Self Help

There is no such thing as a perfect speech! At some point in every presentation, every speaker says or does something - no matter how minor - that does not come across exactly as he or she had planned. Fortunately, as with one’s nerves, such moments are usually not evident to the audience. Why? Because the audience does not know what the speaker plans to say. It hears only what the speaker does say. If you momentarily lose your place, reverse the order of a couple statements, or forget to pause at a certain spot, no one needs to know. When such moments occur, don’t worry about them. Just proceed as if nothing happened.

Even if you do make an obvious mistake during a speech, that is no catastrophe. If you have ever listened to Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, you may recall that he stumbles over his words twice during the speech. Most likely, however, you don’t remember. Why? Because you were focusing on King’s message rather than on the fine points of his delivery.

One of the biggest reasons people are concerned about making a mistake in a speech is that they view speech-making as a kind of performance than as an act of communication. They feel the audience is judging against a scale of absolute perfection in which every misstated word or awkward gesture will count against them. But speech audiences are not judges in a violin recital or an ice-skating contest. They are not looking for a virtuoso performance, but for a well-thought-out address that communicates the speaker’s ideas clearly and directly. Sometimes an error or two can actually enhance a speaker’s appeal by making her or him seem more human.

Below are 5 Helpful tips:

1. As you work on your speeches, make sure you prepare thoroughly and do all you can to get your message across to your listeners. But don’t panic about being perfect or about what will happen if you make a mistake. Once you free your mind of these burdens, you will find it much easier to approach your speeches with confidence and even with enthusiasm.

2. Be at your best physically and mentally. It’s not a good idea to stay up until 4:00 a.m. partying with friends or cramming for an exam the night before your speech. A good night’s sleep will serve you better.

3. As you are waiting to speak, quietly tighten and relax your leg muscles, or squeeze your hands together and then release them. Such actions help reduce tension by providing an outlet for your extra adrenaline.

4. Take slow, deep breaths before you start to speak. Most people, when they are tense, take a short, shallow breath, which only reinforces their anxiety. Deep breathing breaks this cycle of tension and helps calm your nerves.

5. Work especially hard on your introduction. Research has shown that a speaker’s anxiety level begins to drop significantly after the first 30 seconds of a presentation. Once you get through the introduction, you should find smoother sailing the rest of the way.