Face your fears!
For the past week or so, we’ve been telling you all about a great professional, and personal, development opportunity – Toastmasters International, your chance to become a confident, effective public speaker. See our previous two articles – the first on the Long Island chapter’s award, the second on why members love the group and you could too.
And get TMI’s quick top 5 speech-giving tips* right here …
Whether you’re talking to a small group of people or speaking to a large audience, you want to be sure your speech is memorable and enjoyable. Follow these five easy tips to help ensure your speech delivers:
- Be prepared. Your audience is giving you their time and consideration, so rehearse enough to be confident you’ll leave a good impression.
- Start strong. Begin your speech with a powerful opening that will grab your audience’s attention, such as a startling fact or statistic, an interesting story or a funny joke.
- Be conversational. Avoid reading your speech word for word. Instead, refer to notes or points from an outline to help your speech have a more free-flowing, conversational tone.
- Speak with passion. If you’re truly invested in what you’re saying, you’ll be better able to keep your audience’s attention.
- Be patient. It’s easy to get frustrated if you make a mistake. But remember that public speaking is not easy and it takes time to hone your skills. Keep practicing and you will reach your goals.
*From the TMI website
Want to join, or find out more about Toastmasters in your location? Contact Janet Pietrofere, and be sure to check for announcements in At a Glance for local meeting times and locations.
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