Do You Have Anything To Say?

You probably have the confidence to speak in front of so many people, but do you have something to say? Well here are tips, starting from:

• how to gather your material,
  
• in planning your speech,
  
• developing the outline
• preparing to speak extemporaneously
  

GATHERING MATERIAL

When you talk, say something worth listening to. Don't be the class Rambler, Broken Record or Vague Fellow sounds familiar?

Rambler wanders on and on from topic to topic with a sentence there, but with nothing of interest or importance about anything in particular.

Broken Record says something; he says it again and again and again till the audience is ready to yell, "Oh keep quiet!"

Vague Fellow says something, he thinks, but no one knows exactly what, and to tell the truth he isn't sure himself.

All these suffer from the same complaint-lack of knowledge of their subject. Be sure to to gather plenty of worth-while material for your speech. Consult the magazines and reference books in your school and city libraries. Whenever possible, question people who are experts on your subject or have had experience in the field. Never base a speech on just one source. Investigate several, select the best ideas, combine the information, and add your own thoughts and experience. Search for facts rather than for opinions; learn to draw your own conclusions from the facts.

A good speaker keeps his eyes and ears open for firsthand material. Wherever he goes-to the movies, to the theater, on a shopping trip- he collects information or ideas. He recalls experiences of his own and of his acquaintances and uses them in his speeches.

PLANNING YOUR SPEECH

Outlining your speech forces you to see your facts and ideas in relation to one another and to your purpose. IT is an aid to good thinking. The completed outline, the backbone of your talk, gives you a sense of direction and confidence.

First, find the main props supporting your contention or the big divisions of the subject and jot them down in order. This statement of main points may be very simple and next arrange appropriate facts and examples under the main points

DEVELOP THE OUTLINE

Your outline is only the skeleton of a speech. It must have flesh and blood before it can face the audience. Do you know how to transform a topical outline into a fully developed speech the following methods of development will help you solve your problem.

• Statements from authorities. The authorities on a subject are the leading men in the field.
• Statistics. Present them accurately and interestingly. When possible, dramatize them.
• Examples. You can hardly cite too many. Select those that are the appropriate and have punch.
  
• Quotations. Try to say or mention some quotes from people who are experts on the field on the topic of your speech. Try to research the Dictionaries of Quotations.
• Analogies. An analogy is an inference that two objects which are alike in some respects are alike in another particular. Analogies arouse interest and help to clarify a subject but should be used sparingly, if at all, as proof. False analogy is evidence of loose or dishonest thinking.
  
• Personal Experience. Whenever possible, enliven your speech with pertinent stories from your own experience.

PREPARE TO SPEAK EXTEMPORANEOUSLY

After completing the outline, think how the main topics are linked in thought and fix them in your mind so thoroughly that during your speech you will also know what point comes next. When delivering a short prepared talk, use no notes except for a long quotation, a number of quotations, or a set of statistics.

Prepare to talk your speech; don't memorize it. An extemporaneous speech is prepared but it's wording is not memorized while Impromptu speaking is offhand, unprepared. The ability to speak extemporaneously is much more valuable than skill in reciting memorized speeches.


As the saying goes practice makes perfect. When you have already your speech it's best to practice. Practice out loud alone at first. As you practice, stay relaxed, breathe deeply and regularly, talk slowly and regularly, talk slowly. Don't try to fix the exact word in your mind. Every repetition will make you more at home with your speech. Time your talk and adjust its length to the time assigned.

How about trying the mirror technique it's good. As you stand there speaking consider your posture, your facial expression grim, your hands. Is your posture good? Is your expression grim or cheerful. Do you look like a lively young person or like a dummy in a store window.

When you have made corrections that satisfy you, try your speech on someone else. A friend or a member of the family will usually be willing to share as audience and critic. Profit by the criticism of any one who will listen to you. Then you can deliver that wonderful speech with confidence.

Want to Strengthen a Weak Voice?

