If a fast or rushed speed of delivery in public speaking can tire an audience. (see my last post)

In contrast a very sluggish, dragging type of delivery will certainly motivate a listeners’ focus to go elsewhere, or the audience may say mentally, “Seriously, speaker, let’s go! I’m way ahead of you.” There is a reasonable medium pace of speaking in keeping with a speaker’s personality and the character of his speech.
A sing-song rhythmical delivery, beginning or closing all sentences on the very same pitch level, or raising the voice at the finish of statements may become monotonous habits. These tendencies can be avoided when a speaker talks as though he were having a lively, interesting chat with his audience.
Recording a lengthy speech and listening thoroughly to the recording will reveal any tedious speaking patterns. A speaker should invite other listeners to discover the monotony, as well. Then he should get active and put more vocal shades into his tone of voice, making certain he speaks in a conversational tone.
Speech that is far too precise or too exacting will destroy the purpose of effective oral communication because this practice calls attention to words and sounds instead of ideas. Such speaking may weary or disgust an audience. A speech trainer, or anyone else, who holds final consonants like he owns them, or who makes an apparent conscious effort to speak carefully may actually cause listeners to desire he’ll trip his tongue sometime.
However, loose, careless talk, or perhaps the use of inappropriate slang in his speech may draw attention to his manner of speaking instead of to the ideas he expresses. This careless speaking habit could also label him as being a lazy individual who would not use very much energy to find fascinating speech material for any audience.
We can have an informal, folksy speaking style, if we wish, without using lazy diction. Or we are able to be formal and “businesslike” without being starchy or “nasty nice.” Either way time invested studying the meaning of words and how to articulate them is worthwhile.

To sound more interesting in public speaking it is about reviewing how you sound and then taking action to improve any areas that may need some attention . It is in this way that we get better. An important element of this is having the information to know what to do. By signing up to my blog on the right you can receive tip information on better public speaking direct to your in-box.

Following on from my last post on using variety in public speaking, how much “force” do you have in your voice.

Observe this statement: “The policeman stopped me and said, ‘Pull over to the curb, Junior!’” When stating this a speaker could boost the force when he or she quotes the policeman, and thereby get variation in the force of his speaking. Some speakers, however, will make a daunting policeman appear as if he were a floor-walker in a trendy department shop.
In public speaking, when relating conversations, use direct quotations – use the exact words each character said, as opposed to to expressing indirectly what was said.
For example, a speaker could say, “Bill said that he had a toothache.” But using these words would not give the opportunity to put variety in vocal tones nearly so well as if the speaker had said, “Bill yelled, Oh-h-h, Oh-h-h-h! This tooth is killin’ me!”
A speaker doesn’t need to be an actor to do this. All he or she has to do would be to make each character speak in his or her own words and manner, to alter his voice naturally and as well as he can to mimic each character. This often gives one a chance to get variety in force, rate and pitch. It also allows an audience a restful chance to hear several words spoken in a tone which is somewhat different than the one typically.used by the speaker. A speaker who is fairly good at mimicking characters may use this skill to add fascinating variety to his speaking.
For practice, say this, “We stopped at a cabin. A feeble old man came to the door and said, ‘Good morning, strangers. What can I do for you?’ ”
As you speak the old man’s words, “Good morning, strangers. What can I do for you?” is your voice slow, rather high-pitched, and without much force?
Now say, somewhat as a rough sailor would speak, “My name is Barney O’Day, and I can wipe up the deck with any man, I can!”
Does this seaman speak faster, deeper, with much more force compared to feeble old man?
Imagining those two characters sounding alike is difficult, yet some speakers would make them sound exactly alike. Of course all speaking will not consist of such vivid contrasts as just indicated, although every speech will offer you possibilities to vary vocal rate, pitch, or force.
If you want more information on how to use your voice in public speaking, please sign up to my blog by using the box on the right and have tips on how you can speak with more conviction and get the benefits from being an effective communicator.

