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Public Speaking

Discussion in 'General Support and Advice' started by SheBang, Sep 10, 2013.

  1. SheBang

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    Hey guys. I just signed up for a Speech class, since it's a requirement to complete my degree. I've been avoiding this course since the day I started college, but with only a few subjects left before I graduate, I've realised that it's time to confront my fears. Although I've made a lot of progress in the past six months, I still have severe social anxiety, so a class dedicated to talking in front of 20+ people is basically my idea of a living nightmare. Nonetheless, I'm trying to go into this on a positive note.

    Does anyone have advice on giving a good speech? Tips for managing anxiety? Also, feel free to share your experiences with public speaking, good or bad (hopefully the former!) :slight_smile:
     
  2. BornInTexas

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    I had a speech class in high school, and I am eventually going to have to take another speech class sometime in the near future... but a good way that alleviated my anxiety during a speech is when making eye contact, I tried looking above the heads at the wall. It looks like I am focusing on my audience's eyes, but I am really look at their foreheads or a nail in the wall.

    I had to make my voice louder when giving a speech because of possible distortions like an air vent that prevented my voice from being heard by the audience. I have a very soft voice.

    I hope that helps your for anxiety bit. I still get really nervous when I have to speak out loud and give presentations, but it isn't as bad as it used to be when I gave my first few speeches in high school.
     
  3. Hiems

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    I took a communications course that required me to do group presentations and a speech.

    For both assignments, I practiced in my room in front of inanimate objects while pretending that they're people. It's silly for me to do that, but I found that doing so helped me remember the content more easily. And my professor timed me, so I kept a stopwatch handy to make sure I ended just in time. I didn't have any notes in front of me for the presentation, but I had an outline for the speech. I received A's for both assignments.

    Try practicing your speech in front of friends. They can critique you on the content of your speech and your nonverbal communication too, like body movement, eye contact, and vocal interferences (um's, uh's). It's a good way to get honest feedback so that you learn from mistakes and become prepared.

    An important note is that when you do your speeches, use an attention-grabber. You want to captivate your audience right from the get go. Don't introduce yourself, unless introducing yourself is part of the attention-grabber. Examples include giving a statistic and explaining its relevance to your speech topic, telling an anecdote, or even showing pictures on a Powerpoint. You can be creative and approach the attention-grabber however you want.
     
  4. Jay1983

    Jay1983 Guest

    I used to do a lot of public speaking.

    I originally trained in front of a mirror to see my body language and the way I present my subject. Then I practiced in front of my sister and asked her to critique my presentation. It was then followed by my parents, my teachers, other students, principal and so on.

    I memorized and practiced as much as possible to obtain fluid presentation.

    It's okay to make a mistake in a speech. But do a damage control. Don't make it too obvious to the audience that you have made a mistake in your speech. I made a mistake once. It was the 'Holy crap, I've said something wrong' moment. But I just continued to blab like nothing went wrong.

    Eye contact is crucial as you need to connect and gain the trust of your audience. You need to convince the audience with the subject that you presenting.

    Don't look at one person too long. Shift your eye contact from one person to another. This can help to ease down the anxiety too.

    Present your subject like you really mean it. Smile. Give a confident smile. But of course, smile in a speech should depend on the subject that you are presenting. A serious and heavy speech requires a different expression. But you can begin your speech with a smile to break the ice of course.

    One tip given to me was to input a light joke inside a speech to break the ice with the audience. You can begin your speech with a joke or add it in a middle of your speech.

    It's normal to be nervous when you have to do a speech in front of audience. Once, I had to do a presentation in my country's world trade center in front of TV cameramen, large audience, VIPs and ministers. I was committed to leave the hall and lock myself in my bedroom for at least 10 years.

    Come early to the speech location. Take a look around and get used to the environment. If possible, practice your speech in that location. If you have to present the speech on a stage, stand on the stage and practice. If it's inside a class, practice in front of the empty class.

    Familiarize with the faces. Look at the audience and try to familiarize yourself with your audience. Get used to the faces so you can feel more comfortable and ease down the anxiety.

    Since you're giving a speech in a class of 20+, you may want to get to know these people. Even just a few would do. It can help you to break the ice and feel more comfortable to present your speech.

    Good luck.
     
