Sooner or later, everyone has to perform in front of an audience. And since the latter is very selfish, this activity can cause a lot of trouble. But as Mark Twain said: “The public initially expects nothing from you,” so do not be nervous, but it would be nice to use a few useful tips and review examples public speaking.

Where to begin?

Any example of public speaking begins with the correct preparation of the speech. No matter how wonderful the speaker's text may seem, you need to understand that behind it is remarkable work and long hours of practice.

Each successful example public speaking begins with the preparation of a speech. Mark Twain at one time knowingly said that it takes about three weeks to prepare an impromptu. Any performance, regardless of its type and the goal pursued, must be prepared in advance. First you need to make the so-called "skeleton" of the performance. To do this, you need to decide on the following positions:

• Understand the motivation of people who came to listen to the speech.
• Determine the main idea of ​​the speech.
• Divide this idea into several component parts (subheadings).
• Designate keywords. They will need to be repeated several times in the speech so that the listeners better remember what, in fact, it is about.
• Each speech should have a clear plan and structure. The speech should consist of an introduction, main body and conclusions.

muscles

When the speaker has decided on the basic structure of his speech, it is necessary to build up “muscles” on this “skeleton”. What can they be made of?

• You can use vivid examples from life or literature, the main thing is that they correspond to the main topic.
• To help the listener visually consolidate the information received, it is worth preparing graphs, slides, pictures, videos, etc.
• The audience can be approached with a question during the speech, this will help keep the audience's attention on the main topic.

Introductory part

Particular attention should be paid to the beginning and end of the speech. It is they who play the main role in the communication between the speaker and the listener. The introduction helps to form a first impression of the speaker, and the debriefing allows the audience to consolidate the information received.

During the preparation of the presentation, many questions may arise. For example, how to start a public speaking? The main thing here is to interest the audience from the very beginning. The first impression of the speaker will accompany him throughout the speech, and if you make a mistake, it will be difficult to correct it later.

For example, the introduction to a public speech might be a witty joke or some kind of interesting fact. You can puzzle the audience with a question or intrigue with a pause. The main thing is to draw attention to yourself. Just do not start apologizing for the fact that the voice is hoarse, this is the first speech, etc. The speaker should always be self-confident, and turn every trouble to his aid. For example, if the speaker is really ill, you should not apologize, but say that due to such and such circumstances I ask everyone to sit closer so that I can be heard.

End of speech

As for the end, it is important to summarize the entire speech, highlight the main thoughts and recall the issues raised. The last phrases should have a certain emotional message and be expressive, only in this way the listener can not only reward the speaker with applause, but also become an adherent of his ideas. Although, no matter how much you talk about the correct construction of a speech, it will be easier to consider examples of public speaking.

Types of public speaking

Examples of public speaking are divided into several types:

• Informational. For the most part, these are reports, lectures, oral answers.
• Protocol and etiquette. Such speeches are used when meeting important guests, making toasts, mourning speeches, or opening a new institution.
• Entertaining. Usually they are used for a pleasant pastime, they have an entertaining context, but at the same time convey information. As an example, we can cite the performances of Russian pop comedians E. Petrosyan, E. Stepanenko, M. Zadornov and others.
• Persuasive speech. Such a report should have indisputable facts and evidence that will incline the audience to your side. Examples include speeches by well-known politicians. For example, Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address in 1863, where he assured citizens that not a single soldier died in vain, and this is a necessary sacrifice on the path to freedom.

Get it done in three minutes

In general, the attention of the audience lasts only 15-20 minutes, this is due to psycho-physiological reasons. Depending on the variety, oral presentations can last from a few minutes to 1-2 hours. However, there are some speeches that need to be delivered in 3 minutes. In most cases, these performances are wedding toasts or press conferences. In total, the length of the speech should be between 200 and 405 words. Here is an example of a public speaking for 3 minutes:

“Today, for the first time, the Dalai Lama gave a unique interview to a Russian blogger. For his YouTube channel, business blogger Dmitry Portnyagin was the first in the CIS to interview the Dalai Lama. Communication with a famous Buddhist took place in a Delhi hotel, where the monk often stays with his followers. The premises were double-checked before the conversation began, first by Indian guards led by a Sikh, and then by His Holiness's personal guards.

The interview only lasted an hour. During this time, the participants of the conversation managed to discuss political problems, including questions of competence of Gorbachev, Yeltsin and Putin. Predict the future of Russia, talk about material and spiritual values, mutual understanding between people and the secrets of success. Each question received a detailed answer. The Dalai Lama spoke openly and with humor. At the end, he gave some tips for entrepreneurs and talked about personal safety.

Dmitry Portnyagin did not remain indifferent during the conversation. He showed the Dalai Lama a photograph of his grandfather, said that in his office there was always a photograph of the supreme head of Tibet, so he also became interested in this topic. Saying goodbye to His Holiness, Dmitry presented the Dalai Lama with a hat with earflaps as a keepsake. The monk immediately put on a new thing and appeared in this form in front of the camera lenses. The full version of the interview can be viewed on the Transformer channel.

Suitable or not?