In public speaking the pace or speed of your speaking is important, especially the variety of it

Read the sentence below silently. Then read it aloud, trying to picture with your tones, face, and body language exactly what took place:
The ancient automobile chugged as though each turn of the wheel could be the last. But slowly, very slowly, it crept up the mountainside.
It reached the top and then began down. Faster, and faster, and faster, it went. On and on it rushed just like a blurred black streak to the turn at the foot of the mountain. Then suddenly the automobile swerved from the road and crashed into a big tree!
While you speak about the trip up the mountain your rate of speaking will certainly be slower than once you talk about the sprint down. This demonstrates an important aspect of variety, change of rate, or variation in speed during a speech.
When an idea calls for a change of rate, vary the speed of your speaking, not robotically, obviously, but in keeping with the natural concept of the idea that is being expressed. When you talk about a fast thrilling game of football, make the players move with your voice and manner. But if you talk about idle sheep in a field, naturally your voice is going to be lazy and slow. It is as fundamental as that, but many speakers totally neglect this important principle of variety and say everything at about the same rate.
When you say, “The car crashed into a tree!” make it sound like a crash, nothing like a kid peeling a banana. This is another essential kind of variation in speaking – force, or lack of it.

I’ll be writing more in my next post about variety in public speaking to capture the audience’s attention. If you want to learn more about speaking with confidence please check out the resource here: speaking with confidence

My previous post on public speaking voice was about don’t be boring. In this post here is tip to help put more feeling into your public speaking voice.

Speakers can put restful variety into their speaking by thoroughly feeling the ideas they express, and by willingly letting this feeling show freely in their tones.
Seeing mental pictures of expressed ideas will help a speaker put expressive color in his tones. For practice, say, as you toss an imaginary handful of feathers into the air, “Light as feathers.” Mentally see the light feathers fluttering in the air. Feel and show the lightness in your tones and speaking manner.
Now say, “Heavy as lead,” as you mentally see yourself seriously struggling to lift a big- bag of lead. Suit your bodily action to the thought as you say the words. Do this several times. As you say these words is your vocal tone different than it was when you said, “Light as feathers?”
Say “smooth” and make it sound smooth. Say “rough” and and notice the difference.
A speaker once told about the wash rag his mother used on him when he was a child. He paused and then said, “ROUGH,” as if a garden rake was being pulled over his face. Although this was only a simple thought, the speaker’s manner of expressing it gave variety to. his tones. It was very effective.
The tragic fact is that some speakers show no variation of feeling in their tones. They say everything alike. We are all too familiar with that type of talking.
Lively tones spring from a lively interest in life. So many effective speaking habits stem from that basic principle of being deeply interested in what we say and having an eager desire to share this interest. Will a speaker who is highly enthusiastic and excited about his subject ever speak in monotones? How could he?

To help you:- take an interest in life and practice using your voice to reflect what you are saying you will have a more interesting public speaking voice without thinking when in front of an audience.

Here is another great way to make your speech sparkle.

Still another way to make speech vivid or colorful is to use exaggerated pictures, or hyperbole.
For instance, a businessman said in a speech, “I thought this family was poor, but when I walked into the house the first thing I saw was a television set as big as that piano!”
Of course, he knew, and his listeners knew, that the television set was not half as large as the upright piano to which he referred. But making this comparison was far more impressive than simply saying, “When I entered the room I saw a big television set.” And this type of exaggeration is ethical in public speaking because it is not really an attempt to deceive an audience.
Another speaker, when talking about a gossiping woman said, “Her tongue was so long she could sit in the parlor and lick a skillet in the kitchen!”
Still another remarked, “The restaurant was so crowded that when a man bent over to tie his shoe, a waitress slapped a table-cloth and four plates on his back before he could straighten up.”
Ridiculous? Yes. But it vividly supports a point, and adds interest to a speech which might otherwise be dull.
Also understatements, such as, “Her mouth looked like a button-hole that had been washed in alum,” or, “I could have stuffed his toothpick body into my shirt pocket and have had plenty of room to spare,” may add color and interest to a speech.
All figures of speech should be chosen with care and used only when and where they aptly fit the situation or speech theme. They should never be “pulled in by the ears,” misused, or over-used. Rather, they should be used as verbal salt to season a speech and make it palatable for listeners’ minds.