  5. vinznitintin27

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    Have you known your classmates for a while? It can be less intimidating if you remind yourself that they are people you're familiar with, your friends. I remember having to give 3 speeches as part of a course requirement in an English class in college in a class of about 40 people. It can be quite unnerving but one thing my mom told me that worked was to look at the wall at the back of the room. That way it'll seem like you're looking at your audience at the same time not really. If that doesn't work, maybe staring at someone's forehead will do. LOL.

    Move your eyes around so you don't seem to be focusing on one person. Don't panic if you forget a part of your speech (I'm not sure if you need to memorize?) just take a deep breath and try to remember. If it doesn't come to you, let that part go, chances are the only person who'll know you missed something are yourself and the teacher if they have a copy of your speech.

    I'd manage nerves the way you usually do. Make sure to take a deep breath before starting. Good luck!!

    I also remember giving a speech to the whole elementary school in the 5th grade because I won an essay writing contest on why the school deserved to be distinguished. I looked at the trees when I was on the podium. Afterwards, my mom said she was more nervous that me!! Haha.

    What's your speech about if you don't mind me asking?
     
  6. biggayguy

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    I found that the better I know my material the less nervous I am. Speak slower. When you're nervous you race through your words. A five minute speech is a long time.

    I've been speaking monthly as president of our resident council. There is an agenda to follow and a lot of give and take. It was nerve wracking at first but it has gotten easier with practice.
     
  7. prism

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    Hello! I was very confident as a child and was able to read in front of hundreds of patrons at my church. I lost a lot of that confidence after middle school and tried everything to become a better public speaker, including joining my high school's policy debate team.

    1. Practice, practice, practice. Read in front of the mirror. Practice in front of people. Look up reading exercises. PROJECT your voice, don't whisper. There's nothing worse than not being able to hear someone speak from the back row.

    2. Research tips and tricks. Making eye contact during a speech throws a lot of people off, so you should practice looking at people's foreheads or a focal point beyond the audience. My brother bends a paper clip when he gives presentations; it's like transferring all of your anxiety into an object.

    Hope this helps!
     
  8. Aussie792

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    I find it easy to speak publicly, but if you have trouble, here's my advice, for the little it's worth.

    When you give a speech, be prepared (and that doesn't mean just memorising notes. Actually know what you're talking about for absolutely everything).

    If you're too nervous, don't make direct eye contact; look at different, inanimate objects around the room that make it look as if you're looking at people. If you can, looking into someone's eyes for a short time is very convincing and draws interest.

    And if you can, have water. Whenever you get a little stuck or have the urge to say "er" or "um", take a sip, collect your thoughts, and continue.

    Practice. When you're comfortable enough to deviate from a direct script, then that's great. When you realise that you haven't explained a point well enough, being able to improvise and deliver a better and expanded description can make a massive difference in grading/points/effectiveness.

    Don't get too loud or forceful. It's not pleasant for the audience when someone is too aggressive, and a slip-up will be even worse. And if you're like me, your voice might change; I develop a quite obvious Finnish accent when I speak loudly, thanks to my family.

    However, you have to be clear and use a strong voice. Project from your diaphragm. When you speak from your abdomen and chest rather than your throat, you make a speech far better.
     
  9. Californiacoast

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    Check out your local Toastmasters Club. Amazing group, and the feedback is priceless.
     
  10. Pocky

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    Nobody has suggested imagining the audience naked yet?
     
  11. Zam

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    I had trouble speaking in public and making presentation,since last year,I stoped giving a dam and It worked for me.
     
  12. greatwhale

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    I happen to enjoy speaking in public. I'm a total ham that way. One thing that helped me throughout many presentations is the one year of professional theatre school that I took when I was 18 (it was a 3-year program but I quit when I realized starving wasn't for me). It just gave me the confidence to speak, even on difficult subjects like chemistry.

    Keep it simple, speak slowly and clearly, gaze at the audience, and if you think of something that would be funny to share, take a chance, it just might work and breaks the tension tremendously. I used to have our entire dept in stitches with some random observations...surprise is fun and keeps their attention.
     
  13. Aussie792

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    I tried that once, and my mind went into over-drive and it was quite distracting. I pretended I felt faint, and sat down, disturbed at how vividly I could imagine hairs in... certain places.

    Long story short; it may backfire on you.
     
  14. Tightrope

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    Funny.

    To the OP, first, speak on a topic you know something about and is informative. A clinical one is better than an emotional or subjective one, so you can load them up on facts and such. I hate the "introduce yourself" speech but like the factual one. I enjoyed doing a factual speech I gave in college. Also, once you get going, it's much easier. The first minute is the worst.

