Making a speech is not difficult if you understand how. There are already proven ways to compose a speech, so take it easy and read on with this article to perfect your speech and control your speech anxiety.
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Method 1 of 5: Start with Your Audience
Step 1. Set your goal
It's important to know what kind of speech you're going to give and why your listeners want to come to hear it. Understand whether your speech is meant to be a personal narrative, informative, persuasive or a formal speech.
- Personal narrative. Narrative is another word for story. If you are asked to tell a story about yourself, find out if the requester's goal is to use something that happened in your life as a lesson, to convey a moral message, to inspire, or simply to entertain your audience.
- Informative speech. There are two types of informative speech: process and exposition. If you are asked to deliver a process speech, you must explain how something can be done, made, or how something works. You walk your audience step by step through the process. If you are asked to deliver an exposition, your job is to create a complex topic and break it down into sections to teach your audience about the topic.
- Persuasive speech. If you are required to deliver a persuasive speech, your job is to convince your audience to adopt a certain mindset, belief, or habit that you convey in the speech.
- Official speech. Formal speeches range from wedding greetings to flattery speeches, from graduation speeches to farewell speeches. Many of these speeches are short and are often intended to entertain, inspire, or increase the viewer's appreciation of someone or something.
Step 2. Choose a topic that will interest your audience
If you have a choice, choose a topic that your viewers enjoy or are interested in. Sometimes, you don't have a choice of topic – you are assigned to deliver a particular thing. In this case, you have to find a way to keep your audience interested in listening to you.
Step 3. Set your goals
Write a one-sentence statement about what you want to achieve from your audience. This could be as simple as "I want my viewers to learn the four things they should pay attention to when buying gems" or "I want to convince my viewers not to eat fast food for a month." It may sound simple, but writing a statement of purpose like this has two benefits: it helps you stay on track as you compose your speech, and it helps you to stay focused on your audience in the middle of the speech-making process.
Step 4. Always think of your audience
It's a waste of time and effort if you've put everything into making your speech and your audience doesn't understand your speech or can't remember a single word when you finish your speech. You have to keep thinking to make what you say interesting, helpful, relevant and memorable for your viewers
- Read the newspaper. If you can find a way to relate the topic of your speech to something that is currently popular in the news, you can emphasize the relevance of what you say to your audience.
- Explain the numbers in your speech. Using statistics in your speech can have a big impact, but your speech will be more meaningful if you can explain the numbers. For example, you could say that worldwide 7.6 million people die from cancer every year, but to make it easier to understand, you might add that this figure is equivalent to the total population of Switzerland.
- Explain the benefits of your speech. It's a good idea to tell your audience what they're going to get out of your speech, as they'll be more interested in hearing it. If they're going to learn how to save money, say so. If the information you provide will make their life easier, explain it. If they would appreciate someone or something more, let them know.
Method 2 of 5: Researching and Writing Your Speech
Step 1. Study your topic
In some cases, you just need to sit down, think, and write down all your thoughts on paper. In other cases, your topic may be unfamiliar enough that you'll need to do some research so you can convey it accurately. But often, you are in the middle of the condition.
Step 2. Do extensive research
The internet can be a great resource for finding out more about the topic of your speech, but don't stop there. If you are a student, go to your school library or use the library database. Many public libraries have databases containing thousands of articles. If you have a library card, you will have free access to the database. Consider interviewing an expert on your topic or conducting a survey. The more you gather the required information, the more likely you are to succeed. In addition, using a variety of sources will expand your speech.
Step 3. Avoid plagiarism
When you use information from an outside source in your speech, cite that source. To do this, list all your sources of information so you can cite them later.
Step 4. Decide whether you will create an outline or a script
Outlines are suitable for narrative, informative, and persuasive speeches while for formal speeches you should use a script.
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Outline. When you outline, you simply structure and organize your speech in a series of bullet points. For example, if you're delivering the speech referred to above: "I want my viewers to learn the four things they should pay attention to when buying gems", you could make one point about "Cut", one for "Color", one for "Clearness", and one for "Rust". With these bullets, you can explain details and other information to your viewers.