I hope you have found this series on adding interest and color to your public speaking through similes and exaggerations useful. Let me know if you’ve found it useful,

When public speaking a great way to add sparkle and interest is through the use of similes.

Similes may be found in literature, speeches, poetry, in magazines, the news, on radio or TV, in plays, stories, or in almost any source of communication wherein writers or speakers try to be interesting.
Following are a few similes which were created by well-known authors:
Free as mountain winds. — Shakespeare.
Her face was white and colorless as an icicle. — Channing Pollack.
Hairless as an egg. — Robert Herrick.
He felt like the symptom on a medicine bottle. — George Ade.
Hysterical as a tree full of chickens. — Irvin S. Cobb.
Poor and forgotten  like  a cloud upon the field. — Hugo.
He looked like a composite picture of five thousand orphans
too late to catch a picnic steamboat. — O. Henry.
God pardons like a mother who kisses away the repentant tears
of her child. — Henry Ward Beecher.
He is a steam roller in a pair of pants. — Sherwin L. Cook.
The human mind should be like a good hotel, open the year around. — William Lyon Phelps.
He had a hand like a bunch of bananas. — R. F. Outcault.
A person who intends to speak frequently should- jot down for future reference any impressive simile he reads, or hears. It may just fit some idea he wishes to express in a speech.
Similes to avoid are those that do not create an interesting mental picture, and probably those that grandfather smiled at when he was in the third grade — similes such as the following which were actually turned in by college students. Those students, having misinterpreted the meaning of effective similes, of¬fered these trite comparisons as being useful speech material:
He was as sober as a judge.
It was as weak as water.
The meat was as tough as leather.
He turned as white as a sheet.
The girl was as ugly as sin.
His joke went over like a ton of bricks.
He was slow as a snail.
The night was as silent as a grave.
The family was as poor as a church mouse.
She sang like a lark.
It was as welcome as the flowers in May.
Cold as ice.
Slick as a button.
Red as a rose.
Black as the ace of spades.
He behaved like a bull in a china shop.
The moon  was shining bright as day.
As clean as a towel that has just been washed.

As nervous as a June bride.

Hearing a simile like those listed above is somewhat like looking at an ordinary pebble on a beach. It gets, no attention and does nothing to help make a speech interesting.
A helpful mental exercise for a student o£ public speaking is creating original similes for old, worn-out ones. For instance, one student substituted, “Slick as an eel in a barrel of motor oil” for “slick as a button.”
Another student came up with “Happy as a baby with his hands in cool mush,” for “happy as a lark.” Still another said, “Black as a wet skunk,” instead of “Black as the ace of spades.”

My next post on using similes in public speaking starts with a mistake to avoid that Mark Twain made.

How do you make public speaking interesting? It’s how you use words and the pictures you paint with them.

Following on from my previous post here are some more examples of how to paint pictures:-

