SPEAKING

Public Speaking: How to give a Better Speech

Your palms are sweating. Your heart is racing. Your forehead is perspiring like Richard Nixon's during the 1960 Presidential Debate. No, it's not your honeymoon. Someone is announcing your name and it seams they want you to address the assembled crowd. Fear not. There are ways to prepare yourself for this moment and even channel your nervousness into energy.

Public speaking is routinely listed as the number one fear of American. (Death, in one recent survey, polled a lowly seventh place.) Relax. You can prepare yourself with well-written remarks. However, words alone are not enough to ensure success. Delivery is key. Your speaking style will improve if you learn the following simple ways to give a better speech.

1. Understand That Stage Fright is Positive.

A stage actor without butterflies is a play not worth seeing. Being nervous in a public speaking situation is normal, natural and even helpful. Adrenaline increases the human heart rate, pumps blood quicker and gets more oxygen to body tissue. This heightens mental activity and provides energy needed to perform super-human tasks. If a mother in Texas can lift a car to save her child, you can surely channel your adrenaline to impress the board of directors.

2. Control Your Nervousness.

While nervous energy is positive, nerves and their accompanying behavior are not. The negative side effects range from sweating profusely to heaving uncontrollably shaky hands. They invented handkerchiefs for the former and lecterns to grab onto for the letter. Use them when needed.

If your throat is scratchy, clear it away form the microphone. Better yet, have an unwrapped cough drop in your pocket. To prevent dry mouth, use Chap Stick or Vaseline on your lips prior to speaking. Have a drink available if your voice breaks, remembering that ice water constricts the throat. Water at room temperature or warm beverages are better.

3. Use Your Voice as a Speaking Tool.

The human voice is a wonderful instrument. Use yours to disseminate information in a manner pleasing to your audience. Listeners like enthusiasm and energy. Projecting it requires a varied delivery rate. Speak faster than in normal conversation. (People are convinced a faster talker is smarter.) However, slow down to emphasize points and articulate properly. Do not be afraid to stop talking. Regulated silence can be more powerful than words.

Audiences prefer to hear low-pitched voices. They are more soothing, persuasive, and command more attention. If you are unsure of how you sound, tape yourself. Avoid sounding chirpy, shrill, nasal or whiny. If your pitch is too high, relax your throat and speak through your mouth. Lauren Bacoll came to Hollywood high-pitched and changed her tone after her first screen test. Look at what happened to her.

4. Speak Up!

There is nothing worse than a speech that cannot be heard. Practice on the microphone prior to speaking and remember to position it correctly. However, most problems in this area stem form human failure. Be careful to articulate clearly. Do not slur contractions or reverse sounds. In order to be beard, hold your head up and speak from the diaphragm. Open your mouth wider then normal. It is better to be loud than unheard.

5. Dress for Success.

It is in the first four minutes a speaker is either accepted or rejected by an audience. Data gathered by Wanda Vassallo, author of Speaking with Confidence, shows that 87 percent of us gather data by sight. Therefore, your appearance, gestures and eye contact are much more important than you might think.

Dress comfortably and for confidence. Don't take new shoes or suits on their maiden voyage. Wear what you know looks good on you. Simple, solid colors are best. Formality should be at or a notch above that of the audience. Wear lighter fabrics than normal as public speaking raises body temperature. Avoid dangling jewelry and empty pockets of change, keys of other distractions.

6. Stand Tall and Use Gestures to Connect with Your Audience.

Your posture is important. Public speakers should be larger than life and have stage presence. You are watched even before you speak, so pay attention to the introduction. While speaking, keep fest about a shoulder length apart. Do not lean on the lectern or clutch it for security; use it occasionally to rest your hands. Avoid such distracting habits as touching your hair or playing with a pen.

Body language helps make a point. Use your whole body. A raised eyebrow or shrug of the shoulder gets across your view as effectively as a nod affirms or a shake of the head disagrees. Watch yourself in a mirror while practicing your speech to make sure your hands are complementing your words and not trying to conduct the Boston Pops.

7. The Eyes Have It.

The most vital connection between a speaker and an audience is eye contact. It brings listeners into the presentation while putting you in control. Look directly at one person for three to five seconds and then move on. Do not linger too long on one person or shift from person to person too quickly. Careful eye contact gives the impression that you are interested, projects confidence and authority, gives you feedback on how your audience is responding, and wins their support. Well-regulated facial expressions also set the mood of your speech and help the audience understand your line of thought.

8. Use Visual Aids with Caution.

More speeches are hurt than helped by the intricacies of audio-visual aids. The best use of high tech visuals such as video is either before of after your remarks. Visuals can detract from your words and delivery style if they are not well planned.

Flip charts are great for small groups. Have plenty of well-tested markers and remember not to turn your back on the audience. Objects, charts and graphs can be integrated into remarks, holding them up high and for a prolonged period of times so all audience members can grasp their connection to your point. They should then be put away.

9. Eat and Drink with Care.

Avoid a big meal before speaking. If your remarks come after dinner, poke at your chicken. Our bodies need blood vessels for digestion, competing with the brain and depleting mental energy. Chocolate is also bad for your voice. Carbonation in off limits. Of course, the substance to be avoided at all cost is alcohol. It dulls the senses and loosens the tongue.