Try these technique:

Have you experienced talking to an audience? And see the audience yawning or doing something else like looking or tinkering at their cellphones or talking to the person who sits beside them, probably they can't hear your voice. It would be a disastrous experience and probably will lessen your confidence the next time you face or give a talk to bunch of people. Well, here are exercise that you can use for you to strengthen your weak voice. Yes, there are exercise that could let you win those important talks, interview or business proposal.

• FOR BREATH SUPPORT

In doing these exercise, place your hand just below your ribs and feel the
front wall of your body expand and contract. It should expand as you
breathe in and contract as you breathe out

1. Inhale slowly; hold the breath without straining; then exhale slowly, watching the second hand of the clock. Can you reach twenty seconds in one exhalation? As you keep practicing this exercise, gradually increase your count, avoiding all tension, particularly in the throat.
2. Inhale slowly; as you exhale, whistle as softly as you can. For how many seconds can you continue to whistle steadily without taking another breath? Practice this and try to increase your holding power.
3. Inhale fully, and say ee softly as you exhale. Do the same with a, ah, oh, oo. Listen for wavering or irregularity in breath. Practice until the sounds come out in even flow

• FOR PROJECTING THE VOICE

When increasing the volume, do not raise the pitch . Keep an open
throat and a loose jaw. A rigid jaw causes unpleasant tones.

1. Try saying the sentence "Wait for me" to (a) someone just in front of you; (b) someone out in the hall (c.) someone in the back of the auditorium ( you are on the stage); (d) someone a half block from you on the street.
2. Count from one to twenty, increasing the energy and volume of each number. Reverse the exercise, beginning with a strong tone and gradually diminishing the volume.
3. Say, "This is the best voice that I can use." Try it first in unison in the class: then take your turn. Go around the class three times .

• FOR RESONANCE

1. Practice humming. Then say (a) me, ma, mo, moo; (b.) e, a, ah, oh, oo; (c) The wind is howling fiercely tonight; the icy gale has almost frozen my fingers.

So what are you waiting for? Hop on and start practicing and show everyone your winning speeches using these steps so you'll have lots of winning moments. Success will be on your way. Soar high.

Here are some books you can read that could give you more and enriching insights in public speaking.

GUIDES TO A GOOD SPEAKING VOICE

1. Stand and sit properly to avoid interference with your breathing apparatus.
2. Breath properly. Inhale regularly and take deep breaths.
3. Keep the throat muscle relaxed.
4. Keep the tip of of the tongue well forward in the mouth.
5. Let the lower jaw drop easily as you speak.
6. Center your speech on your lips or on the roof of the mouth just behind the teeth.
7. Project your voice to the farthest point you wish to reach.
8. Modulate your voice by varying the pitch and volume as you speak.
9. Speak the last words sentences distinctly Don't let your voice die down before the end.
10. "Listen in" on your voice. Also listen critically to other voices use the most pleasing voices as models.
    

As Others Hear You

The way you speak may make or break your career. An able, well trained, conscientious secretary talked herself out of a good job because neither her boss nor the clients could stand her voice. It had a high-pitched, nasal, rasping quality that went through people like a crosscut saw. The voice that pleases pays off. Stop and listen to yourself. Does your voice do justice?

A Pleasing Voice

Developing a pleasant voice is easier if you understand how voice is produced. Outgoing breath passing over the reeds of harmonica produces music. In the same way, as you exhale, the breath passes over the cords in your voice box, the cords vibrate, and sound come fourth. The sound produced by the vocal chords however, is only a squeak. The resounding of the voice in the cavities of the mouth, throat, and nose can enlarge the squeak about 600% and make it more pleasing, just as the pipe of an organ make the tone richer and fuller.

If Your Voice Is Poor, Change It

The first step in voice improvement is voice consciousness. Listen to yourself. If possible, make a recording of your voice and listen to it as though it were the voice of a strange. If you can not make a recording, do what radio and television announcers often do when they practice. Cup your hands behind your ears and listen to your self talk. In this way you will hear your voice much as others hear it. It may surprise you

The Weak Voice
Phrases like these: "What did you say?" " I'm sorry but I can't hear you." Please repeat that sentence or phrase." tells us that the voice is too weak.
A weak voice irritates both the listeners who tries to hear it and the to the speaker himself, who is constantly asked to repeat. Better breath support and full resonance will strengthen a weak voice.

