterans of the hard roll and fruit cup circuit frequently pop up with a talk at the sight of a breadcrumb, but often their urge to be heard is hardly worthwhile because they don’t know what they’re talking about.

Audiences are quick to sense it when your knowledge of your subject is superficial and your speech goes over like a lead balloon. Contrariwise, a person may not be considered a first-rate speaker and yet be much in popular demand because he is a recognized leader in his field and knows his subject thoroughly.

By knowing about your topic it is easier to speak with confidence. The knowledge you have on the topic gives you a rational reason to be confident. And in many cases you are merely expanding the private conversations you have had on the subject. Knowledge is power and it is that power that makes it easier to confidently speak.

To speak with confidence and persuasion a speaker feels that everyone in their audience deserves his very best efforts. Rather than think, “People are suckers. I’ll give them as little as possible,” he believes, “In my audience today are the most important, most deserving people in the world. They are giving me a portion of their lives and. in return deserve the very best of everything I have to offer.”
Naturally, when a person truly likes people his friendliness will become evident in various ways. The tone of his voice, his eyes, facial expression, and general bodily action will reveal his friendliness. This should never be checked or consciously withheld. A speaker should let his honest, feelings show by freely-feeling “out loud.”
A mistake some speakers make is to draw a friendship circle and consider only those people who fall within the circle to be friends. The most influential persuasive speaker feels that every¬one is his friend. He approaches each audience with a positive mental attitude that all the listeners will believe him and re¬spond favorably because they really want to.
Compare this attitude with a negative mental approach such as, “I know you don’t want to believe me. Your minds are set. You’re contrary. But what I am going to say is true. You’ll have to believe me whether you want to or not.” This attitude of course tends to put listeners on guard, causing them to build an invisible wall between themselves and the speaker. And they may say mentally, “Wait a minute, old boy, we don’t have to believe anything, least of all what you are saying.”
When a speaker steps out before an audience feeling that, instead of being on trial, they and their ideas are completely accept¬able, their self-confidence immediately starts encouraging this positive condition. Of course his liking and respect for the audience prevents his self-confidence from becoming extreme or reaching the point of egotism.
Confidence builds more confidence. Notice how this works when a team has a big rally in a baseball game. Two or three hitters smack the ball, another walks. The winning spirit is there. With added self-confidence and enthusiasm batters step up to the plate. The opposing pitcher loses some self-confidence. He thinks of the clubhouse and a shower. He sees his name in the losing column on the local sport page. All these influences have their effects.
Similarly, when a speaker steps out on a platform already feeling a winning spirit, his attitude definitely encourages that effect. Of course the opposite result is suggested when he comes out defeated before he begins.
We look upon a winner as being a happy, friendly, smiling person. Notice a team that has just lost an important basketball tournament. The players are a picture of gloom, dejection, and defeat. But see the happy winners! In a somewhat similar man¬ner, a speaker who feels themselves to be a winner will look like one. Their smile, however, will come from deep within. It will be natural, not tacked on. There will be nothing artificial or insin¬cere about him because he has a deep interest in his subject, and an eager desire to share it with listeners he likes and deeply respects.
Any “put on” manner will be resented by audiences. As Cecil B. DeMille said, “Affectedness in speech is the worst fault of all … Be yourself; your individuality is the most precious thing you possess. Let your voice be forthright and honest.”
Be your best natural self.
Friendliness and a positive approach to the audience gives the impetus to a speaker to do their best. It is this desire to help the audience is the spur to overcome any nerves and speak with confidence for successful and effective speakers.

Talking enthusiastically upon a subject which a person knows well and is deeply interested in sharing will help overcome timidity to speak with confidence and persuasively.
For example, at a large university a physical education major, built like an All-American fullback, enrolled in a speech course. One wouldn’t think a big he-man like him would, tremble in his socks when he stood before a speech class. But he did.
His face took turns being pink and white as he grasped his notes in trembling vice-like fingers, and stumbled through a speech which he didn’t really want to deliver in the first place.
Wanting to help him control that demon, fear, his teacher suggested that next time, instead of talking from notes he talk on some subject which he knew by “heart.” Not a memorized talk, but one which would bubble right out of his nature.
Would he talk about something he really knew, and knew he knew?
He could, and did.  Next time he talked about tumbling. . And could he tumble? All over the place, and talking all the while.
Now there were no trembling hands, no shaking in his socks, no dry bones rattling or thick tongue because the speaker was too busy communicating vital ideas to be afraid. What a vic¬tory over fear!
When getting started choose a topic you know well and interested in and it is much easier to speak with confidence. When you do not believe in what you are speaking about it is difficult to speak with conviction and you are more likely to be timid than confident.

Please visit http://www.selfconfidentspeaking.com for more information on how to speak with confidence and a free preview of The Art of Great Conversation.