    Practice. First alone, and then to a few people. Don't focus on anybody, but look everywhere, almost avoiding direct eye contact. In my case, there was a guy I couldn't stand, so I made it a point to look at him ... and he looked away.

    If this is really trying, pretend they are are sitting on a toilet grunting. Seriously. When you think of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in this state, and they are once or twice a day, it makes them way less interesting, no?
     
  15. Dalmatian

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    I used to be horrified by the idea, but after having to speak in front of large groups and relatively often at my previous job, I quickly got over it.

    I'd say, loosen up. Now, that's not a stupidly obvious, unhelpful advice as it looks like :slight_smile: What I mean is: don't overdo the structure; if you have the whole text memorized, you will freeze if you forget the exact next sentence. No, it's better to know very well what you are talking about, but not perfectly how you are going to tell the story. And yes, it's a story. Whatever you talk about, it's a story. You should enjoy it first, then the audience will follow. Breathe. That's sooo important. You will find yourself stuck at a syllable, taking a mental break, preparing for the next sentence. That's ok. But, you need to use that break to breathe. You dictate the tempo, so don't get yourself to a position where you need a can of oxygen :slight_smile:

    As for the preparation, depending on how strong your anxiety is, how do you feel about a foreign language study group? There, you are expected to speak, in a language you are not comfortable in, in front of people who you don't know, about a topic which probably isn't very interesting :slight_smile: It might be a good training.
    Also, do you have nieces/nephews or friends' kids who are about that age when they just can't get enough stories? Telling a story to several five-year-olds, now there's a challenge :slight_smile: Seriously, after that the grown-ups should seem no more intimidating than an empty room :slight_smile:
     
  16. theMaverick

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    I am a member of an organization called Toastmasters, which has greatly helped improve my public speakings skills.

    I, too, used to be afraid of public speaking, but now I enjoy it. My advice to you would first be to practice, practice, practice. "The unprepared speaker has a right to be afraid."

    Secondly, I would advise you to, on the day of your speech, pick out someone in the class you are friends with, maybe several people, and make eye contact with them. Look from person to person around the room, making eye contact with those you know. This will not only give the impression that you are more confident and practiced to those watching, but will also break your focus on those who you don't know.

    Third, if you make a mistake in some way, do not stop your speech, do not apologize. Those listening will not know you made a mistake unless you point it out.

    Fourth, if you are using notes or you do not have your speech memorized and you find you need to look down at your notes or paper, pause for a moment, look down, find your words, look back up, and continue speaking. Pauses are okay.

    Fifth, and this again only applies if you are using paper, instead of shuffling papers around throughout your speech, sit your first sheet on the left side of the lectern/podium, and sit the rest to the right of the first. This will enable you to have access to your first and second sheets without moving papers, if/when you need to get to the pages 3 and beyond, just slide one sheet over on top of the other sheet. It's silent and likely that no one will notice.

    Best of luck to you!
     
  17. musikk021

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    I have social anxiety, too, and a huge fear of public speaking. Reading your post reminded me of how scared I was, and I can't believe I actually got through my speech class! It was actually a requirement at my college to take the speech class during freshman year, so I took it my first semester in college. It was horrifying.

    We had 3 speeches to do total: a persuasive speech (where we were to choose a controversial topic to argue for), an informative speech (where we could choose any topic that we wanted and just talk informatively on the subject), and a group presentation on a topic of oral communication. Aside from those three formal speeches, our professor made us talk every class. He would spit out some random topic and went around the class making each of us stand up and speak spontaneously on the spot about whatever topic he just gave us. Total nightmare. I had to take some homeopathic anxiety supplements to calm me down before each class...didn't help much.

    In terms of advice, here's what I'd say:

    1. When you're up in front of the class, try to look relaxed and smile. Even if you're completely tense and shaking out of your skin, just fake it. Wear a pleasant expression on your face and try to make sure the tone of your voice sounds pleasant as well. As nervous as I was, I always got A+'s on my speeches in terms of flow, organization, wealth of information, display of knowledgeability on the subject, being well-rehearsed and prepared, etc. The one critique I always got from my peers and professor was that I needed to smile. I would speak eloquently and get through my speech without stuttering, but I know I sounded monotone and had an expressionless/angry-looking appearance on my face. (I was too nervous to smile.) Even when I spoke on a "fun" topic, I sounded like I was giving a eulogy at a funeral haha. Point is, smile, and your speech will automatically sound more pleasing.

