Tips for Building Your Vocabulary

Tips for Building Your Vocabulary

Great Speech Demonstration

Great Speech Demonstration

Visualizing Success

Visualizing Success

USING NOTE CARDS

USING NOTE CARDS

THE FACE

THE FACE

USING BODY LANGUAGE

USING BODY LANGUAGE

CONTROLLING YOUR FEAR

CONTROLLING YOUR FEAR

It is common for both experienced and beginning speakers to be nervous about giving a speech. The difference is that the experienced speaker knows how to control this nervousness and use it to enhance the speech. By understanding the causes and symptoms of the fear, a speaker can harness that seemingly negative energy and channel it toward a positive outcome. The experienced speaker also knows how to appear confident in front of an audience. To obtain a confident appearance, a seasoned orator applies the proper methods and techniques for relaxation.

ANXIETY TRIGGERS

New and unknown situations – New experiences are stressful. The inability to anticipate the unforeseen causes high levels of anxiety.

Risk of failure – From childhood to adulthood, we dream of success, victory, and achieve­ment. To not finish first or be the best often increases nervousness and anxiety.

Potential for appearing foolish – Beyond achieving goals, we all want to appear circum­spect in the way we accomplish our goals. No one wants to suffer disgrace. The possibility of embarrassment causes great fear and panic.

Possibility of boring the audience – A speaker’s hope is to engage and enamor the audi­ence. The fear of not connecting with the audience, of being considered boring, brings about insecurity, apprehension, and worry.

ANXIETY SYMPTOMS

When confronted with a situation that causes anxiety, the body responds by increasing the flow of adrenaline. Adrenaline causes the heart to beat faster. Extra blood and oxygen rush to the muscles and brain. This natural rush provides extra energy that enables quick responses, but it also can have some less desirable effects:

·         Increased heart rate

·         Butterflies in the stomach

·         Incontrollable shakes

·         Lightheadedness

·         Dizziness

MANAGING ANXIETY

Anxiety is common to all speakers who are concerned about their performance. This nervous energy is valuable if used properly. The key is learning to manage it. There are three major methods for handling anxiety:

Experience – Studies show that one of the best methods for reducing anxiety is practice. Repeatedly giving speeches reduces fear and helps to build confidence. After speaking a few times, you begin to put your anxiety into perspective. Try these techniques to gain experience:

■■Practice in front of a mirror.

■■Rehearse in front of family and friends.

■■Deliver a speech before your Toastmasters club.

■■Give presentations before other groups, anywhere you can.

Visualization – Research shows that vividly imagined events are recorded as memories. To the brain and central nervous system, these memories are indistinguishable from actual experiences. Thought processes cause physiological changes that affect performance. Mentally rehearsing employs thought processes to achieve positive results. Close your eyes as you mentally walk yourself through the following scenario, vividly imagining each action:

1. You are introduced to an audience.

2. You walk up to the lectern confidently, smiling to people as you pass.

3. You breathe deeply several times before beginning to speak. (As you imagine this, take deep breaths.)

4. You speak clearly and forcefully, remembering all of the points you wanted to make.

5. You captivate your audience with your words, gestures, and vocal variety.

6. When you finish, the audience applauds in appreciation.

Repeat this visualization until your confidence has increased and your anxiety has decreased.

Relaxation – Because the mind and body are connected, feelings often affect the body phys­ically. As anxiety builds, so does physical stress. Relaxation and breathing techniques alleviate physical tension and calm the mind. Isometric exercises reduce stress by increasing circulation and the flow of oxygen to the brain. Practice these techniques to reduce tension:

■Focus on areas of concentrated tension, such as the shoulders. Tighten your muscles there for a few seconds and then release. Systematically do the same for each major muscle group, starting with the feet and working up to the facial muscles.

 
■Stand, inhale and stretch your arms toward the ceiling. Then exhale as you bend to touch your toes, keeping your knees straight. (Only bend as far as you comfortably can.) Repeat this several times.

■Hold your arms out to the sides, parallel to the floor and rotate them in small circles, first forward 10 times, then backward 10 times.

■Drop your head to your chest, rolling it to the right, to the back, to the left, then forward again. Repeat this several times. Then reverse the procedure, rolling your head first to the left.

■Breathe from the diaphragm. This reduces shortness of breath and supports your voice for better projection and resonance. To learn to breathe correctly, lie on your back with a book on your stomach. Take a deep breath. The book rises as your diaphragm expands. As you exhale, the book should go back down.

CONCLUSION

Even after practicing and mentally rehearsing your speech, it’s normal to feel somewhat nervous before your presentation. You want some adrenaline flowing to help you speak energetically.