This example of public speaking text complies with all the rules. Such a short speech fully reveals the theme of the presentation of the video on the YouTube channel. It tells about the participants, the location of the interview, the questions that were raised and the general mood that was present during the conversation.

At the end of the press release, the speaker invites listeners to watch full version video. Although the ending can be supplemented with one more two sentences, saying that the interview turned out to be successful and informative for everyone.

Alexander I

To be effective, speech must be precise and expressive. And it may not always be large volumes of text. You can convey your idea with a few strong sentences and vivid comparisons. For example, the public speech of Alexander I to the French ambassadors even before the start of the war was as follows:

“This is small Europe, and this is big Russia (he shows all this on the map). In case of failure, you can only retreat as far as Paris, and I can run to the edge of Kamchatka! But at the same time, every meter of this land will be hostile to you, even the women will not stop fighting. Russia may lose some battles, but she will never be defeated.”

To say that the ambassadors left impressed would be an understatement. An example of the text of the public speech of Tsar Alexander I amazes readers today. There is not a drop of arrogance here, solid facts, filed under the right "sauce".

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs' speeches can serve as a striking example of modern oratory. Oratory was definitely not his forte - it's just a hobby, but he began every presentation of a new product with his own speech. Examples in its execution are as follows:

These are just small fragments of one of his speeches. But how a person motivates!

The right decision

You can speak on any topic. Examples of public speaking are easy to find in print and other media. mass media. Speakers usually touch on important social, political and economic problems. Recently, it has become fashionable to give trainings on how to make money on the Web, present a variety of training programs or draw attention to promotions. Sometimes speakers conduct psychological trainings, discuss religion or philosophy. But whatever the speaker is talking about, his main goal is to captivate the audience.

The speaker is not the person who professionally manipulates pathos speeches, but the one who is able to conduct a simultaneous dialogue with thousands of listeners. He must speak the language of the people who listen to him, understand their problems, find common ground and skillfully lead them to make the right decision.

business communication

It may seem that it is diverse and has no clear boundaries, this public speech. The examples of speeches presented above give a false impression that the texts of the speakers have nothing in common. In fact, they all have the same goal: the listener must agree with the speaker's point of view. And you can do it completely. different methods up to and including provocation. Although this method is used mainly in litigation.

The founder of the Russian advocacy, A.F. Koni, once defended a disabled hunchback. For many years a neighbor mocked him, and then one day, unable to stand it, the hunchback grabbed a stone and threw it at him, thereby causing serious bodily injury. In his public speech, A. F. Koni was original like no other. He, as expected, turned to the jury: "Gentlemen of the jury!" Then he paused and repeated this phrase four more times, making minute stops after each appeal. After the fourth appeal, one of the jurors could not stand it and furiously blurted out: “Are you kidding me?!” A.F. Koni did not lose his head, he expected such a reaction: “I addressed you politely and only 4 times, and you have already begun to get nervous. My client has listened to insults in his direction for many years. What must he have felt?

This performance achieved its goal - the defendant was acquitted.

Who feeds you, comrade judges?

History knows many cases with such original performances. Even in the literature one can find good examples oratorical speeches, according to which this art can be taught. So, in the novel by A. M. Gorky “Mother”, the convict Pavel Vlasov spoke at the court session. He was convicted under a political article and refused to carry out the escape, prepared by his comrades only in order to make a speech before the large people who had gathered at the trial.

His speech was full of refrains, where he spoke on behalf of the people, but the main "highlight" of the speech was the climax: "How can you destroy the workers, those who feed you, comrade judges?" It costs a lot to create such a speech.

Prosperity of the country

Finishing the article, I would like to give one more version of a public speech. An example of a text on the topic "Theft in Japan."

“Many human and economic factors influence the prosperity of a country. Among them there is one, almost insignificant fact, which will seem to us a fantastic absurdity.

In Japan, they don't steal. They don't steal at all. They don't steal at all. Never steal. People do not lock apartments and cars. Shops safely put trays of goods on the streets and safely forget about them. They know: no one will take someone else's.

In this country, you can forget anything, anywhere, and then come back for the loss a few days later. She will remain untouched. Every Japanese knows: if something is lost, it probably lies where it was lost, which means it will be found. Whether it's a mobile phone or a wallet, anyway, there is any thing.

Tips are not accepted in Japan. The seller or waiter will run after you for several blocks to give you change. Most residents of the capital move around on bicycles, and no one ties them up. Steal a bike?! It's funny!

Here they know: to take someone else's is a shame. After him, a person will no longer be trusted, he will never wash himself off from him.

And by the way, about the economy. Officials sacredly follow this rule: taking someone else's is taboo. Not so long ago, the Japanese minister hanged himself, who was suspected of free handling of finances. Not even stealing. Because of this story, the previous prime minister also resigned.

So, on what does the prosperity of the country depend? That's right, from theft, or, more precisely, from its absence.

The speaker is a kind of shooter. He either hits the target and makes everyone bow their heads before him, or misses, and then the discouraged crowd goes about their business, ignoring the words of the speaker. Therefore, before speaking to the public, you need to aim at a specific target. Examples of public speaking leaders will help.

I stand on the stage, looking over the heads of hundreds of people who are staring at me - they are waiting for me to start talking, to say at least something - and an inner voice reminds me: "You are not the right person for this."

