How To Conquer Public Speaking Fear

How To Conquer Public Speaking Fear
By Morton C. Orman, M.D.

© 1996-2002, M. C. Orman, MD, FLP. All rights reserved Line

Public speaking is a common source of stress for everyone. Many of us would like to avoid this problem entirely, but this is hard to do. Whether we work alone or with large numbers of people, eventually we will need to speak in public to get certain tasks accomplished. And if we want to be leaders or achieve anything meaningful in our lives, we will often need to speak to groups, large and small, to be successful.

The truth about public speaking, however, is IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE STRESSFUL! If you correctly understand the hidden causes of public speaking stress, and if you keep just a few key principles in mind, speaking in public will soon become an invigorating and satisfying experience for you.
Purpose Of This Report

The purpose of this Special Report is to help you overcome the fear of public speaking. It begins by discussing ten key principles to always keep in mind. If you approach any problem in life with the right starting principles, everything else will fall into place. On the other hand, if you start with the wrong guiding principles, you can try all you want, but there is little chance you'll improve.

This Report also reveals eleven "hidden" causes of public speaking stress. I have summarized these eleven causes, along with the ten key principles, at the end of this Report, so you can easily review them.
Key Principles

Principle #1--Speaking in Public is NOT Inherently Stressful

Most of us believe parts of life are inherently stressful. In fact, most of us have been taught to believe that life as a whole is very stressful!

To deal with any type of stress effectively, you first must understand that life itself, including public speaking, is NOT inherently stressful. Thousands of human beings have learned to speak in front of groups with little or no stress at all. Many of these people were initially terrified to speak in public. Their knees would shake, their voices would tremble, their thoughts would become jumbled . . . you know the rest. Yet they learned to eliminate their fear of public speaking completely.

You are no more or less human than they are. If they can conquer the fear of public speaking, so can you! It just takes the right guiding principles, the right understanding, and the right plan of action to make this goal a reality.

Believe me, it's not difficult. I'm a good example of someone who conquered the fear of public speaking. And while I didn't do it overnight, it wasn't difficult. All it took was approaching the problem in the right way.

Principle #2--You Don't have to be Brilliant or Perfect to Succeed

Many of us have observed public speakers and thought to ourselves "Wow, I could never be that smart, calm, witty, entertaining, polished . . . or whatever." Well, I've got news for you-- you don't have to be brilliant, witty, or perfect to succeed. That is not what public speaking is all about. I know it may look that way, but it's not. You can be average. You can be below average. You can make mistakes, get tongue-tied, or forget whole segments of your talk. You can even tell no jokes at all and still be successful.

It all depends on how you, and your audience, define "success." Believe me, your audience doesn't expect perfection. I used to think most audiences did, but I was wrong! Before I discovered this, I used to put incredible pressure on myself to deliver a perfect performance. I worked for days to prepare a talk. I stayed up nights worrying about making mistakes. I spent hours and hours rehearsing what I was going to say. And you know what? All this did was make me even more anxious! The more perfect I tried to be, the worse I did! It was all very disheartening (not to mention unnecessary).

The essence of public speaking is this: give your audience something of value. That's all there is to it. If people in your audience walk away with something (anything) of value, they will consider you a success. If they walk away feeling better about themselves, feeling better about some job they have to do, they will consider you a success. If they walk away feeling happy or entertained, they will consider their time with you worthwhile.

Even if you pass out, get tongue-tied, or say something stupid during your talk . . . they won't care! As long as they get something of value, they will be thankful.

They don't even need to feel good to consider you a success. If you criticize people, or if you stir them up to ultimately benefit them, they might still appreciate you, even though you didn't make them feel good at the time.

Principle #3--All You Need is Two or Three Main Points

You don't have to deliver mountains of facts or details to give your audience what they truly want. Many studies have shown that people remember very few of the facts or information speakers convey. While you may choose to include lots of facts and information, you only need to make two or three main points to have your talk be successful. You can even have your whole talk be about only one key point, if you wish.

When I first began speaking in public during medical school (kicking, screaming, and quivering all the way), I wasn't aware of this simple principle. I wrongly believed that my audience wanted encyclopedic knowledge from me, which of course I didn't have. So I tried to research my topic thoroughly and deliver as much worldly wisdom as possible.

Boy was that exhausting! It was also boring for my audience to suffer through.

Later, when I began giving public seminars on how to cope with stress, I spent hours each week typing a twenty-page script to read from, so I wouldn't forget any important tidbit.

