Tuesday, September 8, 2009

3 Critical Things to Do Before Your Next Speech


I found an excellent blog post from Six Minutes (public speaking and presentation skills blog) about how to prepare for your next speech. As a community leader you'll have to make speeches at a lot of different locations. These steps should prepare you for your next event...

1. Study the Venue:

Go to the venue when you are going to speak when there are few people present.

  • Be familiar with the speaking area
  • Do an audio check
  • Plan where you’ll place props, notes, or supplies
  • Make sure the audience can see your notes when it is projected
  • Plan where to stand to not be in-front of the screen

2. Meet your audience:

An inexperienced speaker will give a presentation without meeting the audience. Don’t make this mistake. You can build rapport when you engage the audience in conversation.

3. Be present and engage in the event agenda:

When possible arrive early to hear other speakers at the event.

  • Does their message overlap yours? You can adjust your speech as necessary.
  • Does the other speakers’ message complement yours?
  • Are there any themes?
  • Was there a humorous event that you can incorporate into your speech?
  • What is the mood of the audience? If their mood is low, try to pick them up.

These three tips will reduce your nervousness as well as make you more prepared.

Questions? Comments? We’ll be happy to answer your questions to make you a better speaker!

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