Physical relaxation is important. (Maintain it no matter what stress you may be under.)
When nervous do not tense your body to deaden the feeling. (Nerves charge your body with adrenaline and create a liveliness conducive to public speaking.. Tension is rigidity through which nothing flows; and since physical and mental tension are one, you may find it difficult to think or remember the words of your speech.)
Assume the audience is with you, wishing you well. (Many of them are afraid of public speaking and admire you for doing it.)
The audience is not there to judge your performance but to receive information from you.
Give them that information simply, clearly, naturally and with conviction.
Take pauses for emphasis and clarity. (This gives the audience time to absorb the information.)
Take your time before and while giving a speech. (Take a beat before you begin. This gives the impression that you are confident.)
Do not imitate anyone else’s style of speaking. Be yourself. (The actor Jimmy Stewart in his diffident way was every bit as effective as the volatile Al Pacino.)
Accept what you are thinking and feeling while speaking. (Thoughts will come to you, exhilarating, or distressing, such as, “The audience is restless.” Never block thoughts, or the feelings that accompany them, no matter what they are. When performing, there is no such thing as a “bad” thought. Your thoughts and feelings are your stream of energy. By embracing all of them, and going with the stream’s flow, you transform them into energy-gold; and the audience, (who has no idea what you are thinking), will find you vibrant. Actors call this “using” thoughts and feelings.)
A speech is not a monologue. It is an open-ended conversation. (Your listeners are replying to you inwardly.)
Do not talk at your audience, talk with them. (It can help to secretly direct your speech at someone in the room who means a lot to you. If they are not there, make believe they are.)
A speech is an appetizer. (It should whet the listener’s appetite to discuss it with you further.)
A speech is an intimate “one-on-one” times fifty, a hundred or a thousand. (It will not accomplish the same thing as a private discussion. You will not “close a deal” with a speech, but it can pave the way to your doing that later on.)
Your eyes are the “mirrors of your soul” so make eye contact with your listeners. (Since you can only look at one person at a time, choose someone to your right, then someone to your left, then look at someone in the third row center, and so on. All this should be done smoothly, in a relaxed manner.)
If, while delivering a speech you suddenly panic, it is important to slow down, (despite the natural inclination to speed up in order to get the painful experience over with. Instead, acknowledge and embrace the feeling of panic, as you would an old, familiar friend. Do not fight it. Allow it to exist in you, because it will anyway. Take a deep breath, relax your shoulders and body as much as you can, and perhaps have a sip of water. If you handle panic by breathing, relaxing and slowing down, the audience will not realize what you are going through. They will think you feel poised and calm.)
Be economical in word and gesture, (no over-acting, no forcing, no exaggerated gesturing.)
Take Shakespeare’s advice, “do not soar the air too much with your hand” and “use all gently”.
Becoming an effective public speaker is a fascinating process because it entails increasing your self-knowledge, self-acceptance and self-mastery. Enjoy it!
Copyright 2007 Amanda Blue
Amanda Blue is Administrative Director of Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors, a New York City based company of leading actors who give private training and workshops in confident public speaking.
To visit the Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors web site go to:
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