Have you just found out you need to give a speech? And you're
feeling a little nervous about it? Here's a step-by-step guide to
help you prepare a speech on any topic.
Steps
- Identify the topic of your speech. If it is up
to you to select the topic, choose a subject that you know well and
target it so that is appropriate for your audience.
- Research your subject. If it is not a subject
with which you are familiar, start with the most general background
sources that you can find. Good examples include an encyclopedia,
the internet or a newspaper such as the NY Times.
- Know how many minutes you have to speak. This
is very important because you don't want to risk having too little
or too much to say. You may also want to budget in time for
questions at the end. Practice the speech after it is written, to
get an idea of how much time it will take you to deliver it.
- Know your audience. Discuss things that the
audience might specifically be interested in. For example, if you
are giving a speech to a group of plant enthusiasts at the
Botanical Gardens, speak about plants, aromatic uses of plants,
famous botanists or biodiversity etc.
- Write a succinct, single-sentence statement about your
subject. This is similar to a thesis statement for a
written paper. This statement is the foundation for your
speech.
- Outline the rest of your speech on index cards as you
would outline a paper. Do not write out the speech. The
outline is there to trigger your memory, not to give you a script.
There should be no more than 3 - 5
subtopics that support your main statement. Make sure you know
enough about each subtopic to speak briefly on each one.
- Use one card for the introduction. This will
include your main statement (or some variation of it). Use one or
two cards for each subtopic and one for the conclusion which refers
back to the main statement.
- Write brief sentence fragments or even single
words. These words or fragments should be ones that remind
you about what you want to cover for that subtopic on each subtopic
card or cards. They will act as triggers for your main points.
- Practice your speech in front of a friend or a
mirror. Practice looking at your audience more and your
cards less. Time the length of the speech and tailor its length as
needed. Remember - the greater crime is to bore the audience with a
too long speech. Better to have a short and well-rehearsed one than
a monologue that sends everyone into reverie.
- Pretend that you are an expert talking to your friends
when you give the speech. Most of the people in the room
don't know the material better than you do. You are sharing
information with them.
- Make eye contact with members of your
audience. Speak slowly and breathe slowly. If eye contact
is too intense for you, look just above their heads at a point such
as a clock or a painting. Try to not focus intently on one place,
however - move your eyes around a bit.
- Do not leave the podium immediately after you finish
giving your speech. Count up to 15 in your head before
leaving the podium. If there is an option for questions, it always
engages the audience more to respond from the podium than to return
to a seated position and attempt to answer questions.
Tips
- Don't write out the speech. You can't read aloud as dynamically
as you can talk about your topic. And if you're reading, you won't
be making eye cont