    2. Practice and rehearse until you know the speech like your favorite song. When you've practiced it enough times, you'll find that you can actually say the information while you're not even consciously thinking about. It's kind of like muscle memory; the words will just come out.

    3. Choose a topic that truly interests you or that you truly care about. It shows in your speech whether you're really invested in what you're speaking about. Choose something you like, and you'll automatically exude more enthusiasm, which the audience can sense. Also, when you talk about something that's familiar to you or that you care about, you're less likely to blank out in front of the class. Even if you, for a second, forget what you were SUPPOSED to say, you could probably find something else to say if you know the topic well anyways.

    Other than that, your speech class is supposed to teach you techniques and skills for public speaking, too. Hopefully you'll get some lessons before you're asked to make your first speech. Good luck! I know just how scared you're feeling, but you'll get through it.
     
  18. SheBang

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    Hey guys. I had my first Speech class today, and I wanted to update you on how it went, and thank all of you for the advice.

    So, I arrived early to school and recognised a girl in my class. She's also in my Spanish class, and we get along pretty well, so we started talking. She told me that we were supposed to be giving a 2 minute introductory speech today, and I started to freak out. I wondered if I would be required to give one as well, since I had signed up for the class last Friday (we meet once a week on Thursday nights), so I didn't know about the assignment. The girl told me what the requirements were, and I started to write down some stuff just in case. That turned out to be a good idea, since my professor didn't let me off the hook even though I was new.

    As the time got closer for me to give my speech, I felt like I was going to have a panic attack, but I made it through. I didn't have much time to memorise what I had written down and had no notes, so I forgot a few points, but I was able to make up some information on the spot. In my speech, I actually told my whole class that I have social anxiety. I hadn't planned to, but since it wasn't rehearsed and I needed to keep talking, it sort of veered into that direction. I actually felt a bit relieved to get that off my chest, and I feel like it sounded natural. I remembered what you guys said about eye contact, and I tried to do that. A couple times, I looked people straight in the eye. When I finished, my prof told me that I had done a good job and asked if I was nervous, but I'm hoping that was because of the content of my speech, and not because I looked like a mess. She seems pretty cool.

    Now, in no particular order, I'd like to answer some of your questions, and clarify certain things:

    1) We're required to give 7 speeches, each of which counts for 10% of our grade. 1 down, 6 to go.

    2) We can't use paper, but we can use as many index cards as we want.

    3) The prof actually recommended practicing our speeches 5-7 times, so it doesn't sound too rehearsed. I'm a bit iffy on this.

    4) Unfortunately, I don't have any friends in real life, or family members who would be willing to listen to me except for my mother. I do plan to rehearse in front of her, and I'd like to record myself on webcam so I can see what I need to work on.

    5) Smiling, sounding pleasant, and incorporating humour are my weak points, so I'd like to improve on that by the end of the semester.

    Anyway, thanks for reading this, and again, for your advice and support. :icon_bigg
     
  19. Jay1983

    Jay1983 Guest

    Sounds like you did a great job. Congrats!

    It's normal to feel really nervous on the first few but you'll get the hang of it.

    About mentioning social anxiety to your class; It takes courage and confidence to present in front of an audience. Not many people can pull it off but you did. I don't know much about social anxiety but from the way I see it, you successfully did something opposite/against it. That was a breakthrough. If I was one of the students, I would think you are, pardon my language, but totally badass. So thumbs up to you!

    Yes, you can practice using a webcam. That's a good idea.

    Practicing a speech million of times is a drag but it's a standard process for every presenter. I was grilled endlessly during my speech rehearsal. I was asked to repeat the same speech again and again in front of my principal and VIPs. 'Jay, again but slower. Jay, again but a bit faster. Jay, louder. Jay, project more strength in your tone ... etc."

    Another thing that you can do to enhance your presentation is by observing other presenters. Go to Youtube and watch how a presenter presents his/her speech during a seminar etc.

    Best wishes. Good luck and keep us updated.
     
  20. Bear101

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    I agree. I'm the president of my TM Club and a LOT of people struggle with public speaking. It's kind of funny, but more people would prefer to be burned alive than give a public speech.

    Toastmasters is a great organization to help people feel comfortable with public speaking. Every club is different, so if you don't like the one you're at, try a different one. I went to one once that everyone there was 20+ years older than I was. I didn't stay long, lol.