As time went on, I gradually learned that this degree of complexity wasn't needed. As a result, the length of my discussion notes gradually declined. My twenty-page typed manuscript gave way to a five-page detailed outline. Then, I replaced my outline with ten or fifteen index cards. Eventually, I could conduct a full two-hour seminar with only one 3X5 index card (containing my two or three key points) to support me!

As long as I focused on these two or three key points, I was able to speak at length about them by naturally drawing upon my past experiences and knowledge.

Remember, all your audience wants from you is to walk away with one or two key points that will make a difference to them. If you structure your talks to deliver this result, you can avoid lots of complexity that isn't really needed. This also should make your job as a speaker much easier, and more fun too!

Principle #4--You also Need a Purpose That is Right for the Task

This principle is very important . . . so please listen up. One big mistake people make when they speak in public is they have the wrong purpose in mind. Often, they have no specific purpose in mind, but the one that is operating within them unconsciously causes a whole lot of unnecessary stress and anxiety.

This is a prime example of what I call a "hidden cause" of public speaking stress. When I first started speaking in public, I thought my purpose was to get everyone in the audience to approve of me. I mistakenly thought that this was what good public speakers try to do. I wasn't consciously aware of this purpose, nor how foolish it was, but it was there nonetheless.

Because of this hidden purpose, I felt I needed to be absolutely perfect and brilliant to win my audience's unanimous approval. If just one person in the audience disapproved . . . my goose was cooked! If one person left early, if anyone fell asleep, or if someone looked uninterested in what I was saying . . . I was defeated!

This was very anxiety-producing.

Later, after I became aware of this stress-producing purpose, I was able to look at it honestly and realize how foolish it was. How many public speakers get 100% approval from their audiences? The answer is zero!

The truth about public speaking is no matter how good a job you do . . . someone is going to disapprove of either you or your argument. That is just human nature. In a large group of people, there will always be a diversity of opinions, judgements, and reactions. Some will be positive, others will be negative.

There is no rhyme or reason to it. If you do a lousy job, some people will sympathize with you and feel for you, while others will critique you harshly. If you do a fantastic job, someone will resent your ability and might disapprove of you on that basis alone. Some people will leave early because of an emergency. Some will fall asleep because they were up all night taking care of a sick child. Therefore, it's foolish and unrealistic to attempt to get everyone in your audience to think well of you.

More importantly, it's the wrong type of purpose to adopt in the first place.

Remember, the essence of public speaking is to give your audience something of value. The operative word here is GIVE not GET! The purpose of public speaking is not for you to get something (approval, fame, respect, sales, clients, etc.) from your audience. It is to give something useful to your audience.

Yes, if you do this well, you'll gain notoriety, respect, sales, and new clients. But this should never be your organizing purpose going in. If you focus on giving as much as you can to your audience, you will then be aligned with the truth about public speaking. You also will avoid one of the biggest pitfalls that cause people to experience public speaking anxiety.

Giving of yourself is rarely stressful or anxiety producing. When I give a talk to a group of people, I often imagine myself handing out $1,000 bills to everyone in the audience. I try to give them at least that much value. If a few individuals in the group reject this "gift," it no longer surprises or demoralizes me. I no longer expect anything different.

Principle #5--The Best Way to Succeed is Not to consider Yourself a Public Speaker!

While it may seem paradoxical, the best way to succeed as a public speaker is not to consider yourself a public speaker at all.

Many of us have distorted, exaggerated views of what successful public speakers do. We often assume that to be successful ourselves, we must strive very hard to bring forth certain idealistic qualities we presently lack.

Consequently, we struggle desperately to emulate those personal characteristics of other speakers which we wrongly believe are responsible for their public speaking success.

In other words, we try to become someone other than ourselves! We try to be a public speaker, whatever that image means to us.

The truth about public speaking is that most successful speakers got that way by doing just the opposite! They didn't try to be like somebody else. They just gave themselves permission to be themselves in front of other people. And much to their surprise, they discovered how much fun they could have doing something most other people dread.

The secret, then, to their success is that they didn't try to become public speakers!

You and I can do the very same thing. No matter what type of person we are, or what skills and talents we possess, we can stand up in front of others and fully be ourselves.

I now love to speak in public. Why? Because it's one of the few times I give myself permission to fully be myself in the presence of others. I can be bold, compassionate, silly, informative, helpful, witty . . . anything I want. I can tell jokes, which I don't normally do, tell humorous or poignant stories, or do anything else that feels natural in the moment.