With my talk, I opened the TEDx conference, and therefore, I had to set the tone for the whole event. This is a huge responsibility and in addition one of the most important performances in my life. In any other circumstance, I would answer my inner voice: “Yes, you are right. I shouldn't be here. I am an introvert. I am an editor. I can’t even finish a sentence in a conversation with my own wife without thinking about what could be said differently.”

But, fortunately, I prepared in advance. He prepared not only a speech, but also knew how to cope with such destructive impulses. I knew what to say, I believed in what I was going to say, I had a plan in place in case the ideal circumstances I was preparing for weren't the same in reality.

Today I can stand on stage in front of thousands of people and confidently speak my mind. If I'm lucky, a few gimmicks and a couple of jokes won't be a complete failure. But it was not always so.

1. Do not talk about what you do not understand

Sounds like useless, obvious advice. This is not true. If you follow it perfectly, you will not really need the rest of the points from this article - you will do everything well anyway.

One day, after a few speeches, when you have established yourself as a good speaker, opportunities will open up for you to speak somewhere in faraway places with pleasant titles. There is one catch - the content. You may have established yourself as an expert on canary mating games, and then you receive an email inviting you to attend a conference and talk about global trends in paper clip sales.

You should thank for the invitation and politely decline.

The reason is simple: you don't know what to say about it. Even if you try to collect information in a short time, you still won't get a good presentation - you are not interested in the topic itself. In fact, you do not want to talk about it and the inviting party is not interested in you to come up with a good story. They just want you to be at the event because they saw your video and thought you were a famous person.

Therefore, such simple advice hard to follow. You are a beginner, you want to stand out, it seems that this is a great opportunity For you.

If you've ever bought something with the hope that it will work like this, but in fact it does not work like this (think of the commercial that prompted you to make a rash purchase), then you understand the disappointment that awaits both parties from the very beginning. .

2. Specify transitions in the script and nothing else

If you're like me, you've got a stern editor on the inside, sitting on your shoulder with a red marker in hand and a pair of glasses on your nose, ready to casually throw out, “Deuce! And stay after school,” for every sentence you said. No matter what you say, the feeling that you could have said better never leaves you.

When people like us usually write a script or plan. When writing a script, there is every chance of finding the right wording.

As the ancient Chinese strategist and warrior Sun Tzu wrote: "No plan survives the first meeting with the enemy." This is the main problem with the detailed plan. In our case, of course, there is no enemy, but there is a world full of uncertainty. One has only to step on the stage, everything becomes real and there is no second take. The more detailed your script, the more likely it is to mess things up. When you're new to the world of public speaking, standing on stage and trying to remember what's next is the last thing you need.

So what should be done instead? Just improvise? Not really.

While a detailed script will bring you more trouble than help, you'll need a different sort of plan. You need to start from the starting points in your story (you know, there are things that you can’t forget, even if you try hard) and write down the moments of transition from one thought to another.

Personal stories work well because:

1. The audience loves them, they help to establish communication.
2. You don't need to write them down because you already remember them.

We've been telling each other stories for as long as we've been human. This is how we communicated information long before the invention of paper. We are genetically programmed to remember them (so they are easier to present), and more importantly, the audience is genetically programmed to listen to them (and become happier listening to stories).

Because the same story can be freely told differently each time, you don't have to write everything down to the last word exactly. Enough of the basic points, your human inclinations will take care of the rest. Writing down the main points will help connect the stories together.

3. Practice a little more than you need to.

My friend Chris Guillebeau, founder and host of The World Domination Summit, makes at least 10 talks every weekend throughout the year. Sometimes he tells a story. Another time reminds the audience of 15 important things that were discussed before the lunch break.

As a WDS member and aspiring speaker, I once asked him, “How do you remember everything you need to say, in full, every time you step on stage?” I was hoping for a secret life hack, but his answer - and it's true - was the most common: "I practice a lot."

Now I do this too. And it works. Whenever I have to give a speech, I rehearse at least 2-3 times. It takes time, it's often boring, you have to practice for days or weeks, and you don't feel like practicing again. But you are not doing this for yourself. You are doing this for your audience. If you want to be remembered by her, you have to immerse yourself in unattractive, boring, monotonous work.

4. Break your report into parts

Chris Gillibo advised not only to practice a lot. He also mentioned that he is working on separate parts. He tries to break his presentation into pieces and then put them back together.

Now I do the same, and it reduces the preparation time. By working on parts, I can develop and decide on different parts of the presentation in parallel. If I stumble on some piece of text in the middle (or worse, at the very beginning), I don't have to wait for the perfect working state without doing anything - I can work on other parts until I fix the issue with the problematic one.

Finish your report faster, practice more time, until it becomes a habit. Nothing builds confidence more than success, and nothing builds success like constant practice.

Some people exercise only as much as they need to. When I say "practice more", I mean that you have to rehearse more than you need.

5. Reduce speed. Get down slowly

A common problem for all introverts like me: if we start talking, we start chasing the thoughts we were trying to get rid of. My head is an idea generator that is constantly moving forward. My mouth, on the contrary, speaks slowly, trying not to make a mistake.

