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You've written your speech—congratulations! Now it's time to work on just how you plan to present your speech and prepare it accordingly.
First, decide how you'll present your speech: Will you read your newly minted speech from a script? Will you memorize it? Or will you simply read off an outline or notes?
Reading verbatim from a script has its drawbacks; you may be limited in how much eye contact you can engage with your audience. As such, your audience may more quickly disconnect from your words and you as a speaker.
Additionally, speeches read straight from a script or manuscript often feel stodgy and stilted, which is a sure way to bore your audience and lose their attention fast.
You can memorize your speech in the same way that you might memorize lines or a monologue for a theatrical play. However, one of the biggest disadvantages to memorizing a speech can be unexpected stage fright where you might clam up entirely, unable to remember your speech.
The best way to present your speech is to speak extemporaneously using notes.
By preparing an outline or a few note cards with key points in the order you plan to present them, you can maintain an open body posture with a safety net of reference. You can also pause to glance at your notes while still keeping good eye contact with your audience.
The big day has arrived: It's time to present your speech!
Besides remaining calm and speaking clearly and at a loud enough volume, here are the most important things to consider as you present your speech.
In the same vein that how you look is almost as important as what you say, how you stand can be just as important as your words. Humans pick up subtle cues with regard to emotion through nonverbal communication in your body language.
When delivering your speech, you want to make sure you have a confident, open stance to convey your confidence. Standing hunched over or with your arms crossed will close off your body to your audience, thereby shutting them out.
Similarly, make eye contact with your audience. Sometimes this makes speakers nervous, but it's an important technique to really connect with your audience. Finally, if you can move around, do. It builds visual interest for your audience and also helps you to work out jitters if you have them. You might be confined behind a podium or lectern, in which case your largest range of motion may be restricted to hand gestures and your gaze around the room. If you can walk out from behind a podium and across a stage, take the opportunity.
You’ll learn more about how your physical appearance can impact your speech later in this unit.
Speak your words clearly. Don't rush your sentences or let the ends of your sentences drop in volume. You've worked this hard to write and prepare your speech—you want to make sure your audience understands what you have to say.
Avoid saying "um," "uh," or "like" (when it doesn't belong in a sentence). These are usually nervous habits that take time to break. If you feel an "um" coming on, simply pause for a brief moment before moving past it.
Sometimes, be prepared for your audience to interrupt you by clapping or laughing. You might need to stop for a second to let the audience do its thing and resume when it dies down.
You’ll learn more about how your speaking habits impact the delivery of your speech later in this unit.
If you have supplementary materials such as visual aids or a PowerPoint presentation, have a backup plan in place in case some piece of equipment doesn't work. You may want to have printouts just in case a computer or projector doesn't work.
Similarly, if you've memorized your speech or may be reading from a teleprompter, have a printed copy or an outline of your speech on hand just in case you get a case of stage fright, or your equipment fails.
Before you walk off that stage or sit back down in your seat, always thank your audience!
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