As a result, I make much better contact with my audience. I don't drone on and on about some uninteresting subject. I'm alive, I'm energized, I'm fully invested in everything I say and do. That's another gift I can give my audience. It also allows me to tell when I've gone on too long or when the people who are listening to me begin to drift away.

When you really get good at being yourself in front of others, you can even stand up in front of a group of people without any idea how you're going to get across your two or three main points. Sometimes, I enjoy throwing myself in front of a group without knowing specifically what I'm going to say. I just focus on my three main points and remember I'm there to give people something of value. Then I give myself permission to say whatever comes to mind. In many instances, I say things I've never said before! They just come out of me spontaneously while "being with my audience." Sometimes, I'm truly amazed at some of the things I end up saying or doing.

And you know what? People in the audience often come up to me afterward and say, "you were great, I wish I had the confidence to give public talks like you." That's exactly the wrong way to think. Don't try to give talks the way I do, or the way anyone else does. Just go out there, armed with a little knowledge and a few key points, and be yourself. Everything else will usually work out. It might be a little rough the first few times you try it, but after a while, you'll settle into some very successful ways of being that will be all yours and no one else's.

Principle #6--Humility and Humor Can Go a Long Way

While each person will eventually find his or her style of public speaking, certain maneuvers can be used by almost everyone. Two of these, humility and humor, can go a long way to making your talks more enjoyable and entertaining for your audience.

Humor is well understood by most of us, so little needs to be said about it here. If being humorous feels comfortable for you, or if it fits your speaking situation, go for it. It usually works, even if you don't do it perfectly.

By humility, I mean standing up in front of others and sharing some of your own human frailties, weaknesses, and mistakes. We all have weaknesses, you know, and when you stand up in front of others and show that you're not afraid to admit yours, you create a safe, intimate climate where others can acknowledge their personal shortcomings as well.

Being humble in front of others makes you more credible, more believable, and paradoxically more respected. People can connect with you more easily. You become "one of them" instead of a remote expert who's head and shoulders above them (which you really aren't). It also sets a tone of honesty and self-acceptance, which people recognize in themselves as well. Don't try to do this, however, if it's not authentic for you. True humility is easily distinguished from the pretense of acting humble. If you pretend, your audience will perceive this and lose respect for you.

Often, humor and humility can be combined very effectively. Telling humorous stories about yourself, or using your own personal failings to demonstrate some point you are trying to make, can be both entertaining and illuminating.

For example, if you get nervous when you stand up to speak in front of a group, or if you suddenly feel nervous during the middle of your talk, don't hide this fact from your audience (they can tell anyway). Be real--and humble--by acknowledging your fear openly and honestly. Ask your audience for forgiveness while you take a few moments to collect yourself.

Or, you can start your talk with a humorous story that produces the same effect. For example, I've seen speakers begin their talks by saying "What lies at the bottom of the ocean and shakes all over?" Answer: a nervous wreck! This is a very endearing strategy that also helps relieve speaking anxiety.

Principle #7--When You Speak in Public, Nothing "Bad" Can Ever Happen!

One thing that adds to the fear of public speaking is the dread people have that something awful, terrible, or publicly humiliating will happen to them.

What if I pass out from nervous exhaustion? What if I forget everything I intended to say and am left standing there, totally speechless? What if the audience hates me and begins throwing things at me?

What if they all get up and leave after the first ten minutes? What if they snipe at me with harsh questions or comments once I'm done? What if someone in the audience tries to turn the group against me?

These could be embarrassing if they occurred. Fortunately, most of them don't happen.

Even when they do, it's useful to have a strategy in mind that has them turn out perfect. Sound difficult? It's not really.

I've found that most of the "negative" things that happen when I'm speaking can be handled by keeping this one simple, but powerful, principle in mind: everything that happens can be used to my advantage.

If people get up and start to head for the door, I can stop what I'm doing and ask for feedback. Was there something about my topic, my style, or my manner of presentation that was offensive to them? Were they simply in the wrong room at the start and didn't know it? Did someone misinform them about what my talk was going to cover?

Regardless of what they tell me, just stopping to deal with this situation, honestly and humbly, will often score points with my remaining audience. It also will give me the opportunity to learn how I am affecting people, so I can make any corrections that might be needed.

