5 TIPS FOR DELIVERING THE

PERFECT SPEECH

Tips, suggestions, and inspiration from GennGlobal

PUBLIC SPEAKING

Of all things in the world, people fear public

speaking the most—even more than death itself!

With such a fear of public speaking, how do those

who give speeches all the time manage? Are they

born gifted in the ability of oratory prowess? Of

course not!

The truth is, giving a great speech requires a lot of

practice and hard work, even if you are really good

at giving speeches already.

Let’s discuss some ways to improve your speeches

and public speaking abilities.

UNDERSTAND YOUR TOPIC

When giving a speech, you must start with the

subject matter. Understanding the topic of your

speech is just as important as the mechanical

aspects of your speech.

Without an expectation or idea of where your

speech will lead, you will likely lose track of your

speech very quickly and your audience will likely

lose interest.

Having a thorough understanding of your topic will

allow you to save yourself even if you get tripped up

and forget where you are in your speech.

OUTLINING AND PRACTICING

While you will want to avoid simply reading off of a

script, outlining the contents of your speech will

help keep you from getting lost.

In a typical outline, you might allocate the amount

of time you want to spend on each topic in your

speech, or figure out how to properly describe your

transitions between topics.

Once you have a good estimate of what your

speech will look and sound like—practice, practice

practice! This will help you become comfortable

with your speech.

DO A TRIAL RUN; GET FEEDBACK

Now that you’ve practiced your speech, it’s time for

a test run!

Find some friends or colleagues who are willing to listen

to your speech, and give it a shot.

Afterwards, ask for some of their feedback.

Attempt to incorporate their advice into your speech

whenever it is reasonable.

CALM YOURSELF BEFORE SPEECH

Above all else, your speech will become a failure if

you get extremely nervous and psych yourself out.

To keep your emotions in check, try this simple rule:

Once you are one hour away from giving your speech,

stop working on it or trying to perfect it. Instead, throw

on your favorite music, take a deep breath, or do

whatever you must to become relaxed and comfortable.

This process will keep your composure up and your

emotions from getting the better of you.

REMEMBER… YOU CAN DO IT!