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How To Deliver A Successful Public Speech!

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Public speaking is something most people try to avoid and even dread.


Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking to an audience, including pre-recorded speech delivered over great distance by means of technology. – https://wikipedia.org


At times in my life, I have found myself having to deliver a speech and therefore I needed to learn the best way of doing this. In this article, I have written about what I learned from reading many books about public speaking; advice which has helped me to successfully deliver these speeches.


Many people get very nervous before and during their presentation or speech. For some, hearing their names being called out to go to the platform makes their blood boil whereas some sweat and drink plenty of water. 


Getting nervous can have an effect on our breathing and can leave us out of breath. When you feel nervous it is a good idea to remember to take regular breaths when talking. In my opinion you should be looking to breath every six to eight words. The nerves will make our muscles contract and can make your chest feel really tight. This is a natural reaction and it is a good idea to take a few deep breaths before starting your talk which will help you to relax.


When you start your speech, I suggest you have a focal point in the room, which can act to give you inspiration. It could be a picture at the back of the room or a window. At times you may lose your focus and may forget what you want to say. This focal point can help to get you back on track.


I try not to look at the eyes of the people in the audience when I give a public speech, as this can put me off. I want them to think that I am looking at them though because it can be a sign of nervousness if they think that I am unable to. What I tend to do is to look at an area on their forehead which obviously is not their eyes but which has the effect that I am still looking at them among other things.


Even though I do plan in advance what I am going to say, I do not plan it word for word. Instead I write down keywords or key subjects on paper which I keep in my pocket in case I need to look at it. It is like an outline.


An Outline helps us to group ideas into main points and see their logical connections. Creating an outline before delivering a speech is important; an outline acts as a guide which helps us to effectively sequence our information and ensure we touch on all the main points in our speech.


This then ensures I do not forget what I want to say and helps me to deliver an organized speech. The speech will also hopefully not sound so robotic and boring as it might have if I had memorised it word for word.


I always like to start off the public speech with a short joke, which can then act as an ice breaker. I remember a speech I gave a few years ago, it was my last day at the company I used to work for. The people in the office had put to a collection and had bought me some leaving presents. I then had to say a few words of thanks to them. I knew in advance that I had a speech to give, honestly speaking, it did cause me a bit of stress.


The speech itself had to last for ten minutes and would be given by me in front of forty to fifty people. This was how I started the talk:


I would like to thank everybody who has put to the collection, and anybody who did not put, I will see you outside later. This is quite a pathetic joke however a couple of people did laugh. This gave me a bit of extra confidence and helped me to chill out.


I advise people to talk a bit slower than they normally do when they have to deliver a public speech. This has helped me tremendously over the years. I hope this article helps you to deliver a great quality public speech.

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Hello there. I'm Derrick, a content writer here on the BulletinBox. I hope the content written by me is helpful, informational, inspirational as well as motivational. Happy Reading.
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