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Do you get butterflies in your stomach before a presentation? Some people actually get ill. Do your nerves make your voice quiver?
Try a tape for public speaking and learn to be relaxed and natural. Exude confidence. Learn to relax yourself and let off steam before your performance. Be prepared and feel confidant. You'll be surprised at how easy it will become. Try it together with a memory/concentration tape, so you don't have to read from your notes.
Here are some tips to help you with your speech.
Be Prepared!
Organize yourself. Rehearse your speech. Have notes!
Prepare Physically, Get enough sleep (try a hypnosis sleep tape)
Leave early to allow extra time to relax yourself beforehand.
Know your subject, be prepared for questions (try a concentration tape)
Practice your speech with a tape recorder, so you can hear how it sounds.
Make eye contact with everyone in your audience.
Make sure you are wearing the proper attire. If this is informal, make sure your clothing is neat and clean. If you look like you just stepped out of the rag bag, it's hard to command respect.
Personal grooming( wearing deodorant, clean fingernails etc) will go a long way to boost your credibility
Read up on body language to learn about people and how to show that you mean what you say. Here are some hints:
Use gestures that correctly complement your speech.
Avoid folding your arms, or putting your hands in your pockets or behind your back, reach out to your audience. Some good hand gestures: an open hand denotes honesty; a closed fist, shows aggression or evasion; a pointing finger, shows hostility. Also be aware of cultural differences. The American thumb and forefinger gesture meaning 'okay' may be insulting in Denmark.
Pay attention to your audience and see how you're doing. Learn to recognize the unconscious signals that your audience is sending.
they have their arms folded, they don't like what you are saying. If you fold your arms and unfold them you cause them to open up - unlock their resistance.
If they like what you're saying you will see:
tilted heads and direct eye contact, raised eyebrows and forward-leaning
If they're not sure about you, look for indirect gazes accompanied by pen or finger biting
A hand to the chin shows that you are being summed up.
Nod when you want them to agree and move your head from side to side when you mean no
Appropriate humor can help you relax your audience
Avoid dirty jokes or ethnic remarks.
Most of all Relax!
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