Presenting Your Speech

1. Presenting Your Speech

2. The First Impression • Before you speak, the audience SEES you: • The way you approach the platform • The way you are dressed • The way you stand, move, and gesture All of these combine to create a first impression on your audience. Before you speak, the audience has created some sort of opinion about you. If they like what they see, they will LISTEN; if they don’t, they will TUNE OUT.

3. Managing that First Impression • Dressing for the Speech: • What you wear should be neat, clean, and appropriate for the occasion. • Standard school clothes are usually acceptable for class presentations, just remember to avoid shirts with writing or pictures. • Be Conservative in your attire: avoid jewelry, clothing, accessories that will detract from what you have to say. What you wear should bring compliments, not competition to your purpose!

4. Managing that First Impression • Your Hair and Face: • Since your face and eyes are highly expressive parts of your body – keep your hair from covering them. • If necessary, pin, clip, or pull your hair away from your face. • Remember, every time your hair falls in your face, one side of the audience will miss your expressions, and this could annoy them or offend them.

5. Managing that First Impression • Approaching the speaking area: • As soon as you enter the “speaking arena”, give the impression of being poised, confident, and friendly. • Even if you feel nervous, try not to show it. • Avoid extremes of being aloof, making faces, or sighing. • Walk to the speaking area in a strong, business-like, and confident way. • Turn and face the audience with a smile • Briefly pause and allow time for the audience to give you their attention.

6. Starting the Speech • When you have the attention of the audience, begin your formal introduction. • Start positively and professionally with your Capture statement • Don’t start with “OK”, “Thank You”, or “Uhmmmm” – all of these will lessen your ethos (credibility) as a speaker.

7. During your speech • Body Movement • Look alert, but relaxed • Stand firmly on both feet, with a tall and confident posture. • Start by placing your feet several inches apart in order for you to gain firm control over your body weight. • Some speakers like to place one foot slightly in front of the other because it makes them more comfortable. • Keep your body weight equally distributed on the balls of your feet. • Don’t lock your knees – this could cause you to pass out!

8. Strong and Confident Posture • Stand tall by reaching up with the crown of your head • Keep your chin parallel to the floor • If you are using notes or a manuscript, bend your arms at the elbows, but keep your elbows tucked in to your side – you should make a 90 degree angle with your upper arm and your wrist. • Hold your notes or your manuscript directly in front of your belly button. This will allow you to easily see your notes, but not hinder the audience’s view of your face and eyes.

9. Movement in a Speech • Some students would like to add movement to their speech, but if it is not practiced and definite, it will often appear to the audience as pacing. • Aimless pacing and nervous shuffling are no-no’s. • A good speaker can use movement to add emphasis to main points and transitions • Walking a few steps can signal a transition between major points • Emphasis on key ides can be shown by shifting one’s weight. • A step forward can show added interest or add intensity. • Suit your movement to the material and PRACTICE!

10. GESTURES • What to do with your arms and hands??? • A GESTURE is a movement from any part of your body to convey thought and emotion. • Examples: • Pointing your finger • Nodding your head • Raising your eyebrow • Shrugging your shoulders • The secret of using gestures is to let them come naturally; so if you are not a natural gesture-er, either do not use them, or practice them until they are smooth and natural.

11. More on Gestures • How to make your gestures more natural: • Gestures should start inside, gather force and be activated at THE RIGHT MOMENT when you are: • Describing something • Emphasizing an idea • All gestures must HELP your speech. The following are movements that hinder your presentation. ALWAYS AVOID THEM! • Tearing your notes into bits • Twisting your ring • Putting your hands in your pockets • Pulling, tugging, or moving your hair • Twisting or shuffling your outline or notecards

12. More on Gestures • Be sure to PRACTICE your gestures • Keep gestures strong and confident. A weak or tentative gesture lessens your ethos. • Time gestures to come on, or slightly before the word you want to emphasize. • Your audience will “feel into” your gestures: If you are strong and confident, they will believe in you; if you are fidgety and nervous, your audience will feel inward nervousness. This is a form of EMPATHY as your audience tries to feel what you feel.