When you lack confidence in your ability to speak with confidence it is too easy to start with an apology or with “Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking…” Don’t, they get you off on the wrong foot with the audience. The audience will wonder why they bothered turn up and there are plenty of intereting way to start and get your audience’s attention.

Here are 5 interesting ways to get your audience’s attention:

1. A question which causes an audience to think. People become alert when they are asked to alert. Even a sleep member of the audience will sit up and pay attention when they are asked a question.

2. Start with a quotation.  A relevant quotation gets you off to a good start. It is an effective beginning because people will think you are knowledgeable in your topic.

3. A topical opening. You begin by referencing that has happened in the recent past.

4. Start with a story. Everyone likes a good story – it does not neccessarily have to be a funny one but it does have to be an interesting one.

5. Start with a fact stated in an interesting way. This gets you started straightaway into your speech.  For example, for a speech to a bird protection society “Oil is a killer and a very painful death it brings. It is estimated that twenty-six thousand birds at least died in agony along this part of the coast last year because of it, and we know that this can be avoided.”

The way you choose to open your speech will depend on the circumstances and your own style. Try a variety of openings to build up your repertoire and experience.It is this way that will give you the ability to speak with confidence.

To find more information ongetting your peech started and speak with confidence please vist http://www.selfconfidentspeaking.com to get a free preview of The Art of Great Conversation.

People have grown up listening, reading and watching stories – at bedtime as a child, on TV, in books, on film and now the internet. People like stories.A person that can speak with confidence when telling a story will quickly win over their audience’s interest and maintain it. If they do it right.

But stories can sometimes fall flat. Here are some great tips to avoid that:-

1. Be relevant – to truly hold the audience attention it needs to support or illustrate a point that is being made, otherwise it may leave them confused.

2. The best story-starters implant anticipation, participa­tion, curiosity, or an “I’ll let you in on the dirt” feeling.

3. Don’t drag out your story; reduce your words to bare essentials.

4. Put interesting, picture-making details into his stories. He uses specific, concrete words that create vivid images rather than a blur of mental fog e.g. Listeners can see a fat man waddle or wobble easier than they can see him go to the front door of his cabin.

5. The primary source of your material is your own experience. Observe what is going on around you find plenty of material for your speech. A person who takes a keen interest in life can find more and better material than the jaded bored world traveler who takes no interest in what is happening around them.

6.  Keep a pen and notebook handy to note down the  happenings, don’t rely on your memory. In this way you will soon have a storehouse of stories that you can call on to use in your speeches and presenter.

A person who can speak with confidence takes the time to find interesting stories and ensures they are relevant to their speech. It doestake more time to include interesting stories into a speech but the results are worth it.

Before preparing your speech, bear in mind the organ­ization and the type of audience to be addressed. There are many different types of audiences within every com­munity. A group of girl scouts will probably not be interested in the same things as a sales conference. Without completing your speech preliminaries you may undermine your ability to speak with confidence because of your lack of research and preparation.

A popular speaker addresses highly intelligent gather­ings of professional people, literary groups, etc., one day; the next, a football banquet, Scout Rally, or a convention of salesmen. In each instance the audience must be taken into consideration both in the speech to be delivered and the manner in which it is to be presented.

It is important to decide whether your remarks should be light or heavy, moderately serious or hilariously funny. Ask yourself: Why did they invite me? What do they want to hear from me? What do I know of their organization? Which anecdotes will please them most?

If this is a return engagement—did something interest­ing occur at the earlier meeting? Would some personal experience especially appeal to this gathering? Did they suggest a topic? And what is their particular interest in it?

Find out who is to introduce you and what would serve best as an “ad lib” opener. Well in advance, send publicity material to the organization concerning you and your speech.

In this way you will know what your audience in interested in and you can craft a speech that will be worthwhile to them. And the audience will be properly primed as to who you are. This provides you with a good reason to speak with confidence to your audience.

To influence, a speaker must speak with confidence, fluently and with courage. When anxiety or fear becomes evident, an audience loses confidence in a speaker’s knowledge of their subject. Of course, if they do not have confidence in themselves how can they hope to convince others?

Often the cause for stage fright is the fact that a speaker who feels it simply has not spoken to audiences often enough. New situations may be frightening. Remember the first time you asked for a date, or when you were asked for one? Were you nervous or unduly tense about the situation?

Notice the concern of a new driver. Although they want to drive and like it, they breathe easier when the traffic is not so heavy or when they get out of the car. That first time, or maybe the first few times you rode in a plane, you would have liked to have dragged your big toe on the ground a bit longer before taking off. But after several flights getting into an airplane is as easy as walking into the kitchen.

Emerson’s statement, “Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain,” is true. Appearing before an audience once or twice may not enable a speaker to overcome fear. But if they will con­tinue speaking on various occasions they cannot fail to defeat stage fright. George Bernard Shaw, for instance, was afraid to face audiences but over a period of several years he forced himself to speak at every opportunity. He conquered fear. But his method was haphazard.