But at one fine moment it breaks through you, and you release all the accumulated thoughts outside. Trying to keep up with your brain is like an ant trying to keep a bull running down a mountainside. But trying to speed up your speech in order to say everything that was born in your head leads to exactly the opposite effect: you start to stutter, get lost, repeat yourself. Therefore, you are even more nervous and move away from the planned speech.

If your idea is important, then it deserves all the time it takes to express it. A more useful approach is to think slower. Not quite slowly, of course, rather, with more caution.

This problem is due to carelessness: you do not connect thoughts with each other, but instead start jumping from one to another. A few jumps off the road - and you can hardly remember where you are.

It's easy to stick to one thought. When you notice that your thoughts have taken you far ahead, just go back and repeat the desired idea.

6. Don't get lost!

When I was preparing for my TEDx talk, I called in my friend Mike Pacchione, a public speaking expert, to point out my shortcomings. He caught me on the fact that I often deviated from the topic.

It happens when the idea you're talking about disappears and you decide to follow it. The problem is that mind wandering rarely ends with one idea. Once you get lost once, you keep falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole.

The problem is not that you can't tell interesting stories while wandering, but that as soon as you start wandering, you get completely lost. How does a tourist get lost in the forest? He takes one step off the path to look at the plants. And then: “Oh, mushrooms,” and a few more steps to the side. "Hey, that tree up ahead looks great," and it's only when he decides to go back that he realizes he has no idea how to do it.

The temptation to wander in thoughts can be high, but then it is very difficult to return to the right path.

There are two practical ways to solve this problem. The first is to follow tip #3 and practice a lot. The more you practice, the more you remember your own stories and know where they can lead. Another solution is that the only thing that can help when you're standing on stage and you feel like you're getting off topic is to get the extra thoughts out of your head.

Your brain doesn't want to follow abstract thoughts, it wants to process them. The best way stay on track - remind yourself that you can think about them... but not right now. Get them out of your head. Perhaps they can be used during the presentation of the same report in the future. But, for heaven's sake, don't try to use them now.

7. Create a soothing ritual

My heart was ready to pierce the chest. I felt that all the muscles were tense, and the field of vision was beginning to narrow. Breathing began to quicken. "What's happening?" I asked myself. I was on the verge of a panic attack. I needed to take a step onto the stage to give the most important speech of my life, but the only thing I could think about was that I was going to send everything to hell. This gave an outlet for the stress reaction, and everything went downhill.

Fortunately, I was instructed what to do if this happened. Vanessa Van Edwards, one of the greatest speakers I have had the pleasure of knowing, helped me prepare. She shared that she, too, gets nervous before big presentations. If she hadn't told me this herself, I never would have thought.

The secret she is using? Calming technique. Every good speaker has one, and every good speaker knows that sticking to it is necessary to show their best side.

What Vanessa does: She finds a quiet place where, a few minutes before her scheduled appearance on stage, she straightens her back, breathes deeply and imagines success.

This may sound a little silly, but it actually works. I myself use this method.

Before an important event, it is absolutely normal for the body to start releasing a lot of the stress hormone cortisol. We become especially sensitive to stressful situations. Just thousands of years ago, feeling stress and not responding to it could have cost you your life.

It doesn't happen often today - I can't remember reports of "death by indecision" - but our biology hasn't kept up with us. The terrible irony is that the more you allow stress to take over, the more likely you are to make a mistake and perform poorly.

Therefore, before you go on stage, check yourself and your stress level. Excitement is normal. And anxiety is bad. Always save yourself a few minutes before going out to calm down.

8. When you're wrong, keep talking.

I was a big fan of the TV show The Colbert Report. I rarely even missed an episode. It was one of the most popular live "news" on television. If you've watched the show, you may have noticed that Steven got his words mixed up in almost every episode. He could construct a phrase in such a way that it lost its meaning, he could skip a word or pronounce it incorrectly.

But you might not have noticed this, because outwardly Colbert did not react in any way. When he made a mistake, he didn't stutter or try to fix it. He just kept talking because he knew what all public speaking introverts should remember:

context is more important than details.

He could make a mistake and not even pay any attention to it. And no one noticed this, because no one listened to every spoken word. Everyone listened to the context.

Far worse than a small mistake is drawing attention to it. If you stumble, use your sense of humor to smooth things over. Shut up and move on.

9. Remember that the audience wants everything to be successful.

Probably the simplest advice that everyone gives helped me learn how to use all the previous tips in action:

Always remember that the audience doesn't want you to fail.

When you're worried about the big event ahead, this simple truth can easily be forgotten. Your audience is not going to kick you off the stage. She wants to know what you want to teach them. The congregation spends their time and perhaps money to listen to you. People don't give their time and money for a bad experience. But just the opposite.

When you're nervous before a speech, it's easy to think, "What if someone doesn't like what I have to say?" This thought starts to spread, and soon you will start asking yourself, “What if everyone hates me?”

This way of thinking leads to bad performances. Don't think so. Don't let yourself swerve down that road, because the audience is really on your side. She wants you to succeed. And, if you follow these nine tips, you will have all the advantages to be on top.