Using names, dates, and places also make a talk authentic. It impresses audiences with the fact that the speaker is really telling the truth.
Using colorful similes is another way to make speaking vivid and interesting. The word, simile, may be a first cousin to similar It really means word pictures which show how things, people, or ideas are alike or how they differ. These pictures may be exaggerated. This helps make speaking clear, often amusing, and usually interesting.
A speaker might say, “That would be hard to do.” Or he
could say, “That would be as difficult as trying to dam Niagara Falls with cobwebs.” The first statement is foggy. The second is as clear as an August sunbeam.
To say, “His manner was cold,” tells something. But to say “His manner was as cold as a mother-in-law’s kiss,” tells more. A speaker could say, “He walked slowly, and with a swagger,” or he could say, “He walked like a cowboy on vacation.”
One could say, “She was excited.” Or, “She was as excited as an old maid after a bedbug on a hot June night.”
A teacher of speech who encourages his students to create or collect apt similes contributed the following as a few of the hundreds assembled by the students:
Flat as a soup sandwich.
Empty as a gigolo’s promise.
As unplanned as a hiccup.
As popular as prohibition in Milwaukee.
His mouth felt as if a Russian army had walked through it.
Her hat always looked as if it had made a forced landing upon
her head.
She charged into the room with her four children like a bomber
escorted by fighters.
She made as much sense as a tailor in a nudist camp.
Busy as a politician trying to save both his faces.
The ball slipped between his legs, like a pig dipped in lard.
His dull past was like a bucket of ashes.
White and beautiful as the snow looks before you  think of
shoveling it.
Slick” as a buttered bullfrog.
His   head   looked  like   a  white  watermelon   gleaming  in   the
sunlight.
About as fast as a feather sinking in syrup.
Innocent as a girl on her first day at kindergarten.
She looked like warmed-over death.
He shook like a shirt in a hurricane.

I’ve got some more similes to follow in my next post to help you in creating your picture talk for you next public speaking engagement or presentation.

The words used in public speaking make a big difference to the effectiveness of a speech. Painting pictures with words.

Picture talk! Then minds meet minds. There is understand­ing, attention, interest!

Some words create only general pictures, but others etch vivid, concrete images. “I stood open-mouthed,” for instance, paints a picture of surprise, whereas, “I was surprised” paints nothing. Or so much the mind is cluttered.

Listeners can see a fat man waddle or wobble easier than they can see him go to the front door of his cabin.

A speaker should choose and use words that create vivid moving pictures which cause listeners to see and feel clearly
exactly what he means — words that cut, sting, stare, glare, grind, shock, slush, smother, soothe, or cuddle. Words as real as pizza
pie, soft as a maiden’s blush, or seedy as the hairy wart on grand­ pa’s weather-beaten nose.                          .

Never tell about an event, person, or thing. Show the event happening. Relive it. Picture the person as he really is. Make the thing so real listeners can see, feel, touch, taste or smell it. Create graphic colored, moving, mental pictures. And paint them red when necessary! Paint them gay and bright, blue, or as dark as midnight in a cyclone cellar, according to the mood which is suitable for the speech material.

Speaking should be clear and specific. An author, Rudyard Kipling, said his six “serving men” helped him in this respect. The servants he referred to are waiting to serve anyone. They are who, when, where, what, why, and how? When a speaker answers those questions specifically (not in any special order) in his il­lustrations, his speaking leaves the rambling weed fields of gener­alities to become as real and clear-cut as a row of Irish potatoes that has just been hoed by a careful gardener.

What words do you used when you are public speaking to an audience of one or to a larger gathering? Do you use picture talk?

1. Confidence

You have to have a positive sensory orientation towards your speech, learn to have confidence. Unfortunately there is no secrets to this, you have to rehearse over and over again until your confident that you can make it.

Do remember that most people can easily distinguish between the certain speaker and the uncertain one, this is why you should never read your speech directly from a piece of paper. It gives an extremely bad impression.

2. Spice your speech

“Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech”

Make your performance remembered, make it tasty and try your outmost not to bore people. We all dislike hearing a boring professor speak, why commit the same mistake? A good way to spice your speech is by adding quotes to it, the more the merrier.

By the way, young folks are part of this culture where one uses some keywords over and over again which could make your whole presentation contaminated. Watch out for words such as; “like”, “well”, “you know” etc. A good way to counter this is by using alliterations, ie.

A sentence where all the initial letters in every word start by the same letter. For example: Cool! Crusty´s car crushed Carl. The important things is; be innovative when it comes to speeches!