Even if everyone walked out and refused to give me a reason, I could ultimately find ways to benefit from this experience. At the very least, I could use it as the opening for my next presentation. "You know, I gave this same talk the other day and everyone in the audience walked out in the first ten minutes. That's my current record, so I guess we'll just have to see what happens today."

The same principle holds for dealing with hecklers or people who ask harsh or confrontational questions. If you assume that nothing truly bad can ever happen when you're speaking in public, you'll be amazed how well you can relate to such events and how often you can indeed use them to your advantage.

And once you've successfully used this principle many times, your anxiety about public speaking will almost completely go away. You'll know it will be virtually impossible for anything "bad" to happen that you won't be able to handle. That is a very comforting thought.

TIP: If you want a good role model for developing this skill, rent a video tape of Johnny Carson's opening monologues. He was a master at using this principle. No matter how his audience responded, Carson was always ready to use their response, positive or negative, to make another joke. He simply couldn't lose, even if the material his writers provided him was rotten.

Principle #8--You Don't Have to Control the Behavior of Your Audience

To succeed as a public speaker, you don't have to control the behavior of your audience. There are certain things you do need to control--your own thoughts, your preparation, arrangements for audio-visual aids, how the room is laid out--but one thing you don't have to control is your audience. They will do whatever they do, and whatever they do will usually be "perfect."

If people are fidgety or restless, don't try to control this. If someone is talking to a neighbor, or reading the newspaper, or falling asleep, leave them alone. If people look like they aren't paying attention, refrain from chastising them. Unless someone is being intentionally disruptive, there is very little you need to control.

Thinking you need to change or control other people is a hidden cause of stress in many areas of life. This is just as true for relating to a group as it is for relating to your friends, spouse, children, or other acquaintances.

Principle #9--In General, the More You Prepare, the Worse You Will Do

Preparation is useful for any public appearance. How you prepare, however, and how much time you need to spend are other matters entirely.

Many of the errors in thinking we've discussed so far often creep in to people's strategies for preparation. If you have the wrong focus (i.e., purpose), if you try to do too much, if you want everyone to applaud your every word, if you fear something bad might happen or you might make a minor mistake, then you can easily drive yourself crazy trying to overprepare your talk. In these instances, the more effort you put in, the worse you probably will do.

On the other hand, if you know your subject well, or if you've spoken about it many times before, you may only need a few minutes to prepare sufficiently. All you might need is to remind yourself of the two or three key points you want to make, along with several good examples and supporting facts and . . . BOOM you're ready to go.

Overpreparation usually means you either don't know your subject well or you do, but you don't feel confident about your ability to speak about it in public. In the former instance, you'll need to do some extra research. In the latter, you'll need to develop trust in your natural ability to speak successfully. The only way to do this is to put yourself in the spotlight, over and over again.

Go out and solicit opportunities to speak on your subject in public. Offer to speak free or for a small fee, enough to cover your expenses. If you have something of value to tell others, keep getting in front of people and deliver it. In no time at all, you'll gain confidence. You'll also begin to respect the natural public speaker/communicator within you.

Principle #10--Your Audience Truly Wants You to Succeed

The last principle to remember is that your audience truly wants you to succeed. Most of them are scared to death of public speaking, just like you. They know the risk of embarrassment, humiliation, and failure you take every time you present yourself in public. They feel for you. They will admire your courage. And they will be on your side, no matter what happens.

This means that most audiences are truly forgiving. While a slip of the tongue or a mistake of any kind might seem a big deal to you, it's not very meaningful or important to your audience. Their judgements and appraisals will usually be much more lenient than yours. It's useful to remind yourself of this point, especially when you think you've performed poorly.
Review Of 11 Hidden Causes Of Public Speaking Stress

1. Thinking that public speaking is inherently stressful (it's not).
2. Thinking you need to be brilliant or perfect to succeed (you don't).
3. Trying to impart too much information or cover too many points in a short presentation.
4. Having the wrong purpose in mind (to get rather than to give/contribute).
5. Trying to please everyone (this is unrealistic).
6. Trying to emulate other speakers (very difficult) rather than simply being yourself (very easy).
7. Failing to be personally revealing and humble.
8. Being fearful of potential negative outcomes (they almost never occur and even when they do, you can use them to your advantage).
9. Trying to control the wrong things (e.g., the behavior of your audience).
10. Spending too much time overpreparing (instead of developing confidence and trust in your natural ability to succeed).
11. Thinking your audience will be as critical of your performance as you might be.