Many people are afraid to speak in public, whether it's a speech, a toast at a friend's wedding, or in class at the blackboard. Fortunately, you can make public speaking less stressful for yourself with some of the tips in this article. This skill may never be your forte, but you will be less likely to drop your performance right in the middle in front of a lot of people.

Steps

Part 1

1. Know the topic of your speech. Part of becoming a relaxed and dynamic speaker is making sure you know what you're talking about and know it well. Lack of knowledge can make you feel nervous and insecure during your performance, which your audience will quickly understand.

   • The key to success is advance preparation. Take the time to plan your speech so that it seems natural and logical. Also, you should make sure that you can play the speech in such a way as to emphasize your positive qualities of the speaker and muffle the existing shortcomings.
   • Even during public speaking, sometimes you have to answer questions like in a lesson, so you definitely need to know the topic of your speech well. This will help you feel more confident, which will also create a good impression on your listeners.

2. Train your body. Even though public speaking is not a race, you need to make sure that your body listens to you well. This involves much more than just refraining from stomping from foot to foot during a performance (calm your toes and you will stop stomping). This also includes correct breathing so that you can plan and pronounce phrases correctly.

   • Speak from the diaphragm. This will help you sound clear and loud so that the audience can hear you without too much effort and shouting from your side. To practice, stand up straight and place your hand on your stomach. Inhale and exhale. Count to five as you inhale, and then to ten as you exhale. You will feel your stomach begin to relax. You need to learn how to breathe and speak in such a relaxed state.
   • Modulate your own tone of voice. Determine the pitch of your voice. Is she too tall? Too low? A relaxed state, a comfortable posture (standing) and proper breathing will help you find a more comfortable and pleasant tone of voice for your performance.
   • Avoid choking your breath and breathing in with your upper chest, as both can make you anxious and tense your throat. As a result, your voice will become more tense and constrained.

3. Know the structure of your own speech. Knowing your own speech is just as important as knowing the topic you will be talking about. Exist various methods presentation, so you need to choose the method that will be most convenient for you.

   • To give a speech, you will need to prepare cards with abstracts or a speech plan. Or you can just memorize the abstracts if you have a good memory (do not try to do this from memory if you are not one hundred percent sure that you will not forget anything).
   • You don't want to write down every detail on the abstract cards (leave some space for improvisation), but it's a good idea to write helpful notes on them, such as "pause after this message" or "remember to take a breath" so you don't actually forget about these things.

4. Learn your own speech. You don't necessarily have to memorize your speech or its main points, but it can be a huge help in appearing more confident and knowledgeable about the topic of the speech. However, make sure you have enough time for this.

   • Rewrite your speech several times. This method helps to remember speech better. The more you write it, the easier it will be for you to remember it. After you have rewritten the speech many times, test yourself to see how well you remember it. If there are parts of your speech that you can't remember, rewrite them a few more times.
   • Divide the speech into smaller parts and memorize each of them separately. It can be really hard to remember the whole speech. In this case, for memorization, it would be better to divide it into small parts (start learning speech by memorizing the most important semantic part, and then move on to memorizing the remaining main parts, and so on).
   • For memorization, use the method of locations. Divide your speech into paragraphs and key points. Visualize in your mind a certain picture for each key moment (this is similar to imagining Harry Potter when saying the name of J.K. Rowling and discussing what a significant contribution she made to children's literature). Decide on a location for each key moment (e.g. Hogwarts for Rowling, Meadow for Stephenie Meyer, etc.). Now you just need to move between locations (for example, imagine that you are flying on a broomstick from Hogwarts to a meadow). If you have many things to talk about, then put them in special places around the main location (for example, take the main hall of Hogwarts to discuss the popularity of Harry Potter, or the Quidditch field to report on the writer's contribution to genre redefinition).

5. Get to know your audience. You need to know who you'll be speaking to, as certain speech techniques may suit one type of audience and be downright boring for other audiences, or even piss off certain groups of people. For example, you can't be informal during a business presentation, but you can use an informal style when communicating with college students.

   • Humor is a great way to take the pressure off yourself and your audience. There are usually certain jokes that are appropriate for most public situations (but not always!). It's a good idea to start with a little joke to lighten the mood and impress the audience with confidence. To do this, you can tell some funny (and true) story.
   • Understand what you are trying to convey to the audience. Do you want to give her new information? Rewording old information? Persuade people to do something? This will help you focus on what you are trying to achieve.

6. Practice speaking. This is extremely important if you want to perform well in public. It is not enough just to know the material that you are trying to convey to people. You need to practice giving a speech several times in order to start feeling comfortable during the speech. This is similar to breaking in shoes. When you put on a new pair of shoes for the first few times, you get blisters, but soon you start to feel comfortable in well-fitting shoes.

   • Try to visit the place where you will perform and practice there. This will allow you to become significantly more confident, as you will be more familiar with the place.
   • Record your rehearsal on video and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the performance. While watching a video of yourself speaking might seem like a daunting task, it's a great way to discover your strengths and weaknesses. You may notice your nervous tics (like shifting from foot to foot or stroking your hair with your hands) and you can work on eradicating or minimizing them.