Keep in mind that your audience likely won’t notice your nervousness. Audiences are often unaware of the signs the speaker thinks are embarrassingly obvious. If you walk and speak confi­dently, the audience will not know that your palms are sweaty and your heart is pounding.

The next time you are about to give a speech, as your heart pounds, you have butterflies in your stomach and your knees quiver, turn your anxiety into positive energy using the methods dis­cussed. Your audience will be impressed with your confidence and listen to every word you say.

The Beginning of your speech

BEGINNING YOUR SPEECH

INTRODUCTION

The first moments of a speech are critical to its success. If they are dull, lifeless, and unimaginative, the audience can lose interest in the rest of the speech. However, an exciting, creative beginning will help grab and keep listeners’ attention.

THE CRITERIA FOR A SUCCESSFUL OPENING

Successful speech openings meet four criteria:

1. Get the attention of the audience. A listener’s attention needs to be refocused away from any distractions and toward the speaker. A good beginning draws the audience’s attention to the speaker and the presentation.

2. Introduce the topic. The beginning of a speech should indicate what the speaker will be talk­ing about and why the audience should be interested in it. When listeners understand the topic and how they will benefit from listening to a speech, they will immediately pay close attention.

3. Establish rapport. The audience will be more receptive to the speaker and the message if the speaker appears friendly and interested in them and shows personal interest in the subject. Effective ways to establish rapport with an audience:

Smile.

Show enthusiasm.

Make eye contact.

4. Take less than five to 10 percent of the entire speech time. The majority of the time should be spent focused on the body of the speech.

OPENING TECHNIQUES

Techniques for opening a speech can help calm the speaker’s nerves and give clarity of mind. Techniques can also generate new ideas over time. The following seven techniques will help a speaker create good speech openings:

1.  State the importance of your topic. Tell your listeners why the topic is important to them. (give an example)

2.  Make a startling statement. Startle your listeners with an intriguing statement that will compel them to listen further. (give an example)

3.  Arouse suspense or curiosity. Use a series of statements related to the topic that will pique your listeners’ interest. (give an example)

4.  Tell a story or anecdote. Telling an amusing tale, dramatic story, or anecdote arouses interest and gets an audience involved. Keep the story or anecdote relevant to the main point of the speech, and personalize it whenever possible. (give an example)

5.  Ask a rhetorical question. Ask one question or a series of questions that relate to your speech topic. The audience will think about an answer and thus your topic. (give an example)

6.  Begin with a quotation. Using a quotation is an easy and effective way to attract attention. Keep quotes short and related directly to the speech topic. (give an example)

7.  Reference the occasion. Begin the speech by acknowledging the occasion. This type of begin­ning allows a speaker to recognize an important or unusual event and to establish a common interest with the audience. (give an example)

OTHER TECHNIQUES

The above techniques are the most frequently used approaches, but they are not the only tech­niques a speaker can use for effective speech openings:

Humor

Audience participation

A demonstration

A reference to a historical event

Whatever technique you choose, ensure it is relevant to the topic, to the audience, and to the occasion.

Memorize

Once you have written the beginning, memorize it so you do not have to refer to notes. A memorized, polished introduction helps to establish credibility and rapport with your audience.

OPENINGS TO AVOID

Avoid acknowledging the amount of preparation. The audience does not need to know how much a speaker has prepared for the speech he or she is giving. Unless the amount of time specifically pertains to the speech, it should not be addressed. If a speaker has spent little time preparing and states that fact, the speaker may invalidate his or her expertise with the audience and lose his or her authoritative voice.

Example: “Thank you all for coming. I haven’t really had a chance to prepare.”

Avoid being dull and boring. Listeners need to be captivated, informed, inspired, and moti­vated. A speaker’s hope is to accomplish this from the beginning of the speech. Stay away from a bland beginning.

Example: “Today, my speech is about the breakthrough of medicine.”

Avoid delaying mention of the topic. Some speakers think that delaying mention of the topic creates anticipation and arouses curiosity, but this is not so. If the audience does not know the subject matter and purpose of the speaker’s message, they will immediately lose focus.

Example: “You have all come to this conference in anticipation of delving deeper into the theme of education. The title of my speech is [pause]. Well, we’ll get to that in a few moments.”

Tip

Some people write the beginning of a speech after they have developed the body because they can then clearly identify the important points they want to emphasize. By creating an introduction in this manner, a speaker can pinpoint what technique would best suit the speech.

10 Tips for Improving Your Public Speaking Skills

Here are some great tips for improving your public speaking skills:

1. Nervousness Is Normal. Practice and Prepare!

All people feel some physiological reactions like pounding hearts and trembling hands. Do not associate these feelings with the sense that you will perform poorly or make a fool of yourself. Some nerves are good. The adrenaline rush that makes you sweat also makes you more alert and ready to give your best performance.

