Giving a speech to some is just like talking, to others it might be the next thing close to heart attack. The following is a clear guide to reduce that fear into something as casual as talking.

Most people who are elected to present or to give a speech end up with something close to a nervous breakdown. This is what many associate to “stage fright” where you get sweaty palms, short of breath, weak knees, cold sweat, and dryness in your mouth. All this can lead to you forgetting your topic, babbling, mumbling, and even looking at the floor while the lights are all on you.

Many people face this “fear” and it takes practice, guidance and a bit of knowledge to be able to master the art of speech giving and presenting.

When I was in university, every single business course that I had taken (even the social science courses), was filled with at least three chapters about presenting skills.

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Many call it the art of communication, but in my opinion it is the art of presenting, since it’s all about you, your topic and the audience.

That’s why; I’m going to pass onto you my valuable lesson that has made me pretty much an interesting and very effective speech giver in my community.

  1. Dress To Impress:

    A study has showed that more than 60% of your presentation is emphasized on your dressing and conducting ways. People pay attention to the appearance at first and then to the content. They would pay twice the respect to a person in a suit giving a speech to the employees about the change in company policy regarding healthcare, than to a person who is dressed in something close to the fishing “uniform” giving the same speech.

    Some researchers say that it’s about the look of authority that attracts, but others just consider it “good to look at and to listen to.” Be well groomed, shaved and neat. Moreover, for the women, dress something that shows authority and your rank’s importance. If it’s a skirt, let it be knee high. If it’s pants, let it be with pinstripes to show your height. High heel shoes are preferable for better appearance.

  2. Be Ready:

    your topic shouldn’t be the work of a two-hour typing done the day before. You should practice your speech in front of a sample audience and work your articulation, tone, speed, all of which should be mild, emphasizing on the key words that are the bulk of your message. Then, you have to ask your sample audience about what and how they felt regarding your speech. Were they bored? Is it too long? What was the message that they got from your talk? Did you look appropriate to the speech? What should you change? It’s all about the perception that the people would get from you and what they understood from your speech.

  3. Be Effective:

    the world’s biggest speech givers (related to big and successful companies) are those that don’t have a paper to read. Giving a speech is not about reading a paper like a jury’s statement or like a constitutional decree, it’s about passing on a message to a large audience with conviction and enthusiasm that they would actually listen and take notes.

  4. Eye Contact, Eye Contact All The Time:

    We call it the “lighthouse effect”. It’s about keeping eye contact to all the people in the room. If it was a ten-person meeting or a 300-person seminar, it’s about keeping eye contact with the people that you will zap the information into their minds and even sub-consciousness. The lighthouse effect is about looking one by one (or batch by batch) to people’s eyes from left to right and then return. By doing this, you make sure that they are following you, recording your words and keeping up with the topic.

  5. Relax:

    If you start shaking, show a sign of insecurity or fear or trouble people would immediately get distracted by the fly on the ceiling. Yes, during a speech it’s twice as easy to make people lose control of their concentration. So, keep your voice in check, emphasize and raise your voice on the key words. Take a sip of the water present for you and take deep breath before starting each paragraph. Be cool, relax and remember that you are not the only person on this planet doing a speech.

In the end, the whole thing is not something you learn from a week’s work, many presenters take long time to be masters in their art.