   Part 2

   Working out the content of your speech

   1. Choose the right speaking style. There are three speaking styles: informative, persuasive, and entertaining. Although they may overlap, each of them has its own specific functions that it performs.

      • The main purpose of the informative speaking style is to communicate facts, details and examples. Even if you are trying to convince an audience of something, it is based on facts and information.
      • A persuasive speaking style is all about persuading the audience. In it, you can use facts to help, but you will also use emotions, logic, your own experience, and so on.
      • aim entertainment style speech serves to fill people's need for social communication, but it often uses some aspects of informative speech (for example, in a wedding toast or in a thank you speech).

   2. Avoid a blurry intro. You must have heard speeches beginning with, "When I was asked to speak, I didn't know what to say..." Don't do it. This is one of the most boring ways to start your speech. He goes around and around the speaker's personal problems and is not at all attractive to listeners, as the speaker believes.

      • Start your talk by giving the main and overarching idea and three (or so) main facts that support it, so that you can talk about them in more detail later. Listeners will remember the introduction and conclusion of your speech better than you yourself will remember any of its parts.
      • From the very beginning, open up your presentation in a way that captures the audience's attention. This implies a message amazing facts or striking statistics, or asking a question and then answering it and dispelling any public doubt before it even arises.

   3. Have a clear structure for your speech. So that your speech does not constantly stumble over every word, you need to come up with a clear format for it. Remember, you are not trying to overwhelm the audience with facts and ideas.

      • Your speech should have one clear, overarching idea. Ask yourself what are you trying to convey to the public? What do you want people to take away from your speech? Why should they agree with what you say? For example, if you are preparing a lecture on trends in national literature, consider why your audience should care. You shouldn't just throw facts around.
      • You will need a few basic arguments that support your main idea or position. It's usually best to have three arguments. For example, if your main idea is that children's literature is getting more diverse, have one argument that argues for new trends, a second argument that shows readers' perceptions of this diversity, and a third argument that talks about why this diversity in children's literature matters. .

   4. Use the correct language. Language is extremely important in both writing and oral speech. You need to refrain from using too many words that are too cumbersome and long, because no matter how smart your audience is, they will quickly lose interest in you if you constantly hit them on the head with a thick dictionary.

      • Use flashy adverbs and adjectives. You need to bring your own speech and audience to life. For example, instead of saying "children's literature presents a range of different perspectives," say "children's literature presents a new range of exciting and diverse perspectives."
      • Use figurative juxtaposition to awaken your audience and make them remember your thoughts. Winston Churchill often used the phrase "Iron Curtain" to describe secrecy. Soviet Union. Figurative juxtaposition tends to linger better in the minds of listeners (as can be seen from the fact that the "Iron Curtain" has become a catchphrase).
      • Replays also serve as a great way to remind your audience of the importance of your speech (think of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream..." speech). This emphasizes more of the main arguments and allows you to remember the main idea of ​​the speech.

   5. Keep it simple. It is necessary that the audience easily follow the course of your speech and continue to remember it after the end of your speech. Therefore, it should not only contain figurative comparisons and striking facts, but also be quite simple and close to the essence. If you wander through the swamp of little facts related to your performance, you will lose the interest of the audience.

      • Use short sentences and phrases. This can be done to create a special dramatic effect. For example, the phrase "never again" may be used. It is short, charged with meaning and has considerable power.
      • You can use short and meaningful quotes. very many famous people said something funny or meaningful in fairly short sentences. You can try to use a pre-prepared statement of one of them. For example, Franklin D. Roosevelt said: "Be sincere and brief, and immediately sit down after the speech."

      Part 3

      Public speaking

      1. Deal with anxiety. Almost every person gets a little nervous before they have to appear in front of people for a speech. The main thing is to this stage your speech was already prepared and you knew how to present it. And fortunately, there are some special methods for managing anxiety.

         • Before you stand in front of an audience and start talking, clench and unclench your fists a few times to deal with the adrenaline rush. Take three deep and slow breaths. This will clear your respiratory system and you will be ready to breathe properly while giving a speech.
         • Stand straight in a confident but relaxed posture with your feet shoulder-width apart. This will reassure your brain of your confidence, and it will be easier for you to give a speech.
      2. Speak slowly. One of the most common mistakes people make in public is trying to speak too fast. Your normal speaking speed is significantly faster than required for speaking in public. If you feel like you're talking too slowly, you're probably doing it right.
         • Take a sip of water if you start to choke on your own speech. This will give the audience some time to reflect on what has already been said and give you a chance to slow down.
         • If your friend or relative is in the audience, arrange for them to give you a signal if you start talking too fast. Keep an eye on the person during your speech periodically to make sure everything is going according to plan.

      3. Complete your speech correctly. People remember the beginning and end of a performance well, they rarely remember what happened in the middle. Therefore, you need to make sure that the conclusion of your speech is memorable.