Outlines can be written in full sentences or a series of abbreviated sentences and reminders. Another way is to start writing complete sentences and then move your outline to a note card where you abbreviate the sentences with only the words you need
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manuscript. One reason why you need to write a formal speech is because the choice of words you will deliver is usually very important. You intend to inspire or entertain or salute someone, so saying exactly what you mean and being adequately prepared will increase your chances of success.
- Use your Indonesian textbook and re-learn things like similes, metaphors, alliterations and various other figures of speech. These language tools can have a powerful impact on formal speech.
- Don't get caught up in the script: a page full of words can tempt you to read it all the time without lifting your eyes, making eye contact, or interacting with the viewer. Practice will help you reduce your chances of falling into this trap.
Step 5. Make sure you have entered all the sections
A speech includes three basic parts: opening, body, and conclusion. Make sure your speech has all of these elements.
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Opening. There are two things you should include in your opening: an attention grabber and an outline of what you're going to say.
- Grab the attention of your audience. The most important thing you should do in your opening is grab the attention of your audience. You can do this in a variety of ways: ask something, say something surprising, provide surprising statistics, use quotes or aphorisms related to the topic of your speech, or tell a short story – it's easier to grab your audience's attention in the beginning than trying to get their attention in the middle of a speech.
- Give an overview of your speech. Give your audience the main points of your speech. No need to go into detail here; You will explain it when you get to the body of the speech. You can make a one-sentence-long picture to explain what you are going to talk about.
- Contents. content is the essence of your speech. The points you have written or the information in your manuscript will form the content of the speech. There are several ways to organize the information in the body of your speech – chronological order, sequence of steps, from most important to least important, problems – solutions, and so on. Look for patterns that match the purpose of your speech.
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Conclusion. There are two things to achieve in your conclusion. This is not the place to provide new information; however, you should try to sum things up in a clear and memorable way.
- Provide a summary. One way for viewers to remember a speech is through intentional repetition. in your introduction, you give an idea of what you are going to talk about. In the content, you talk about it. Now, in conclusion, you remind your viewers what you have been talking about. Give a brief review of the main points you discussed in your speech.
- End with an affirmative sentence. An affirmation is a strong, memorable statement that closes your speech. One easy way to do this is to write affirmations that refer back to what you did to get the viewer's attention. This will help complete your presentation and end your speech.
Method 3 of 5: Choosing Visual Assistance
Step 1. Choose a visual device that benefits the viewer
There are many reasons to use visual aids. It can make the content of your speech easier to understand, make your speech easier to remember, attract the attention of visual learners, and make you appear more convincing. Make sure you define the expectations you want to achieve with each visual device you include in your speech.
Step 2. Choose a visual device that fits your speech
While it's a good idea to use visual aids in your speech, make sure your choices make sense. For example, in the speech referred to above where the speaker wants the audience to learn four things to consider when buying a gem, it would make sense to show a diagram of a gem showing where a jeweler makes a cut in a gemstone. A comparison photo of clear, white, and yellow gems will also help your viewers to recognize color differences. On the other hand, it is not very important to show a photo of the gem shop.
Step 3. Use PowerPoint with care
PowerPoint can be a great tool for conveying your visual aids. You can use it to show photos, charts and graphs easily. However, there are common mistakes that speakers sometimes make when using PowerPoint. This is easy to avoid if you think about it.
- Don't write everything you want to say on the slide. We've all heard speeches where the speaker just reads the slides. It will be boring, and they will immediately ignore your speech. Use key words to describe, review, or emphasize key information. Remember, the slides are the support for your speech, not the script.
- Make your slides easy to read. Use a font size that is easy for your participants to read and don't overcrowd your slides. Your slides are useless if your participants can't see the materials in them.
- Use animation wisely. Having a graphic move through the slide, adjusting the zoom, and changing the colors can be eye-catching but can also distract the viewer. Be careful not to overdo the effects. Your slides are your supporters, not the main star.
Method 4 of 5: Practice Your Speech
Step 1. Allocate enough time
The longer you practice your speech, the more prepared you will feel, and as a result, the less nervous you will be. One suggestion about the time you should spend preparing your speech is one to two hours for each minute of your speech. For example, you may need to allocate five to ten hours of preparation for a five-minute speech. Of course, this covers ALL of your preparations from start to finish; your practice will only be part of the whole time
Give yourself time to practice. If you procrastinate, you may lose time rehearsing your speech before delivering it, which can make you feel nervous
Step 2. Practice in front of people
If possible, deliver your speech in front of family members and friends. If you want their feedback, explain to them what section you'd like them to comment on so you don't get overwhelmed by too many suggestions.