Making many short speeches is far more helpful in; overcoming fear than delivering only a few long ones. Much oral work is needed. A person can no more learn to face au­diences without actually appearing before them often than he can learn to swim without getting into water.

So, to speak with confidence, speak often even though you may have to kick yourself a few times to keep at it.

For more tips and advice on how to speak with confidence visit http://www.SelfConfidentSpeaking.com to claim a free preview of The Art Of Great Conversation

If a person is not interested in their topic or are not convinced themselves that it is important they will find it difficult to speak with confidence and make it interesting for the audience.  They will not be able to command the respect of their audience if they do not take it seriously.

For a topic to be interesting and gain the audience’s attention it does not have to be experienced by only a few people.

A person does not have to be struck by lightning (not many can speak on this with any intimate knowledge) or be swallowed by a whale (only 2 recorded instances – Jonah and James Bartly- can speak with knowledge) in order to have a suitable theme for a speech. By taking inventory of his experiences almost any¬one can find at least a few subjects upon which he has earned the right to speak. Hobbies, special interests, likes, dislikes, pet peeves, ambitions, fascinating places, or admirable people often suggest suitable topics.

Although a speaker need not know everything about his subject he should know as much as possible. At least he should know more than the average person in his audience will know about it. Knowing his subject well, let him then give his entire self to expressing it with conviction and feeling.

William Jennings Bryan frequently told his daughter to think what she was going to say, then to “say it with feeling!” -Quintilian, a master teacher of speaking said, “It is the heart and energy of soul which makes speakers eloquent.” Effective •speaking is not a namby-pamby, mumble-jumble, lukewarm af¬fair. It is a sincere sharing of a portion of life with other think¬ing and feeling people.

To have this earnest attitude toward sharing ideas a speaker must truly feel that everything he says is really worth sharing. “”Impress yourself with the truth and importance of what you expect to say,” said William Norwood Brigance, a moden author¬ity on public speaking.

Realizing that when people listen to a speech they are con¬tributing a portion of their lives should motivate a speaker to say something really worthwhile.

One student speaker said, “When I step onto a platform to make a speech I imagine I am a fighter in the ring and that I must make every second count.” Another serious student said, “I speak as though I had only one minute to live.”

When a speaker sincerely feels he has serious, but pleasant and congenial business with an audience, his manner commands respect and attention from that audience. As he continues eager¬ly sharing his entire self, this respect and attention becomes deep¬er. Audiences are strongly inclined to think and feel with him. Persuasion is at work.

By choosing a subject that a speaker is interested it is easier for them to speak with confidence and he gains the audience attention because of their knowledge and interest in the subject.

For more information on how to speak with confidence, visit http://www.SelfConfidentSpeaking.com to claim a free preview of The Art Of Great Conversatio

When you have been speaking in public for awhile and you are beginning to speak with confidence you will notice that your audience’s attention may wander.An audience rarely pays attention automatically, their interest must be sparked and maintained by the speaker.

Many factors may cause an audience to become inattentive. One offender is monotony. When the listeners’ interest is obviously lagging, audience attention may be restored by attention arrestors.

Rhetorical Questions:

These are rhetorical questions the speaker puts out. He may ask, dramatically, “What are you going to do about it?” While he intends to answer that question himself, his technique arouses curiosity.

The speaker should of course be prepared for an un¬expected answer from the audience, and if the answer is right, he should express his thanks. If it’s wrong, he should use that as an excuse to repeat the high points of his argument.
Take a Pause
The oratorical pause has a place in your delivery. In private conversation we frequently ask “Do you see what I mean?” or “Do you get the point?” During the oratorical pause, the speaker in effect is asking the audience, “Do you get what I say?”

Good speakers employ punch lines but sometimes the listeners are unprepared for them. The oratorical pause permits the audience to digest one point before you go on to the next.

The audience neither likes to lose out on a chance to laugh, nor to laugh and lose out on a good line. This is the place to pause.
His mastery of the oratorical pause makes Bob Hope’s appearances hilarious. He makes his point, then waits for it to sink in. If the praise is plentiful, he starts in again but adds another pause and so creates the impression that his comment was far funnier than he expected the audience to think it was. These might be called pluperfect pauses. There is no objection to a speaker using long pauses during delivery providing they mean something; but if the pause is a cover-up for a memory lapse that’s as bad as rattling through lines that are word-perfect but are delivered without change of pace or emotion. (The mind is a wonderful thing. It starts working the minute you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak!)

To be able to speak with confidence you need to be prepared so that you can use the “pause” to hold attention and not because you have forgotten the words. Also the rhetorical question is great to gain the audience’s attention and get feedback from the audience to modify your speech if necessary.