1Good morning, today I am going to cover the daunting task of giving a quality speech -
2a thought that makes most of us cringe.
3In fact, 90% of all people feel nervous about public speaking,
4about 10% of whom are described as genuinely terrified.
5Hopefully when we are finished here today,
6you all will be in the 10% of the population who do not feel nervous at all.
7Did you know that lecturers tend to get more nervous if the speech they are giving is an important one?
8It makes sense, right?
9You probably wouldn't be nearly as nervous
10to address your residence hall about the proper use of the recycle and compost bins
11as you might be if you were asked to give the graduation speech
12to your entire 5,000-student class.
13So what is it that makes some people completely comfortable in front of crowds?
14Some people think that the ability to give a good speech is a gift that others are simply born with.
15This is almost never the case.
16Public speaking can be learned with practice.
17The first, most important thing you can do to improve your confidence in delivering a speech
18is to prepare a quality speech.
19Honestly, while the content of your speech is relatively important,
20the audience will really only remember the last sentence you say.
21It is a good idea to structure the rest of your speech
22to lead up to this last point to really drive your message home.
23This is a good way to ensure that your speech is well organized.
24Once you are confident in the quality of the speech you have written,
25the rest is just about your stage presence.
26Let's go through some do's and don'ts of public speaking.
27First, you want to command the attention of the room.
28Do not - I repeat, do not proceed with your speech until the audience is paying attention.
29Even Martin Luther King, Junior's "I Have a Dream" speech
30wouldn't have made any difference in the world without the undivided attention of his audience.
31To continue with the "I Have a Dream" example,
32one of the reasons that MLK was such an effective orator
33was his ability to speak with passion and engage with his audience.
34That sort of charisma does not come from reading straight from paper.
35Don't get me wrong -
36it is a good idea to write your main ideas down on a note card, sheet of paper, or something.
37But one factor that will consistently lead to a boring, forgettable speech
38is writing down your entire speech.
39Do not write your full speech down.
40If you are constantly reading your paper,
41you are not making eye contact with your audience,
42and thus failing to really express the feeling that goes with your ideas.
43I advise you write one or two ideas,
44so, if you suddenly draw a blank you have something to jog your memory.
45If you've written a good speech that you believe in,
46those ideas should be sufficient to keep you on track.
47Once you have those ideas written down,
48give your speech a few practice runs in front of the mirror,
49into your sound recorder on your phone,
50or with a friend before it comes time to address a crowd.
51That way you can hear how the ideas come across,
52make sure there are no abrupt transitions,
53and find out whether you're talking too fast or too slow.
54Timing is important -
55make sure you time yourself beforehand to see how long your speech is.
56That is pretty much it!
57With practice you'll be able to deliver an expert speech that engages and even maybe inspires your audience.
58Just remember - speak with emotion.
59No one wants to listen to someone reading from a script.
60As I come to a close in my speech,
61I'll point out that I have employed all of these tips that I have covered.
62I practiced my speech ahead of time and timed it,
63and I can even show you my one small index card with just three simple bullets on it.
64It's as easy as that!