         • Make sure the audience understands why your topic is important and why the information is useful to them. If you can, end your speech with a call to action. For example, if you were talking about the importance of art lessons in schools, end with an idea of ​​what exactly people can do in response to the fact that the hours of art lessons have been reduced.
         • End your speech with a story that illustrates main idea your performance. Again, people love stories. Talk about how the information you provided was useful to someone, or the dangers of not having this information, or how it is relevant to the public (people are more interested in what is directly related to them).
      • Listen and watch great speakers, try to analyze what makes them successful.
      • Don't be ashamed of your shortcomings. Demosthenes was an outstanding orator of ancient Athens, even though he suffered from speech impediment. A good speaker can overcome these difficulties.
      • Try to make sure that the audience includes people you know. It will be even better if these people are the ones with whom you practiced your presentation. This will help you feel more comfortable and familiar.
      • When asking the public a question for the sake of maintaining interest, try to ask something that people can easily answer, and then validate and expand on their answer by clarifying their own opinions and thoughts.
      • Try practicing in front of a mirror!

      Warnings

      • Watch what you eat before performing in public. Dairy products and sugary foods can make it difficult to speak due to the resulting phlegm in the throat. Similarly, very fragrant foods (such as garlic or fish) should be avoided so that the smell does not bother people.

How to speak in front of an audience

A person often has to perform in front of a large audience. In order for it to be effective, it is important to observe several necessary principles for constructing a speech.

A person often has to perform in front of a large audience. In order for it to be effective, it is important to observe several necessary principles for constructing a speech: 1. Determine the characteristics of the audience. 2. Clearly define the purpose of your speech. What result do you want to get, how do you want to win over the audience to your side? 3. On a large piece of paper in the center, write down the purpose of your talk, then write down the central ideas in the order you think of them, marking them on rays radiating out from the center in all directions. 4. A good speech usually consists of three to five parts. If you have more of them, then you either want to say a lot, or have not fully defined the meaning of the speech. 5. Write the abstract of your speech. Use Roman numerals for central ideas. For each central idea, choose from one to five sub-ideas, each of which may have even more ideas to reinforce. Fill up your notes with additional items if they come to your mind. 6. Individual items can be enhanced or simplified using visual aids. Prepare drawings, diagrams, note the sequence of their demonstration in the abstract. But - communicate with the audience, not with the materials. 7. Don't get carried away with visual demonstration. There is a good rule of thumb: one impression per key idea. 8. It is important to think about how you are going to establish trust with the audience, how you will earn their respect, what tone you are going to start. You have 20 seconds to grab attention and generate interest. Answer the question: “Why should people listen to you?” 9. Show your enthusiasm with movements, gestures and different postures. Talk to individuals, not audiences. 10. Smile not only with your lips, your voice should be cheerful and energetic. Your spiritual uplift must be transmitted to the audience. How to impress an audience during a speech: 1. Make strong, surprising, or ironic statements. "Everything you know about the influence of the teacher is not true." 2. Refer to scary statistics. “The first thing people fear the most is the fear of public speaking.” 3.. Share something about yourself. 4. Show your knowledge of the audience and their life experiences. “In your practice, you have succeeded due to the fact that…..”. 5. Refer to a catchphrase that accurately defines the topic of your speech. 6. Refer to current events that have attracted everyone's attention. Drawing a parallel between the topic of your speech and the sensational event can serve as a good start. How to write a speech correctly.

1. Write the way you speak, not the way you write. 2. Make each paragraph three to five sentences. If the paragraphs are longer, you may lose where you left off. 3. When writing, use active verbs more often than passive ones. 4. The number of words in a sentence should not exceed twenty. It will be difficult for the audience to keep up with you if the sentences are longer. 5. When speaking, use the first and second person pronouns more often than the third. "He", "she", "they", and "them" are impersonal pronouns and can give your speech the tone of a lecture. 6. Type your speech neatly and clearly. Type at two intervals within the text and three between paragraphs. 7. Underline those words or phrases that need to be emphasized. 8. Write the word "PAUSE" next to the points where you need to make a dramatic pause. 9. Leave wide margins on the right and left. Make notes about the use of audiovisual and other media. 10. Practice reading the speech. You must learn to pronounce it with minimal use of written text. 8. Read the way you speak, not the way you read. How to make a speech exciting and attractive:

1. Choose the topic that excites you. Build the performance assigned to you so that it causes a storm of emotions in you. 2. Tell someone before the performance how excited you are. 3. Don't deviate from 120 wpm unless you want to make an impact. This speed is average for delivering a speech; The best speakers speak at 200 words per minute. If you go below 120 words per minute, your listeners will start to wonder what happened. 4. Use your voice to influence. To keep your listeners interested, change the volume, speed, pitch, and stress. Lower your voice to emphasize the last words. 5. In a room with good acoustics and an audience not exceeding fifty people, it is better to speak without a microphone. It is much more convenient if it is possible to carry or attach the microphone to clothing than to stand in front of the audience in one place. 6. Don't stand still, approach your listeners. As soon as you leave the lecturer's seat and stand at the front rows of seats, the audience will feel that there is a connection between you and them. How to develop the right attitude to your fears in public speaking. 1. Develop the right attitude towards your fears. Be aware that audiences are rarely hostile. Remember that even the most professional speakers get nervous before taking the podium. 2. Analyze your audience. The more you learn about your audience, the more confident you will feel. 3. Get ready, get ready, get ready! The better you know the topic, the more connoisseur of both the topic and the audience you will consider yourself. 4. Make "soothing" cheat sheets. 5. Present your success. Two weeks before your speech, every night before going to bed, imagine a picture of your success. 6. Use audiovisuals to take some of the stress off yourself. 7. Practice three or four times before your speech, do this until you are satisfied with your speech. Never train on the day of your performance! 9. Relax, rest and avoid any excitement. Get as much rest as possible the night before the performance; limit your coffee intake. 9. Keep your introduction and conclusion timely. Be confident in your introduction and conclusion. 10. Dress to suit your success. Wear what suits you best. 11. Make eye contact with a few friendly faces. Protect yourself with warm looks. To organize a discussion, the following rules must be considered: 1. Look directly at the person asking the question, then communicate your answer to the entire audience. Do not participate in dialogues. 2. Listen carefully to the whole question. Pay attention to both verbal and non-verbal cues. 3. Make sure you understand the question correctly. Get an explanation, ask to repeat the question. 4. Don't let one person take over the conversation. Turn your back on the monopolist and turn to others. It is possible that he is one of those who first needs to be reassured, then grinned and endured. 5. If you don't have an answer to a specific question, don't pretend to know it. Promise that after you deal with the question, you will answer. 6. Keep the purpose of your speech in focus. Do not allow questions that will distract you from your main topic. Don't be afraid to say, "That's interesting, but it's not relevant to my talk." 7. Maintain control over the audience. Don't let others use your Q&A time for their dialogue. 8. Answer attacks and objections only with facts, not with emotions. 9. Stay calm and cool. You will win, and hotheads will lose support in the face of the audience. The voice is an important tool. Therefore, you need to improve your voice. There are several ways to do this: 1. Record your voice on a tape recorder. Listen to him objectively. Experiment with different tones, pitches, accents, speed, power and diction. 2. Try to speak at 120 words per minute. This is the average speed for speech. 3. Speak clearly. Concentrate your efforts on pronouncing the final consonant of each word. 4. Underline key words and ideas with your voice. “Drive in” those important ideas that you would like the audience to remember. 5. Use your voice to create contrast. High and low, loud and quiet, excited and dead. 6. Practice speaking from deep within your diaphragm. Don't speak through your nose. Try to create vibration in your vocal cords. 7. Ask your loved ones to note any annoying vocal moments in your speech. Listen to them yourself. 8. Take care of your voice. Sick or tired voice needs rest and care - drink hot water in small sips or chew on raisins. There may be people in the audience who interfere with your presentation. In order to deal with intruders, you can use the following methods: 1. Go straight to the intruders. If you can walk through the audience, get close to the intruders. They will understand what is required of them, although you do not say a word. 2. Ask the audience to calm down. Most people will understand who this refers to. 3. Stop talking. At this time, take a look in the direction of the offenders. If it doesn't work right away, other listeners will silence them. 4. Do nothing. Wait until the listeners get tired of the intruder and calm him down themselves. 5. Scare the entire audience. Say something special and interesting into the microphone to attract the attention of all listeners, including talkers. 6. As a last resort, seek help, embarrass offenders. Ask them a question about the topic of your speech; politely ask them to behave properly; joke about them.

How often does it happen to you that before you go out in front of an audience, everything gets cold inside, your palms instantly become sweaty, and when you go out in front of everyone, you cannot squeeze out a single word from yourself? You stand there and think, "say something, anything," but you can't make a sound, no matter how hard you try. The legs become "wadded" and the face begins to "burn" as if the air temperature rises sharply to exorbitant levels. As a result, you safely blush and, having uttered something indistinct, return to your place, giving yourself a vow never to speak to the public again.

If the above happens to you at least sometimes, then this article is for you. After reading it, you will learn how to improve your public speaking skills, how to learn how to coherently express your thoughts, how to control the audience.

First, let's understand the concepts. What is public speaking? It would be logical to say that this is a performance in front of the public. An audience or an audience is a group of people from 4 people or more. Conventionally, I divide audiences into several categories:

• small - up to 10 people;
• small - from 10 to 30 people;
• medium - from 30 to 60-70 people;
• large - from 70 to 150 people;
• very large - from 150 people or more.

We will not consider performance at large venues and stadiums.

So how do you improve your public speaking skill?

Let's start with a little theory. Public speaking is 90% eye contact and only 10% auditory. In fact, this means the following: "it is not so important WHAT you say, it is important HOW you say it." The main thing in public speaking is presentation, energy, expression and contact with the audience.

Without spreading my thoughts along the tree, I will give simple specific recommendations.

First- make a presentation plan. Believe me, any experienced speaker always has a speech plan. No experienced speaker will start a speech if he does not know the topic of the speech and what he will talk about (at least approximately). What is a plan? You should not prepare drafts with the full and detailed content of your speech, and even more so, you should not use such notes when speaking. This will only distract you from the speech and take time to sort out your notes. In addition, if you lose the thread of the story, you will have to fumble in the notes, and this causes only negative emotions among listeners. Instead of notes, use only the outline of the speech. At home, in a calm and quiet environment, think over the structure of your speech, roughly imagine what you will talk about and write down the points of your speech. For example, if you are preparing a report on the achievements of the company for the year, then it might look like this.