Review of 10 Key Principles To Always Keep In Mind

#1---Speaking in Public is NOT Inherently Stressful

#2---You Don't Have to be Brilliant or Perfect to Succeed

#3---All You Need is Two or Three Main Points

#4---You also Need a Purpose That is Right for the Task

#5---The Best Way to Succeed is NOT to Consider Yourself a Public Speaker!

#6---Humility and Humor Can Go a Long Way

#7---When You Speak in Public, Nothing "Bad" Can Ever Happen!

#8---You Don't Have to Control the Behavior of Your Audience

#9---In General, the More You Prepare, the Worse You Will Do

#10--Your Audience Truly Wants You to Succeed

That's all there is to it. Just look for these eleven hidden causes and keep the ten corresponding principles in mind.

Of course, you will need to practice. It's extremely easy to forget the ten key principles. No matter how often you review them, you'll instinctively fall back into your old stress-producing patterns.

What is the best way to practice? Go out and speak in public. Join a local Toastmasters Group if you like. Take a community college course in public speaking. Better yet, offer to teach a course about something you know very well.

Just keep throwing yourself into the arena, and in no time at all, your skill, confidence, and natural ability will come to the surface.

And remember, if you get up in front of a group and find this stressful, it only means you forgot the truth about what public speaking is all about. Go back and review this Report. Find out what you did wrong or what you didn't remember. Then go back out and speak again until you get it right. It may take time, but the long-term rewards will be impressive.

Motivational Speech presentations

Motivational Speech Topics
Know the needs of your audience and match your contents to their needs. Know your material thoroughly. Put what you have to say in a logical sequence. Ensure your speech will be captivating to your audience as well as worth their time and attention. Practice and rehearse your speech at home or where you can be at ease and comfortable, in front of a mirror, your family, friends or colleagues. Use a tape-recorder and listen to yourself. Videotape your presentation and analyze it. Know what your strong and weak points are. Emphasize your strong points during your presentation.

When you are presenting in front of an audience, you are performing as an actor is on stage. How you are being perceived is very important. Dress appropriately for the occasion. Be solemn if your topic is serious. Present the desired image to your audience. Look pleasant, enthusiastic, confident, proud, but not arrogant. Remain calm. Appear relaxed, even if you feel nervous. Speak slowly, enunciate clearly, and show appropriate emotion and feeling relating to your topic. Establish rapport with your audience. Speak to the person farthest away from you to ensure your voice is loud enough to project to the back of the room. Vary the tone of your voice and dramatize if necessary. If a microphone is available, adjust and adapt your voice accordingly.

Body language is important. Standing, walking or moving about with appropriate hand gesture or facial expression is preferred to sitting down or standing still with head down and reading from a prepared speech. Use audio-visual aids or props for enhancement if appropriate and necessary. Master the use of presentation software such as PowerPoint well before your presentation. Do not over-dazzle your audience with excessive use of animation, sound clips, or gaudy colors which are inappropriate for your topic. Do not torture your audience by putting a lengthy document in tiny print on an overhead and reading it out to them.

Speak with conviction as if you really believe in what you are saying. Persuade your audience effectively. The material you present orally should have the same ingredients as that which are required for a written research paper, i.e. a logical progression from INTRODUCTION (Thesis statement) to BODY (strong supporting arguments, accurate and up-to-date information) to CONCLUSION (re-state thesis, summary, and logical conclusion).

Do not read from notes for any extended length of time although it is quite acceptable to glance at your notes infrequently. Speak loudly and clearly. Sound confident. Do not mumble. If you made an error, correct it, and continue. No need to make excuses or apologize profusely.

Maintain sincere eye contact with your audience. Use the 3-second method, e.g. look straight into the eyes of a person in the audience for 3 seconds at a time. Have direct eye contact with a number of people in the audience, and every now and then glance at the whole audience while speaking. Use your eye contact to make everyone in your audience feel involved.

Speak to your audience, listen to their questions, respond to their reactions, adjust and adapt. If what you have prepared is obviously not getting across to your audience, change your strategy mid-stream if you are well prepared to do so. Remember that communication is the key to a successful presentation. If you are short of time, know what can be safely left out. If you have extra time, know what could be effectively added. Always be prepared for the unexpected.

Pause. Allow yourself and your audience a little time to reflect and think. Don't race through your presentation and leave your audience, as well as yourself, feeling out of breath.