13. EYE CONTACT • Look directly at the audience. • This will make your audience look at you and will open the lines of communication. • If you look at the back wall, the ceiling, or the floor, this will make you look nervous, or aloof, and will lessen your ability to develop pathos within your audience and will hurt your ethos. • Divide the audience into three sections. Move your eye contact randomly through the three sections. Hold eye contact with a person in each section – this will help the audience to develop empathy for you.

14. Eye Contact • Although it may not seem like it, looking directly at the audience will actually LESSEN your stage fright because it makes you aware that you are SHARING an experience with them… you no longer feel like you are all alone up there. • Above all, you need to see the audience so that you can read their feedback. See the audience, get their reaction, and then adjust your delivery accordingly. • Remember, nervousness is actually a form of narcissism because you are more concerned about you then you are about the impact you will have on the audience.

15. Facial Expressions • Keep your face EXPRESSIVE!! • If your are talking about something you love, then your face should SHOW IT. • If you are discussing something you hate, then your face should show it. • Facial expressions should not be “faked” but should come from the strong feelings inside of you. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be practiced. • Try delivering your speech in front of a mirror or in front of a family member (who isn’t afraid to tell you that you are BORING) • Try recording your speech focusing on facial expressions one time and gestures the next.

16. Showing Mistakes • Avoid your desire to grimace, roll your eyes, or drop a swear word when you make a mistake. • This will IMMEDIATELY lessen your ethos amongst your audience members • Don’t advertise your errors! • Just continue on through your speech as though nothing had happened– if you do that successfully, your audience will probably not even notice that there is anything wrong. • NEVER CHEW GUM during a speech! It will distract your audience and interfere with your articulation!

17. Leaving the Speaking Area • When you have concluded your speech and delivered your ROUND OFF, pause, look at the audience, and leave the area with dignity. • Do not THANK the audience as you leave. Always act like your speech was the best thing we have ever heard, AND we were LUCKY to hear you. Besides, adding a “Thank you” at the end lessens the carefully crafted four part conclusion that you have just delivered. • Do not say the following, for they will only make you look childish and show your lack of control: • “That was terrible” • “That sucked” • “Glad that is done” • Heave a big sigh of relief

18. Visual Aids • YOU are the best visual aid, but you can also use other visual items to reinforce, or explain, your ideas. • Examples of visual aids: • Charts, graphs, diagrams • Power points and Prezi presentations • Slides, pictures, or recorded video • Working models • Actual equipment • Drawings, maps, projections

19. Rules for using VISUAL AIDS • Choose aids that relate directly to your speech • If your purpose is to show the audience how to cast a fly rod, bring the rod. • Carefully PLAN your displays ahead of time and REHEARSE WITH THEM! • Be sure you have everything you need and the material is in the proper sequence! • If you are using electrical equipment, check to see that it works properly. Check to see if you will need to bring an electrical cord. • What supplies will you need to bring to make your visual aid work for you: masking tape? Magnets? Paper?

20. Rules for Visual Aids • When using your aid, keep it visible and REFER TO IT during the speech. • Stand well to one side as you point to it. Choose, or draw, material that is large enough for all to see readily. • Hold up smaller items in a way that your hands do not cover them. • Don’t fidget with your visuals • Use them and then put them aside. Avoid holding them throughout your speech. • Display your visual aids at the proper time • Keep them “covered” until you need them. Otherwise, they will only detract from your speaking because the audience will be wondering what the visual aid is, instead of listening to you.

21. Rules for Visual Aids • Keep your visuals CLEAR and SIMPLE • In drawing, use clear, heavy lines on large poster board. • Use color when possible • Omit unnecessary detail. If it takes more time to explain your aid that it would to explain your point, don’t use the aid! • Aids should be SELF-EXPLANATORY!

22. Works Cited • Tanner, Fran. Creative Communication – 5th Edition. Logan, IA: Perfection Learning Corporation, 2003. Print.