3. Your posture

Your “body language” could turn out to be more crucial than you think, some people even claim that it might be more important than the speech it self!

Make sure you have a firm control over your body and try your out most to diminish the use of unnecessary movements. This might distract the audience and your recital might even be viewed as void.

4. Eye contact

Be cautious concerning your eye movements. You should avoid starring at someone/thing provocative, you do not want to be angered, annoyed or aroused when speaking.

5. Water

I think that this one concerns the guys a bit more; we (male gender) have this thing, we speak louder and less calmer then women. God knows, you might even become thirsty or lose your voice in the middle of the presentation, bad idea!

If your equipped with a bottle of water, your problem is fixed, plus you get a few seconds to fetch your thoughts when drinking.

6. Cards

Ever watched one of those lousy talk shows they air all the time? I am sorry if I brought back bad memories from the days you use to watch this garbage, but in case you paid attention back then you’ve probably noticed how all the talk shows hosts use cards when speaking.

This is an excellent move, you should employ that as well for a number of reasons:

a) Looks professional. b) By using keywords and sentences, you can summarize a long speech. c) You avoid using normal (A4) paper, if your hands shiver when you speak in public, the paper might shiver and produce this awesome sound of embarrassment.

7. Tools

Do you know how to make a power point, flash (or the like) presentation? If the answers yes, then what is stopping you?

In case you do decide to use a sideshow, be sure to avoid weird animations or music, this might distract your audience. Keep it simple, it usually works the best.

8. Your clothing

People don’t usually think of this, but be aware of the clothes you wear that day. You don’t want to wear tight/revealing clothes.

The whole point of the speech is for people to listen to your words, not be aroused by your looks.

9. Speak well

This must be emphasized; speak in a gentle and respectful matter. You have to avoid using bad words or phrases, such as the notorious f word.

10. Your ending

Try to make your ending summarize your whole speech, be innovative and make sure you don’t neglect this part. A good ending compensates a bad introduction

Abderisak Adam is a young study coach who resides in Sweden.

he first advice I give to people who want to improve their speaking or presentation skills is, “Don’t fight the feeling of being nervous!” Feeling nervous is normal. Nearly every speaker, including the professionals, has that feeling before getting up in front of an audience. The difference is that veteran speakers give that feeling a different name: they see it as excitement or “aliveness.” It’s a feeling that lets you know that you’re about to do something exciting and the outcome is important to you.

So the next time you feel nervous before a speech or presentation, welcome that feeling and say to yourself, “thank you for the reminder . . . I’m glad I’m feeling this way!” When I don’t have that feeling, my speech is likely to be flat and I have to work much harder to deliver an engaging presentation.

When planning a talk, people usually ask: What am I going to say? Where do I begin? Do I tell a joke? What if they ask questions I can’t answer? The answers come much more easily if you shift the focus from yourself to your audience: Who are they? What do they need? What are their expectations? What information would be most useful or helpful to them? Why did they invite you to speak? The structure and content of your presentation will flow more naturally from your audience’s needs, and you will find it easier to adjust to your listeners during the speech.

A good way to start a presentation is to involve the audience right away. Capture their imagination with a relevant story. Make a bold or visionary statement. If you are not sure who your audience is or what they are expecting, you can do a quick audience survey. Ask them key questions or get their feedback on the topic.

Often I will do an “attitude check” with an audience. I will ask them to call out words that come to mind when they think about public speaking or talking to reporters. Usually great words and phrases like “terrified” or “deer in the headlights” emerge and I write them down on a flip chart or white board. This simple idea accomplishes two things. It lets me know how the audience feels about the subject. And it also give them permission to feel that way, which puts everyone at ease and opens their minds to what comes next in the presentation.

Using humor can be a terrific icebreaker and a way to gauge your audience’s response. But I don’t recommend starting with a joke or a humorous anecdote unless you’re good at humor and are totally comfortable using it. Also, make sure that any anecdote or humor is relevant and appropriate for your audience, the occasion, and the setting.