Add humor whenever appropriate and possible. Keep audience interested throughout your entire presentation. Remember that an interesting speech makes time fly, but a boring speech is always too long to endure even if the presentation time is the same.

When using audio-visual aids to enhance your presentation, be sure all necessary equipment is set up and in good working order prior to the presentation. If possible, have an emergency backup system readily available. Check out the location ahead of time to ensure seating arrangements for audience, whiteboard, blackboard, lighting, location of projection screen, sound system, etc. are suitable for your presentation.

Have handouts ready and give them out at the appropriate time. Tell audience ahead of time that you will be giving out an outline of your presentation so that they will not waste time taking unnecessary notes during your presentation.

Know when to STOP talking. Use a timer or the microwave oven clock to time your presentation when preparing it at home. Just as you don't use unnecessary words in your written paper, you don't bore your audience with repetitious or unnecessary words in your oral presentation. To end your presentation, summarize your main points in the same way as you normally do in the CONCLUSION of a written paper. Remember, however, that there is a difference between spoken words appropriate for the ear and formally written words intended for reading. Terminate your presentation with an interesting remark or an appropriate punch line. Leave your listeners with a positive impression and a sense of completion. Do not belabor your closing remarks. Thank your audience and sit down.

Have the written portion of your assignment or report ready for your instructor if required.

Public Speaking Links:

Advanced Public Speaking Institute. Free Articles on Public Speaking. Include:

* Public Speaking: Get 'em On Stage.
* Public Speaking: The Differences Between a Man and a Woman . . . in the Audience that is . . .
* Public Speaking: Pick Your Audience - Learn to pick the right audience for you.
* Public Speaking: How to Close a Speech.
* Public Speaking: Cool Color Commentary - Pay attention to color, Flip chart color ...
* Public Speaking: Attention Gaining Devices.
* Why Use Humor? and more. (Pop-up Ads).

Allyn and Bacon's Public Speaking Website contains five modules that help you prepare your speeches.

The Art of Communicating Effectively. Tips for a successful presentation.

Articles and Publications with presentation tips and suggestions from Professional Business Communications.

Art of Public Speaking. Hints and tips on public speaking, public speaking nerves and anxiety.

Art of Speaking in Public by Mahavir Mohnot, India. Contents: Speaking in Public Confidently, Checklist for a Good Speaker, Tips to Prepare Your Speech, How to Deliver a Speech, More Tips for Effective Speaking, Formal Speeches, Motivational Speech, Rhyme & Chime of Public Speaking, Links to Famous Speeches: John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mark Anthony, and Nehru. (Pop-up ads).

Basic Public Speaking, 2nd Edition (Paperback): The Roadmap to Confident Communications
by Douglas A. Parker, M.Ed.
Basic Public Speaking, 2nd Edition by Douglas Parker

Basic Public Speaking, 2nd Edition - The Roadmap to Confident Communications. Excerpts from the book by Douglas Parker. Public Speaking Advice, Tips for Teachers, and Helpful Resources. Contents include:

* How to write a speech.
* How to "size up" your audience.
* Basic Speech Organization Skills.
* How nerves affect the speaker, and what can be done about it!.
* Basic speech evaluation and assessment tools.

Better Public Speaking & Presentation - Ensure Your Words Are Always Understood by Kellie Fowler, from Mind Tools. Being prepared: Guidelines for Thinking Ahead: Ask yourself: Who? What? How? When? Where? Why?

Big Dog's Leadership Page - Presentation Skills by Donald R. Clark. Contents: Introduction, The Voice, The Body, Active Listening, Nerves, Questions, Preparing the Presentation, Habits, Tips and Techniques for Great Presentations, Templates.

Brian Carter's Public Speaking Tips. Public speaking resource with articles, tips, sample topics, and speech examples.

Business: Public Speaking from The Sideroad. Includes:

* Effective Public Speaking by Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, professor of speech communication at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky.
* Getting Over Your Last Minute Fear of Public Speaking by Patricia Fripp. See also Giving a Speech? -- My Top 10 Suggestions.
* Improve Your Public Speaking: Openers and Closers by Lillian D. Bjorseth.
* Overcoming Last Minute Presentation Fear by Connie de Veer.
* Presentation Skills: How to Improve by Kevin Eikenberry.
* Speech Writing: Be Brief! by Stephen D. Boyd.
* Using Quotations by Caterina Rando.

Effective Presentations. UCLA Sponsored Research. Includes practical tips on effective slide presentation such as: Seven words a line, seven lines a slide.

