The success of your speech depends greatly on thorough rehearsal before the actual day. Rehearsing will help to minimize the nervousness and pressure that a speaker would experience. It is very noticeable if the speaker didnt rehearse and prepare for his or her speech. An unprepared speaker often stutters and forgets his or her lines (sometimes the vital ones). Forgetting ones speech content induces confusion among the audiences and eventually they will be uninterested in listening to you. Frequent forgetfulness is a sign that you dont have any idea on the topic you are delivering. Thus, it is very important to rehearse before giving your speech.
It is not advisable to have changes on your speech just before the actual delivery (less than 24 hours). This is applicable to those speakers who rehearsed their speeches days or even weeks beforehand. If you plan to make any changes, do it earlier to prepare yourself both mentally and emotionally.
Also, prepare a decent outfit for yourself to wear on the day of your speech. The audience doesnt want an awful-looking speaker or otherwise, they will not waste their time listening to you. Always remember to wear clothes that fit your environment and audience profile.
Remember to eat enough before your speech. You can then be able to think clearly and can be more effective. Also, a filled stomach restores your energy levels and increases your eagerness in delivering the presentation. A hungry speaker often leads to a boring and dispassionate speech, and no one likes that.
If you plan to have visual aids like PowerPoint presentations or visual demonstrations, refrain from reading strictly from them. Remember you are not talking to your visual aids; you are talking to your audience. By becoming a public reader would only indicate that you are not prepared in speech preparation. It is also annoying to listen to a speaker who doesnt give ample eye contact to his or her audience.
One of the most important
tips in public speaking is to prepare an index card which contains the topics that you are about to deliver written on it. These handy notes serve as useful reminders so that the content remains fresh in a speakers memory. However, do remember that these notes are not excuses for not preparing for ones speech. These are helpful and practical tips in public speaking. Successful speakers have followed these simple techniques which have made them
effective in public speaking.
