12 Tips For Public Speaking

#1 Visualize yourself giving your speech As you prepare, imagine yourself speaking out loud Picture yourself in the room where you will speak Think of yourself as confident

#2 Realize that your audience is on your side The audience wants you to be interesting, informative, and entertaining The audience begins your presentation expecting you to do well

#3 Don’t apologize If you are nervous don’t let on that you feel that way, the audience may never know If something goes wrong, play it off like that was what was supposed to happen

#4 Concentrate on the message—not on your project Focus on your audience When you make eye contact with people in the audience and focus your attention on them, they will receive your information more readily Project a loud voice to the audience Know what you are going to talk about: -

#5 Gain experience Your speech should represent you as an authority on the subject Know your information

#6 Know your material Instead of reading your material from a paper or power point slides, know what you need to say -Title & author - project choice - part of the story it tells about - why you chose this project

#7 Practice. Practice. Practice Rehearse out loud with all of the equipment you will be using to make sure you are comfortable and that it works Give your speech to your family and friends Practice out loud in front of a mirror

#8 Know the audience Think about who will be listening to your speech Know what might be important to them Anticipate any questions they might have

#9 Know the room Before you give your speech, make sure you have familiarized yourself with your surroundings How will you show your project? Where will you stand?

#10 Relax Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm Smile and count to three before saying anything Take a deep breath if you get nervous

#11 Organize your presentation Make sure to have a beginning, middle, and end Start with a quick introduction and/or overview Explain the book’s title, author and genre The middle of your speech should be like the body of an essay A quick explanation of the book The project you chose and what it shows about the book Why you chose this project type At the end of your speech, wrap things up What did you enjoy about this project, or learn from doing this project?

#12 Don’t be your own distraction Make sure there is nothing about your appearance, mannerisms, presentation that distracts the audience Are you attired appropriately? Chewing gum? Repeating “ummm” over and over?