Elements of an Effective Speech and Five Ways to Make Your Body Speak by Lenny Laskowski.

Gifts of Speech: Women's Speeches from Around the World. Browse alphabetically By Last Name, or browse chronologically By Year (1948-1979) to view Featured Speakers and their speeches.

How to Be Great at Public Speaking and Get Paid for It by Tom Antion.

How To Conquer Public Speaking Fear by Morton C. Orman, M.D.

How to Take the Anxiety Out of Public Speaking: Professional Speakers Offer Tricks of the Trade by Marsha Mardock and Dulce de Leon, from National Speakers Association. Site includes: 10 Tips for Finding the Right Speaker.

McGraw-Hill's Public Speaking Site. Speech Preparation Tutorials: Selecting a topic, Locating and evaluating resources, Preparing the speech, Speaking to an audience, Listening to speeches.

On the Job: Public Speaking Tips - Twelve Steps to Great Presentations by Elise Bauer.

Presentation Helper. Help and advice for your presentations.

Presentation Points. Modified from Neuro-Linquistic Programming Practitioners Course.

Presentation Skills for Emergent Managers. Presentations viewed as one of the first managerial skills needed by an emergent manager. Fnd out what a presentation can do for you. (Pop-up ads).

Presenters University. Articles on Delivery Skills. Learn how to be an impactful power presenter.

Public Speaking. Speakers who are ill prepared tend to be nervous. Nervousness leads to anxiety and forgetfulness. Anxiety and forgetfulness lead to nervousness which leads to anxiety and forgetfulness ... The answer is to understand public speaking and learn how to control your feelings so as to make a good showing.

Public Speaking Tip & Trick Links from Kirby Tepper.

Public Speaking Tips. 10 tips for effective speaking from Character Counts!

Public Speaking Tips (or how to enjoy presentations). Article by Mark Tyrrell with practical advice. Topics covered include: 8 Tips for Dealing with Difficult People and Tough Questions, The 10 Most Common Public Speaking Fears, Avoiding a Major Public Speaking Mistake, and others.

Speaking Tips by Stephen M. Fournier. Contents: General Tips, Opening and Closing, The Speech Body, Body Language, Vocal Variety, More on Voice, Nervousness.

Speaker Tips: Change Your Attitude to Fight "Stage Fright" and The Three Fundamentals of Selling Your Message: Persuading your audience without tricking them by Ron Sathoff. (Scroll down page to view article).

Speaking Tips from Presentations.com.

Speech Archives. Great Speeches from the History Channel. Hear the Words that Changed the World. Vast collection of speeches is drawn from the most famous broadcasts and recordings of the 20th century. Categories: Politics & Government; Science & Technology; Arts, Entertainment & Culture; War & Diplomacy.

Speech Topics Help, Advice & Ideas. How-to guides, tips to brainstorm and research speech topics, and lists of ideas to get inspiration for public speaking assignments.

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Toastmasters International: 10 Tips for Successful Public Speaking. See also Don't Burn Your Toast: Tips on Toasting from Toastmasters

Motivational speech topics tutorial, examples and organizational patterns to determine the goal of your speech.

The aim of the motivational speech is to get your audience acting or changing their behavior or beliefs in some way. Try to strengthen commitment and at least get them to agree with your proposal. This kind of public speaking is mainly based on a question of policy. So, build in emotional appeals in your motivational speech, as well as evidence and reasoning.

Examples:
Ask them to donate money towards a charity organization.
Persuade them to increase their personal productivity.

Patterns For Motivational Speech Topics

Choose for one of the popular patterns to write your motivational speech topics: the Monroe's Motivated Sequence or the Comparative Advantages Pattern. Anyway, choose a pattern that relates your viewpoints to the demographic and knowledge of your public, the needs and interests of your audience and the occasion.

The Monroe's Motivated Sequence Speech Topics

This pattern is very useful to elaborate on motivational speech topics.

ATTENTION

Get the attentention of your public. State the importance of your specific angle of approach. List the main benefits to arouse interest.

NEED

State the need for change. Show why it should concern them. Relate the issue or problem to the values, attitudes, interests and needs of the listeners.

SATISFACTION

Satisfy their needs. Provide the details and interesting facts of your plan. Show how your solution works.

VISUALIZATION

Visualize the benefits. That is the heart of your motivational speech topic. Illustrate them with examples, anecdotes, comparisons, statistics, definitions and visual aids. Show succesful implementation in other organizations. Tell your public what's in it for them.