Proper breath support means taking in an adequate supply of breath and releasing it as slowly or as quickly as it is needed. Because in reading and speech you can inhale only in pauses, learn to control the muscle in the front wall of your body in the area of your diaphragm, so that they will push the diaphragm up and the air out slowly and evenly. When well filled with air, the lungs can give better service .

Think of a Topic to Fit

A Topic to Fit--You, the Time and the Audience

• You- Be sure that your subjects suits you. If you're good at shop, talk about your home workshop. If arts is your main interest, share with the class your enthusiasm. If you have a lively interest in your topic, your audience will catch some of your enthusiasm.
• Time- Cut down your topic to fit the time allowed for your speech. Some students want to give five minutes the history of major league basketball or a summary of the topic that fits the interest of the audience.

Like for example:


Original Topic College education

Limited Topic The college that I want


Speech Subject Why I want to to attend go to college?

• Audience- Select a subject in which you can interest your audience. If your topic is technical, choose and popular aspect of it for a general audience.

Have a Purpose

The successful speaker knows why he is speaking, what he is talking about, and what he hopes to accomplish by his speech. The most common purposes of speakers are to inform, convince, to move to action, to impress and to entertain. A student campaign speaker aims to win votes for his candidate; a debater, convince his hearers; an after-dinner speaker, to entertain the guests; a Fourth of July orator, to impress the audience. The speaker may have a double purpose, like persuading his audience to read a book.

Decide what your aim is; then state it in a complete sentence: "My purpose is to convince my classmates that they should vote for the planning of an event in their school." Make sure that your subject is definite and not too broad.

Try to note that in making speeches like for example the following you should have a purpose or purposes that you wish to achieve.

1. A speech opening a membership drive for Junior Red Cross.
2. A review of a panel discussion on television or radio.
3. A speech to freshmen on the achievements of the school they have just entered.
4. A talk on " Amusing Experiences of Famous People"
   

Who Is Afraid?

Who's afraid to speak in public? Almost everyone. Even a veteran of twenty seasons on Broadway probably feel a jittery on opening night. But stage, screen, radio and television stars never let the audience know that they're nervous. The answer to those butterflies in the mid-section poise is ability to focus your total energy on whatever is of most importance at any given time. Fortunately any person of ordinary intelligence can acquire poise if he will make the effort.

Form Good Speech Habits

• Relax physically and mentally. if you feel your muscles and vocal cords getting tense,stop for a moment, take a deep breath, and relax them. If you keep on advertising your nervousness, it soon wears off. Focus your mind on what you are going to say not in yourself.
• Breath deeply and steadily. steady even breathing makes your voice sound easy and pleasant . As you walk to the front of the room, take several deep breaths. When you face your classmates or audience pause long enough to take a good deep breath. Then begin to speak. During your talk breathe regularly and deeply.
• Take your time. Don't rush through your speech. Take it easy. Speak slowly and enunciate each word clearly.

This three-part way of establishing and maintaining poise is simple enough to practice many times every wee. try it out when you answer a question in class, talking to your neighbor to deliver a message, read a report in class or club or applying for a job.

Speaking To An Audience

Have you felt the need of being able to speak to a group of people? Is the ability to speak to a group highly desirable?

Skill in public speaking has a dollar-and-cents value. Not only in teaching, the ministry, law, and politics, but also in countless business and industrial positions effective speech brings the speaker recognition and advancement.

A forceful speaker also has many opportunities for public service. He can speak convincingly in support of law and order and democratic institutions, and against violence, in tolerance, corruption and disloyalty. All the knowledge he has is doubly valuable because he is able to share it with others. Most leaders in high school, college, and public life are forceful speakers.