- View your participants. There's hardly a better way to grab the viewer's attention by making eye contact. As you practice your speech, make sure you look to family members or friends who have agreed to be your audience. It takes a little practice to be able to look at an outline, script, or notecard, think things through and convey that information while looking at your audience. This is another reason why exercise is important.
- If you don't have the opportunity to practice in front of people, make sure when you practice, you deliver your speech out loud. You don't want the day you deliver your speech to be the first day you hear the words come out of your mouth. In addition, speaking aloud will give you the opportunity to check and correct pronunciation errors, practice your articulation, and time your speech (we speak faster when we are just repeating our speech in our minds).
Step 3. Don't be afraid to make changes
One of the things you can learn from practice is that you can make the changes you feel are necessary. If your speech is too long, you should remove some material. If it's too short, you can add it. Not only that, but each time you practice your speech out loud, the results will be slightly different. That's not a problem. You are not a robot, you are a human. You don't have to be perfect at conveying word for word in your speech, the most important thing is that you can convey the information in an interesting and memorable way.
Method 5 of 5: Reducing Speech Anxiety
Step 1. Perform body movements
Often a person feels the physical symptoms of anxiety – a faster heart rate, rapid breathing, and shaking hands – before delivering a speech. This is natural because your body produces a lot of adrenaline – something that happens when we feel threatened. The key is to engage in physical activity to help flush the adrenaline out of your system.
- Take your hand and let go. Hold your hand very firmly, hold it for a few seconds, and release. Repeat several times. You can do the same thing by hardening your calves and releasing them. Each time you let go, you'll feel a little more relaxed.
- Take a deep breath. The adrenaline in your system causes you to breathe too lightly and as a result will increase your anxiety. You have to break the circle. Take a deep breath through your nose and let the air fill your stomach. When your stomach is full, let the air fill and expand your ribs. Finally, let your breath move to your chest. Open your mouth slowly and begin to exhale starting with the air in your chest, then the air in your ribs, and finally the air in your stomach. Repeat this step five times.
Step 2. Focus on your audience
As hard as it is to believe, a good speech doesn't depend on you, the speaker, but on the audience. Plan to focus and concentrate on the audience throughout the speech, especially at the beginning of the speech. Watch them and pay attention to the non-verbal messages they give you – do they understand what you are saying? Do you need to slow down the tempo? Do they agree with you? Will they be open enough with you to strengthen the relationship with you? If you really care about your audience, you don't have time to think about your anxieties.
Step 3. Use visual aids
You may already be planning to use visual aids, but if you haven't already, you might want to consider it. For some, using visual aids reduces anxiety because it makes them feel like they're not the center of attention; however, they feel they share attention with visual devices.
Step 4. Practice visualizing
When you use visualization, you create a picture in your head of your success. Close your eyes and see yourself sitting down before delivering your speech. Imagine your name is called or you are introduced. Visualize yourself standing confidently, taking notes and walking to the podium. See yourself pausing to make sure your notes are correct and making eye contact with the viewer. Then imagine yourself delivering the speech. See yourself finishing the speech successfully. See how your speech ends, and you say "thank you" and return to your seat.
Step 5. Think positive
Even if you feel nervous, try not to speak negatively. Instead of saying "This speech is going to break," say "I've been trying to prepare for this speech." Replace "I'm really nervous" with "I'm nervous, but I know it's normal, and I'll still do my best."
Negative thoughts are powerful – you need roughly five positive thoughts to get rid of every negative thought, so stay away from them
Tips
- When practicing, speak clearly and loudly, as if you were actually giving a speech and try to get everyone to hear your speech.
- Use your own style of language. Don't use a word you've never said in your life. Just relax.
- Dress well. Appearance can determine everything.
- Keep your speech interesting and don't read from a script.
- If you need notes, use them. But you have to practice. Practice with your mother, your partner, your child, your cat, or the mirror.
- Make sure your speech sounds good and makes sense.
- Ask the viewer a question. Suppose you are making a speech about cell phones. Ask viewers "Have you seen the latest iPhone from Apple?" or "Has anyone tried GPS on the LG 223?"