The best way to overcome anxiety is to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more. Take the time to go over your notes several times. Once you have become comfortable with the material, practice—a lot. Videotape yourself, or get a friend to critique your performance.

2. Know Your Audience. Your Speech Is About Them, Not You.

Before you begin to craft your message, consider who the message is intended for. Learn as much about your listeners as you can. This will help you determine your choice of words, level of information, organization pattern, and motivational statement.

3. Organize Your Material in the Most Effective Manner to Attain Your Purpose.

Create the framework for your speech. Write down the topic, general purpose, specific purpose, central idea, and main points. Make sure to grab the audience’s attention in the first 30 seconds.

4. Watch for Feedback and Adapt to It.

Keep the focus on the audience. Gauge their reactions, adjust your message, and stay flexible. Delivering a canned speech will guarantee that you lose the attention of or confuse even the most devoted listeners.

5. Let Your Personality Come Through.

Be yourself, don’t become a talking head—in any type of communication. You will establish better credibility if your personality shines through, and your audience will trust what you have to say if they can see you as a real person.

6. Use Humor, Tell Stories, and Use Effective Language.

Inject a funny anecdote in your presentation, and you will certainly grab your audience’s attention. Audiences generally like a personal touch in a speech. A story can provide that.

7. Don’t Read Unless You Have to. Work from an Outline.

Reading from a script or slide fractures the interpersonal connection. By maintaining eye contact with the audience, you keep the focus on yourself and your message. A brief outline can serve to jog your memory and keep you on task.

8. Use Your Voice and Hands Effectively. Omit Nervous Gestures.

Nonverbal communication carries most of the message. Good delivery does not call attention to itself, but instead conveys the speaker’s ideas clearly and without distraction.

9. Grab Attention at the Beginning, and Close with a Dynamic End.

Do you enjoy hearing a speech start with “Today I’m going to talk to you about X”? Most people don’t. Instead, use a startling statistic, an interesting anecdote, or concise quotation. Conclude your speech with a summary and a strong statement that your audience is sure to remember.

10. Use Audiovisual Aids Wisely.

Too many can break the direct connection to the audience, so use them sparingly. They should enhance or clarify your content, or capture and maintain your audience’s attention.

Practice Does Not Make Perfect

Good communication is never perfect, and nobody expects you to be perfect. However, putting in the requisite time to prepare will help you deliver a better speech. You may not be able to shake your nerves entirely, but you can learn to minimize them.

Source: by Marjorie North - Harvard Extension School.

Welcome to my new blog about Public Speaking. 

According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that seem right? That means to the average person, if you have to go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.

In 2004 I was invited to the Corona/Norco Realtors Association to give them a presentation on Marketing. I said “sure, why not, this is my field and it was a great opportunity to promote myself in front of a great targeted audience”… my presentation was a disaster, not the material, I certainly knew what I was talking about, but I didn’t reflect self-confidence, my voice was shaky, I practically freaked out. After that meeting I decided to join Toastmasters International.

My name is Marcy Decato, I was born and raced in Colombia, South America, went to college there, then came to America in 1987, went to college here, became a business owner in 2001 and got very involved in the business community thru the Chamber of Commerce as an Ambassador, and the Board of Directors. During my business career I have been part of various networking and non-profits organizations in which I have been the President or have taken a leadership role at some point.

So you may ask, why is she sharing that information with us, what does that have to do with public speaking? A GREAT DEAL, I must say!!!

Without public speaking skills, my leadership roles would have been extremely difficult to accomplish. A few years after I started my business I was invited to the Corona/Norco Realtors Association to give them a presentation on Marketing. I said “sure, why not, this is my field and it was a great opportunity to promote myself in front of a great targeted audience”… my presentation was a disaster, not the material, I certainly knew what I was talking about, but I didn’t reflect self-confidence, my voice was shaky, I practically freaked out. After that meeting I decided to join Toastmasters International. That was in 2006, and I have to tell you that the tools that I have learned have helped me tremendously to overcome my fear to public speaking and made me a confident an effective speaker (not a professional speaker) and it doesn’t mean that I don’t get nervous, or that I don’t get the butterflies in my stomach, I just know how to control them and how to use them to my benefit.

So, I have been asked a couple of times by Soroptimist International to talk about Public Speaking for Leadership Training, and I said it again “sure, why not”… but this time, I am confident that I can help them to get valuable information for leadership roles!

Hey… if this Colombian with an accent could do it, so could you,  RIGHT?