Public Speaking

Everybody has to do it. You might as well get used to it. Practice makes perfect.

If you're one of those people who absolutely adores being in the spotlight, you should have no problem. Nonetheless, get some practice speaking in a professional manner to peers, professors, and supervisors. You may be a whiz at giving impromptu speeches around the dinner table with your family and friends, but speaking in front of 30 peers could be another story altogether.

For those of you who are shy or have never spoken in front of a group, here are a few tips to quell your fears:

Practice! Practice! Practice!

The better you know the material, the more comfortable you will be. If you are confident in your knowledge of the topic, you will feel more prepared in general.

Plus, you will be even more prepared for a technology crisis. For instance, say you had prepared a fantastic power point presentation with video clips, hyperlinks, pictures, and all those bonuses on top of your key points. What would you do if the technology in the classroom, workshop, or conference area was not working properly? Would you be able to give the speech anyway? I bet a lot of you are thinking, "No way!" My advice to know your material extends to video clips and hyperlinks. If you know the message that the video conveys, you can sidestep the technology crunch and provide that information without it! Other speakers may find themselves clueless without technology, but you will be prepared.

Dress appropriately.

First of all, dress professionally. If you're speaking to work colleagues, peers, professors, or anybody in a professional atmosphere, you should dress in business professional unless told otherwise. For information on what "business professional" versus "business casual" entails, please visit the Career Services website: www.brockport.edu/career.

Secondly, you may think that weather won't play a role in the way you dress for this upcoming presentation. But, keep in mind, it is winter. Heaters will be blasting. Or, if it's summer, air conditioners will be blasting. If you're unsure (as most of us are) how the temperature will be in the room, dress in layers. Jackets can be taken off. Sweaters can be unzipped. Try to do these things prior to the speech however, otherwise you may come across as nervous or simply unprepared.

Pay attention to your body language.

Are you a hair flicker? Do you sway from side to side or switch legs a lot? Do you sometimes realize your hands and arms are flailing about in an excited windmill of gestures? Stop that.

Contain your movement. The more you sway, the more the audience has to look around to follow along. If you like to walk around, only do so when necessary for the presentation and always practice first. You wouldn't want to be one of those people who stands in front of the projector failing to realize that you're blocking your beautiful power point slide.

Don't take my advice to mean that you cannot move or use hand gestures in any way, shape, or form. In fact, your audience will appreciate your excitement if you do so. Don't be a boring Billy who stares at his note cards without moving an inch the entire speech. But, don't be over-animated to the point where people think you're doing a dance - unless a dance would be appropriate to your presentation. To sum up, use appropriate hand gestures and movement.

Look at your audience.

Eye contact is crucial to a speech. First of all, it shows you're prepared and well-informed on your topic. Secondly, it helps promote persuasion. You will seem more confident. If you're attempting to make eye contact, but accidentally goof up your sentence, do not apologize. Simply correct the mistake and continue with your speech. Occasionally, you should make direct eye contact with an audience member. This will help that person and others feel more involved in the discussion.

Speak clearly and with conviction.

Pauses are not a bad thing if used correctly. A pause may be used to emphasize a particularly important piece of information or to convey specific emotions. A pause can also be used to help transition to a new topic. Please, do not insert "um" or "like" in pauses. This will make you sound unprepared, nervous or simply uninformed. Remember: you want to come across as knowledgeable as possible about your topic.

If your audience can't hear you, the speech is pointless. If your audience can't understand you, the speech is pointless. Speak clearly. Don't ramble. Let your audience process your information.

Use conviction as a tool. If you believe what you're saying, you will be able to persuade your audience much more effectively.

Humor...

A lot of people offer the advice that humor is important in speeches. I agree, but please be appropriate. Remember that humor is subjective. What you find funny may not be to another person. Run your jokes by a friend or family member first if you're unsure. This will test the appropriateness and gauge a response. Overall, humor does decrease the boring factor. You wouldn't want people falling asleep.

I hope this advice helps allay your reservations about public speaking. I know I've always felt comfortable speaking in front of a crowd; that is, I was never extremely nervous about public speaking. However, that doesn't mean I'm good at it. Everybody can use tips on this subject, so please soak up the information above and put it to good use!