Probably, everyone of us had to speak in front of vast audience, and you know that most people feel nervous.
How to overcome this stress and what to do to make your speech impressive?
JiJi is on its way to help you!
1. Take a rehearsal.
If you have a possibility, visit the place where you are going to speak, in order to find out its location, size etc. Stand on the stage and use the microphone to give a speech (it would be easier for you to do it one more time actually in front of the future audience). Moreover, you can come home and do it again in front of the mirror to notice some drawbacks and fix them!
2. Watch the performances of comic artists.
Why comics? Because these artists are used to specific (for instance, tired) audience that wants to have fun. Also it will be useful for you, because you can pay attention to their pauses, moves and tone of voice. There is a manner called
fake it, until you make it.
In addition, you may “borrow” their jokes 😉
3. Use minimum of presentation.
PowerPoint presentation is a great way to augment your speech, but beware of relying on it too much. Unfortunately, plenty of information on the slides can be evil for your performance as people start to read the data and they stop listening to you.
Let your presentation have a little information – people will listen to you!
4. Dress in comfortable clothes.
Comfortable clothes is a great way to boost your confidence. Some public speakers even neglect the formal dress code if they feel they won’t be able to relax in front of listeners, because these clothes are just not for them (for instance, you are not used to wear classic office suit). To maximize sense of confidence you can also wear your favourite clothes!
5. Stay positive!
Reject all the negative thoughts and expectations. They bring you down – and your audience feels it. If you feel weak in cheering yourself up, we suggest you to tell yourself the following; you are going to share your unique ideas with lots of people, isn’t it marvellous?
6. Don’t forget to breathe 🙂
The thing is rhythmic breathing helps you to stay focused on the topic you are discussing, and, what is great, in case of nervousness it’s able to calm you down. By the way, to decrease bad feelings, you may also drink water.
7. Audience is willing to listen to you!
Remember: if people come here, be sure they they came to hear something brand new, so that they want you to speak. Therefore, don’t let yourself down be absolutely absurd thoughts! But don’t forget that your task is to make the performance fascinating and unforgettable!
8. Show your emotions!
People are quite sensible creatures. They can perceive the theoretical information, but not for too long – because it’s tedious. Your task is make you speech both educational and interesting. So, dilute it with some emotions: tell a joke related to your subject, share your personal experience (both successful and not) – show that you can be vulnerable too. And one more important tip – forget about monotone voice! Emotions on!
9. Use pauses.
Some speakers are afraid of pauses – they consider it to be a sign that you don’t know what to tell next. Well, it’s a huge mistake, because pauses are essential. Your audience needs it to contemplate the information you have just given to them. Moreover, you can use pauses to rest a bit and drink water to make your voice sound better.
10. Questions are a benefit!
At the beginning of your performance, let the audience know that you are ready to answer their questions (be sure, they will emerge if your speech is at least a bit interesting). Answer the questions as soon as they are posed. The more answers, the more questions! You can even reject a part of your prepared speech in favour of giving responses. The advantage of it is that people will definitely remember your performance, because you have given them really relevant and necessary information!
11. Don’t be afraid to move.
The fact is that people tend to pay more attention to objects in motion, that’s why moving is prudent. It’s an opportunity for a speaker to get more relaxed, and the audience keeps on listening to him. But mind another side of moving: shifting from foot to another, for instance, creates the feeling of lull and it leads to audience just falls asleep! You can walk across the stage, but don’t sway.
We hope JiJi has just given you enough motivation and interesting facts to consider before giving a speech.
Be inspired with JiJi!
