- Unless it's unavoidable, don't wing a speech. Prepare, prepare, prepare.
- Nervousness is reduced by striving to put your audience at ease.
- Get some perspective. If your speech doesn't soar, what are they going to do? Burn down your house?
- Have a main theme. You'll be informing, persuading or inspiring; sometimes a mixture of all three.
- Understate your case. One overstatement can erode your credibility.
- Avoid jargon, even if most of your audience knows the lingo.
- Review all of your content with this in mind: If you can't explain a point in plain language, you probably don't know it.
- Poor speakers use PowerPoint as a crutch. Visual aids should be simple and few. There is a reason for the expression "Death by PowerPoint."
- Prepare so that if the electricity went and the flip chat broke and you had to draw in the dirt with a stick, you'd still be effective.
- Never forget that your role is that of a caring and knowledgeable guide, not a wizard. Establish eye contact. Vary your tone and rate of speech. Study their body language. Consider their concerns. Connect.
[Photo by Kane Reinholdtsen at Unsplash]
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