Guide for Speakers

Follow these rules and your next speech will be a success!

Our guide for speakers provides you with free-of-charge advice on the correct presentation of your speech.

 

Memorandum for Speakers

1. Speak slowly and clearly. Do not hesitate to ask the audience whether you can be heard in the back rows.

2. Remember to insert regular pauses. These pauses can last a little longer than in a usual conversation. This gives your audience the opportunity to follow your thoughts.

3. Feel free to speak loudly. If you speak quietly, your speech might be perceived unfavourably. By raising or lowering your voice, you emphasize what you want to say. Yet a word of caution: do not scream.

4. Facial expressions and gestures should be used carefully. Less is more! Stay natural and present yourself the way you are.

5. Remind yourself: keeping eye contact with the audience is very important. Look up from your manuscript repeatedly. Remember to look at everyone. This might feel inconvenient at the beginning, but it will improve your self-confidence.

6. Make sure you feel comfortable in your clothes. Your outfit should be discreet but chic. Gentlemen: make sure your tie is not too tight. Ladies: make sure your purse is not in your way.

7. Practise your speech at least once – maybe even in front of the mirror.

8. If you feel nervous and lose the thread during your presentation, try and stay calm. Drink some water, take a deep breath and say for example: "Here I had actually intended a pause – and look what's just happened!" Humour helps and grants you the sympathy of your audience.

9. If it is possible, finish your speech on a humorous note. Every listener likes a speech that ends in a joke.

 

Stage fright

Who does not know this unpleasant feeling? Even excellent speakers struggle with it. The difference is that they know how to handle it. Try the following strategy: keep calm and take a deep breath. You are well prepared, which means you can stay calm and relaxed. Think of situations in which everything worked out fine. Choose your outfit for the occasion carefully, as this will make you feel more secure. Take your time to get to the venue; this will add to your confidence at the beginning. Begin your speech, seek eye contact – and after only a short time you will notice that you "go down well with your audience" and that the careful preparation has been worthwhile. Technical facilities (if provided in time and in good working order) are also helpful.

 

Body language

Gestures make the audience perceive a speaker as more lively and involved. It is always the human being as a whole who participates in a communication process. Apart from speech, the body transmits a range of signals which you can use to your advantage. As a general rule, try to stay natural in your demeanour, facial expression, and gestures. Do not exaggerate. If you are true to yourself, speech and body signals will form a unified whole.

 

Handling the manuscript

Use A4 sheets and a large font size. Print only on one side of the page. Number your pages and mark important passages with colours or underline them. Do not forget: If possible, put your manuscript down instead of holding it in your hands. Keeping eye contact with your audience is vital; therefore do not look at your text too often. By all means do not forget to practise the speech (ideally in front of a mirror), but do not learn it by heart.

 

Blackout

This is every speaker's nightmare: to lose one's train of thought in the middle of the speech. First and foremost, no one is beyond breaking off in mid-sentence at one point or another. What is most important now is not to lose your calm. There are different ways of coping with this mishap. Repeating your last sentence might for example remind you of how to continue. Alternatively, you can insert a little pause after introducing it convincingly. You might ask your audience questions to obtain a breathing spell. If need be, just admit you have lost the thread and sum up what you have said so far. Without fail, you will then be able to remember how to proceed.

 

Finishing the speech

Every listener has to be convinced of the congruity of the end of the speech. It is the climax of your presentation. Remember to accentuate the last sentence in a way which clearly marks it as the last sentence. Afterwards, wait briefly and look again at your audience before leaving the speaker's desk. The applause is yours.

 

 

The preparation of a speech

First of all you have to take stock of what your audience is supposed to remember after your speech. Try and formulate your central message. This is the core around which your speech is built and the starting point for speechwriters at myspeechwriter.com – after all, we need to know what you are aiming at. The gathering of information is just as important, as your speech is to convey an impression of your competence. If a part of your speech is about a topic you are not familiar with but your audience is, then this part is especially important. If you present yourself as well-informed and competent, there is no doubt you will have the esteem of the audience.

There are various ways of doing research in preparation for a speech. Books and magazines are certainly valuable sources, but today the internet plays an increasingly important role when it comes to the quick provision of information. Nowhere else will you find more sources which provide you with the necessary knowledge. The more comprehensive and concise this information is, the easier it is for us to write the speech for you. However, writing the speech is only half the battle – the opus still needs to fulfil its function, i.e. you have to deliver your speech in front of an audience. If you lack experience in this field, you might already feel the first beads of perspiration appearing on your forehead. Do not panic! No one is born a master speaker, and after all you communicate successfully in your everyday encounters. The only difference is that when giving a speech, your conversational partner is a room full of people who are curious to learn what you have to say.

Take your manuscript and try standing in front of a mirror in which you can see yourself from head to toe. Deliver your speech in front of this mirror as if you were already standing in front of your audience. Experiment with your facial expression and gestures, and practise the correct intonation and emphasis. Most importantly, however, lose your self-consciousness.

Practise speaking slowly and clearly. Do not try to become the world's fastest speaker, but take your time to pronounce each word carefully. As a "dress rehearsal", practise your speech in front of the mirror one last time and, if possible, also in the auditory. The latter will make you familiar with your surroundings, which will provide you with additional security – a security your audience cannot fail to notice.

© 2010 Redenservice Petering

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