If you are using visuals, like overheads or PowerPoint style presentations, don’t let the technology become a crutch or a substitute for your content. There’s nothing more boring than a speaker reading overheads or slides verbatim. Use visuals to communicate complex material graphically or as a jumping off point for discussion. Provide your audience with handouts so they can review the material later.

Remember, you have been asked to speak because people want to hear what you have to say. There’s a built-in reason for the audience to support you and they want you to succeed in your presentation. They are looking for honesty, good information, and enthusiasm for the subject. People will forgive minor flaws in your mechanics if you speak from your heart with passion and authenticity.

And of course, don’t forget to breathe!

Lorraine Howell owns Media Skills Training where she teaches business owners, CEO’s, and management teams to speak with confidence and impact in an enjoyable and down-to-earth way. Sign up for Lorraine’s FREE e-tips and also receive her FREE 5 Steps to Start a New Business Conversation (& Get Results, Too!)” by visiting her website at www.mediaskillstraining.com.

Jo Ellen and Robin run Impact Factory and have trained thousands of people in the art of Public Speaking for events from Wedding Speeches through to Key Note Conference Speeches.

You can see my credentials in my bio. You should also know that I love to write speeches. In fact, I’ve been accused of being a better speech writer than speech giver! I’m working on that.

I’ll tell you how to write a speech the way I do it, and I’ll tell you how to make it great. Plus I’ll give you some tips on what to put in, and what to leave out. I love this topic. How Good Do You Want Your Speech to Be?

From the outset, you should know that how to write a speech depends on how good you want it to be, and how much time you want to put into it. I’ll put the most important things first so that you can just go as far as you want, and stop when you run out of time. Remember to leave time to practice the speech three or four times. If you can record the second or third and listen to it, so much the better.

How to Write a Speech People Will Remember

In the old days, and I mean back in the time of the Greeks, much more emphasis was put on the writing of the speech, the content. Now people tend to emphasize presentation, style, vocal qualities, and technology. But writing a good speech is irreplaceable – I’m going to tell you how to get put content in, make it clear, and make an impact on your audience…how to write a speech people will remember.

Here’s the process:

(Why 13 steps? It just turned out that way. But if you think public speaking is scary, it fits, doesn’t it?)

1. Know your audience: if you forget this, everything falls apart. You can’t tell dirty jokes to a Christian women’s group. You’ve seen the commercial where the best man gives the wedding toast and goes on and on about how much of a player the groom was? Remember who’s there and what they want to hear. What do they like and dislike? What kind of humor do they like? If they’re a mixed audience, you have to be more mainstream in your language and manner. This is the most important part of how to write a speech.

2. Know your purpose: the only time you’re allowed to break rule #1 is if your purpose is to shock or to inform people about something uncomfortable. In the latter case, you’d need to make up for the shock value by acknowledging it, comforting them, etc. Besides all that, your purpose determines everything else. Visualize a straight line from you through your audience to the purpose. If you want to persuade them, you have to take them from where they are to the place of persuasion. If you want to inform, you have to take their brains from where they are, to where they’ll know your information. Knowing them, and taking them there is what it’s all about.

3. Know what you want them to think about the speech later: This is another part of your purpose, essential to how to write a speech. If you want them to say, “you really showed compassion in that speech!” then you have to do whatever you can to demonstrate compassion. If more than anything you want them to remember a certain fact, then do everything you can in the speech to implant it in their brain – shock them, plead with them, amuse them, but make sure they focus on that fact.

4. It’s not about you: the only time it’s about you is if one of your goals is to impress them, build your credibility, etc. Other than that, forget your fear, your self consciousness, etc. Let those things go in the service of your audience and your purpose.

5. Writing is editing. Editing is writing. The first time you write the speech, don’t criticize it, don’t edit it, just let everything flow out. You’ll organize it and choose better words and rephrase it later. Just be creative.