ACTION

Call to action. Show them what to do to implement your plan.

Many students use this outline for motivational speech topics since Alan Monroe invented it 70 years ago. You can use this motivated sequence speech writing strategy also if you want to persuade to agree there is no need for change or action, because there is no problem. If it comes to that, then convince your public that the solutions to a non-extisting problem are not practical and that they precisely cause problems.

Comparative Advantages Pattern

This pattern looks like the one for motivated sequence speech topics and is often used for business presentations. The big difference occurs in the satisfy and visualization steps. In those steps you have to compare and contrast two or more plans, solutions or alternatives. Show your listeners which one is the best. Example motivational speech topic: Compare and contrast two cellphones and tell which one is the best one for your job or personal life and why.

Generate Ideas For Motivational Speech Topics
Below you'll see a list of general categories that can be narrowed to a topic for a motivational speech. Scroll down, use your imagination and elaborate on these topics. These examples are meant to motivate you to create motivational speech topics yourself! To help you in the right direction:

* What do you want to achieve?
* What behavior are you trying to change?
* What level of agreement do you at least want to accomplish?

The Goal Of Your Motivational Speech Topics

Actually you have just one goal: to motivate them to act or to agree. Write down what you want them to do, and how you are going to persuade them that you are right. Phrase your goal in a declarative statement, in a way that will motivate. There are two ways two create a motivational speech:

The first way is the use of the imperative mood in relation to activities, issues or problems at college, in your work environment, or in your community. Examples:

Become involved in ..., Buy ..., Change ..., Choose ..., Do ..., Donate ..., Establish ..., Join ..., Make ..., Pay ..., Quit ..., Sell ..., Sign ..., Study ..., Support ..., Take ..., Volunteer ..., Vote ...

General Themes For Motivational Speech Topics

An other way to create motivational speech topics is to relate these general themes below to personal, educational or professional activities, issues or problems.

Breakthroughs - Career Development - Challenge - Change - Coaching - Commitment - Communication - Competence - Competitiveness - Confidence - Decision Making - Discipline - Effective Meetings - Ensure Safety - Ergonomics - Focused Thinking - Future - Involvement - Inspiration - Integrity - Interpersonal Skills - Leadership - Negotiation Tactics - Personal Effectiveness - Personal Growth - Personal Improvement - Personal Productivity - Personal Wellness - Responsibility - Self Respect - Set Realistic Goals - Stress - Teambuilding - Teamwork - Trends - Values - Work Ethics

I hope I have motivated you now enough to create and write good motivational speech topics.

This famous I Have a Dream Speech of Dr. Martin Luther King

This famous I Have a Dream Speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on August 28, 1963 is the perfect example of inspiring and uplifting. Dr. King used some rethorical methods, including repetition, metaphors, inspiration, identification and persuasion in his speech topics.

About The Historical Context Of The I Have a Dream Speech

In the 1950's and 60's Baptist minister Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the leader of a non-violent movement that strived for racial equality. In 1964 King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. One of the milestones was on August 28, 1963. King organized a march on Washington, D.C. where he delivered this historical I Have a Dream Speech.

The I Have a Dream Speech Text analysis

This historical Martin Luther King speech was delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963.On the right you see my simple analysis of the speech topics in the I Have a Dream Speech. Jump to other pages of Speech topics Help to see them explained.


The I Have a Dream Speech text

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Speech Topics Analysis

Part I of the I have a dream speech: identification and uniting

Part II of the I have a dream speech: historical background

Part III of the I have a dream speech: repetition of the situation now and what ought to be corrected

Part IV of the I have a dream speech: why this situation should be corrected, by the classical appeals to emotion, facts and values

Part V of the I have a dream speech: explaining the goals, the solution

Part VI of the I have a dream speech: prove that the alternatives cause more problems

Part VII of the I have a dream speech: how to change it, proposing, demanding, persuading. This part also has elements of problem solutions speech topics - visualize the practicality of your solution, how they will improve the situation, show their effectiveness and practicality

Part VIII of the I have a dream speech: persuasion, convincing

Part IX of the I have a dream speech: vizualising the main goals by use of repetition and metaphors

Part X of the I have a dream speech: concluding the main goals by use of repetition and metaphors.
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Part XI of the I have a dream speech: concluding the thesis statement I Have A Dream - Free At Last