So, You Think You Can Speak?

Everyday, we seek opportunities to articulate ourselves better. Our Vice President Education , Gilbert Rutebemberwa, shares ways of navigating this ordeal from information on the Toastmasters international website.

A Kampala meeting

 

PUBLIC SPEAKING TIPS

SUCCESSFUL SPEECHES

Whether you're talking to a small group of people or speaking to a large audience, you want to be sure your speech is memorable and enjoyable. Follow these five easy tips to help ensure your speech delivers:

·         Be prepared. Your audience is giving you their time and consideration, so rehearse enough to be confident you'll leave a good impression.

·         Start strong. Begin your speech with a powerful opening that will grab your audience's attention, such as a startling fact or statistic, an interesting story or a funny joke.

·         Be conversational. Avoid reading your speech word for word. Instead, refer to notes or points from an outline to help your speech have a more free-flowing, conversational tone.

·         Speak with passion. If you're truly invested in what you're saying, you'll be better able to keep your audience's attention.

·         Be patient. It's easy to get frustrated if you make a mistake. But remember that public speaking is not easy and it takes time to hone your skills. Keep practicing and you will reach your goals.

 

1.    PREPARING A SPEECH

Preparing for a speech is one of the best ways to ensure you give an effective presentation. Try these tips to help you properly prepare:

• Organize your speech in a logical sequence: opening, main points, summary.
• Practice and rehearse a speech frequently prior to delivering it. Ask friends to be your audience, or practice in front of a mirror. Be sure to use a timer to help you pace your speech.
• Become familiar with the stage or the setting where the speech will take place. Get a sense of the size of the stage, where any steps or obstacles might be, and where to enter and exit.
• Choose comfortable clothes to wear, but always maintain a professional appearance.
• Visual aids should fit a speech, whether they are funny, serious or technical. The main goal of visual aids is to help the audience understand what is being said, and reinforce the points of a speech in unique and interesting ways.

2.    GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

Speakers generate a great amount of emotion and interest through the use of non-verbal communication, often called gestures or body language. A speaker's body can be an effective tool for emphasizing and clarifying the words they use, while reinforcing their sincerity and enthusiasm. Here are a few tips on how to use gestures effectively:

• Eye contact establishes an immediate bond with an audience, especially when a speaker focuses in on individual listeners rather than just gazing over the audience as a whole.
• Control mannerisms. Mannerisms are the nervous expressions a speaker might not be aware of such as putting their hands in their pockets, nodding their head excessively, or using filler words like um and ah too often.
• Put verbs in to action when speaking to an audience by physically acting them out with the hands, face or entire body.
• Avoid insincere gestures by involving the entire body as much as possible in the movement and matching facial expressions to it.
• Move around the stage as topics change and move toward the audience when asking questions, making critical connections, or offering a revelation.

Submitted by Gilbert Rutebemberwa,

Vice President Education  2016-2017,

Kampala Toastmasters.