Overcoming Stage Fear: Tips for Effective Speech

The following sample essay on “Speech Topic”: some tips for overcoming stage fear one way of writing good speech and presentation.

Does the thought of writing and delivering a speech terrify you? Most people share your fear. But why remain scared of public speaking when the solution to this age old problem is so simple? Follow these simple speaking tips and you’ll be ready to present a decent speech next week. First, take a deep breath and relax your mind.

Your challenge is to speak to an audience about a topic that you know something about. In other words, you will be sharing your knowledge in a conversational manner with people who are interested in what you have to say. Second, break down the elements of your speech.

A simple technique to use in your opening is the Attention Grabber Question. Ask the audience a question that will force them to respond either aloud or to themselves. This will get people involved with your topic and provide you with the positive feedback you need to share a quality message.

Decide on three main body points that you want to cover. You may even choose three stories or anecdotes to use as the body points. That will make audience sharing even easier. The goal is to make you feel like you’re telling a story to a friend. The only difference is that you’re telling the story to ten, twenty, fifty or one hundred friends!

Speech Writing

Finally, your conclusion must challenge, issue a call to action, or motivate your audience to do something positive with the information that you’ve just shared.

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The conclusion is the most frequently abused piece of a speech. The speaker typically hurries to finish and leaves out a profound bit of wisdom that the audience needs and wants. Speaker Beware – Don’t try to memorize your speech word for word. If you lose your place and grasp for the exact word that makes up your script, you may draw a mind blank and panic. Let’s look at a simple speech topic that can quickly be developed into a complete presentation.

Suppose you want to talk about container gardening. An Attention Grabber Question might be, “How many of you have a green thumb? “Well neither did I until I started dropping plants into pots. ” Audience members will either answer yes or no to the green thumb question. You have their involvement at this point in the beginning. Your three main body points may feature three different types of plants you have successfully grown in containers. For added impact, show pictures of your work or bring a sample of your passion for gardening. Props always add another dimension to your presentations. Let your excitement about the topic fuel your words.

In the conclusion, simply tell the audience how easy it is to begin container gardening. You may even give them resources to explore for more information. This leaves the audience members with valuable advice that they can use after leaving the room. For beginning orators, consider taking a three by five note card to the lectern. The card should only feature the Attention Grabber Question, the three main body points, and the profound conclusion that sends the audience home feeling content and fulfilled. Glance at the card only to keep order. Make an effort to look at each audience member.

Use a sweeping eye movement so that you’re sharing the information with everyone in the room. As you gain confidence as a speaker, you can experiment with hand gestures, vocal variety and body movement. These skills will develop with practice. When you get that next speech assignment, decide to share and not recite your wisdom. Break down the elements of the presentation. Don’t let the project overwhelm you. Make sure you give the audience members something to take home. You are offering some information that they can use. With a positive, sharing attitude, you can knock out a quality presentation in only 5 – 7 minutes!