Public Speaking:Tips

Know the room.
Be familiar with the place in which you will speak.Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.
Know the audience.
Greet some of the audience as they arrive.It's easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.
Know your material.
Practice your speech and revise it if necessary.If you're not familiar with your material or are uncomfortable with it, your nervousness will increase.
Relax.
Ease tension by doing exercises.
Visualize yourself giving your speech.
Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear, and assured.When you visualize yourself as successful, you will be successful.
Realize that people want you to succeed.
They don't want you to fail.Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative, and entertaining.
Don't apologize.
If you mention your nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with your speech, you may be calling the audience's attention to something they hadn't noticed. Keep silent.
Concentrate on the message -- not the medium.
Focus your attention away from your own anxieties, and outwardly toward your message and your audience.Your nervousness will dissipate.
Turn nervousness into positive energy.
Harness your nervous energy and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm.
Gain experience.
Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking.A Toastmasters club can provide the experience you need.

Reproduced with permission from Toastmasters International"Ten Tips for Successful Public Speaking" as found at http://www.toastmasters.org/tips.htm (10/2002)