6. Organize your ideas into an outline. Make sure each idea follows the other logically. Ask yourself if your audience needs to know anything to understand any part of it. Ask yourself if any part needs more fleshing out

7. Rewrite it according to the outline.

8. Beef it up. Use examples for difficult to understand points or concepts. Find some jokes. If no one laughs at the first one, be careful, though. You might lose credibility if they think you’re an idiot. You can also find great quotes online, even search on whatever topic you’re writing your speech about.

9. Do an edit. Use MS Word for grammar checking. A big part of how to write a speech it editing. The next few steps involve editing and speaking. This step is about editing on paper. Replace long words and rephrase jargon. Imagine if it would make sense to your best friend, your mom, your grandma, etc. (caveat: if jargon is required to impress in business, use it)

10. Say it all out loud. Is anything missing? How does it sound? Change the words and phrases that sound unnatural when spoken.

11. Record it on a tape recorder or your computer. Is it missing anything? Add it. Are any parts of it boring, unneccesary, stupid, offensive? Cut off the fat.

12. Do it in front of a test audience. Get their feedback. Make sure they know your audience and purpose before you do the speech for the test audience.

13. Go give your speech to the real audience with confidence! If you’re interested in tips on the presentation or voice sides of things, you’ll need another resource, but…

Now you know how to write a speech!

Brian has been a public speaker for five years, a guest on national radio shows, is president of his local speaking club, teaches medicine, and is the author of Powerful Body, Peaceful Mind: How to Heal Yourself with Foods, Herbs, and Acupressure (http://www.pulsemed.org/).

James Masterson is Stand out, Be Recognized and Be Remembered keynote speaker. Click Here To read his latest advice http://free-online-course.com/masterson

There are those who are born with the gift of gab, and may be naturally comfortable giving a speech in front of a large group of people. But if you aren’t one of them, getting up in front of an audience can seem daunting, especially if you’ve never had any public speaking help. Here are a few useful pointers to help your speech go more smoothly.

1. Prepare yourself mentally — It’s likely that a person will be required to speak in public at least once in his or her life. It could be as simple as giving a thank-you speech during a social event or as complicated as presenting the company’s financials to a roomful of board members. The key to overcoming your fear is to prepare yourself mentally. The real task lies in researching and organizing your speech. If you do a good job in preparing your speech, then you will establish the confidence you need to present it to others, no matter how many of them there are.

2. Prepare yourself physically — There are really no hard facts available, but public speakers often find that working out helps them overcome any nervousness they feel about going on stage. In the weeks leading to the day of your speech, make it a point to do some at least 30 minutes of physical activity in a day. It could be as easy as brisk walking or as demanding as hitting the gym for a full workout. During the day of the speech itself, make it a point to dress your best and groom yourself. Knowing that you look good onstage helps boost your confidence level. Feeling good about yourself translates into your actions and behavior during the speech, which the audience can see. Even the least discerning audience will feel if you are confident or not in what you are saying.

3. Familiarize yourself with the venue — Unfamiliar surroundings make nervous speakers. If you are speaking to your class, then you do not need to familiarize yourself with the room. However if you are speaking in a conference hall, you need to get accustomed to the new surroundings. Make sure to visit the venue before you give your speech. Find out where you will be standing when you give your speech and see how the audience will see you from where they are sitting. If there is special lighting involved, find out about it beforehand so you will not be surprised if the spotlight is turned on you. If you have prepared visual aids and PowerPoint presentations to go with your speech, check out how they will be displayed during the speech. Determine whether your audience be able to see them clearly. You do not want your efforts in preparing these visual aids go to waste.

Tim Ackerman has been a staunch enthusiast of effective communication for nearly 20 years, and loves sharing his knowledge with others. For more public speaking help click here, where you’ll get access to many other helpful tips, including a FREE mini-course on effective speaking and presentation skills.