Rockland Sunrise Toastmasters
Tips for Successful Public Speaking
These tips were obtained from the Toastmasters International website. These techniques will help you
control your nervousness and make effective presentations:
1. Know the room.
2. Know the audience.
3. Know your material.
4. Relax.
5. Visualize yourself giving your speech.
6. Realize that people want you to succeed.
7. Do not apologize.
8. Concentrate on the message - not the medium.
9. Turn nervousness into positive energy.
10.Gain experience.
For more information on these techniques, visit the Toastmasters International website.
Dealing with Nervousness*
Our greatest fear. Of the many fears people endure - fear of heights,
fear of flying, fear of the dark - fear of speaking in public is the most common one.
But nervousness about speaking is normal and can be used to our advantage.
Causes of fear.We fear speaking in public because of the "fight or flight"
response. Much earlier in human history,
whenever people were confronted with a fearful situation, adrenalin was pumped
into the bloodstream. This change causes the heart to beat faster, and extra blood
and oxygen rush to the muscles and brain. In this way, people were able to think and
act more rapidly in getting out of a crisis situation.
This fight or flight response worked well for our hunting and gathering ancestors,
who, using little more than a few simple weapons and their bare hands, had to deal with wooly mammoths and wild predators.
But when we are giving a speech, trying to remember what to say next, maintain audience eye contact, and striving to orchestrate
vocal variety, gestures, and facial expressions, it can be most disruptive to have a
jolt of adrenaline coursing through your veins! Fortunately, we can learn to use our bodies' changes
to our advantage.
Three Methods for Managing the Jitters
1. Experience. Practice speaking before an audience. Seize every opportunity to speak,
whether it be at work, at clubs, at home, or at your place of worship.
Rockland Sunrise Toastmasters can help. Our club will enable you to gain "flight time" in a non-threatening environment.
2. Mental Rehearsal. Imagine giving the speech you are preparing.
Visualize your talk optimistically with a positive outcome. Imagine the smiles and applause of
the audience as they show their approval after your presentation is finished.
If you do this enough before the big day, you will build up an internal reservoir of
positive experiences, and doing so will help to increase your confidence.
3. Relaxation Techniques. Use isometric exercises to reduce stress. Focus on parts of the body
which are tense, such as the neck or
facial muscles. Tighten that part for a few
seconds and then release. Isometric exercises work well if you cannot be alone
before a speech; these exercises can be done discreetly, without being
noticed.
If you can be alone before the speech (say, for instance,
you are waiting in the wings of an auditorium while someone
is giving you an introduction), strecthing is also good. Stretch your arms upward;
touch your toes; hold your
arms to the sides and rotate in small circles; and roll your head around. Finally,
yawning is a great way to relax the jaw muscles and to allow you to really project
your voice powerfully.
These stretches can all help to reduce tension.
*A reference for some of this information is the booklet, "Take the Terror out of a Talk," published by Toastmasters International, Mission Viejo, California, 10 p.
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