Helpful Suggestions

Public speaking is about you communicating information effectively to your audience.

Preparation and practice is essential. A good public speaker will not stand in front of their audience and speak unprepared.

The structure and content of your presentation are very important. Your presentation should clearly communicate two or three key messages to your audience. In order to decide on what your key messages are you will need to profile your audience by answering the following four questions:

1. Who are your audience?

This is information that you already know about your audience that might influence how you will speak to them. For example, what is their gender, age, education, profession etc? Are they already informed about your topic of presentation?

2. What is their emotional starting point?

In other words, are they likely to be interested in or indifferent to what you have to say?

3. What is the purpose of your presentation?

Is it to inform your audience or is it to persuade them into agreeing or disagreeing with a point of view?

4. What do you want to tell them?

Bearing in mind the purpose of your presentation what are the two or three key messages that you wish to convey to your audience?

Now that you’ve profiled your audience and have identified what your key messages should be you need to decide how you can attract and hold their attention while you make your presentation.

An audience will decide within 45 seconds whether they will continue to listen to you or not. It is your job to persuade them that they should.

There are several ways to do this. One way is to give them a reason why they should listen to you or why the topic is relevant to them. Other ways include asking questions, reading quotations, using interesting facts and personal stories or experiences.

The last 45 seconds of your presentation are as important as the first 45 seconds. You should leave your audience with a strong impression. They should know where you stand and be clear on the evidence that supports your argument.

Being a little nervous when speaking in public is normal. In fact it is a good sign as it shows that you care about your presentation. However, there are a number of things you can do:

1. Practice, practice, practice. Don’t turn up on the day of the competition to run through your presentation for the first time. You will not do yourself or your team justice. It is important to practice giving your speech beforehand to your family, friends, teachers and classmates. Practice as a team as well.

2. Arrive early so that you can familiarise yourself with where you will be speaking, the podium and the microphone. Be aware that during a presentation it is perfectly acceptable for each individual speaker to adjust the microphone.

3. Take a deep breath. When you are relaxed you will be at your best. Try listening to some of your favourite music or doing some stretches on your way to the venue.

4. Don’t apologise. Our bodies react in different ways when we are nervous including an increased heartbeat, a shaky voice and trembling limbs. Your audience will understand you being nervous but the reality is they may not even have noticed. A dry mouth is not uncommon when speaking in public. It is okay for a speaker to pause and take a sip of water during a presentation.

Remember your audience wants you to do well. They want you to be interesting, stimulating and informative. Try to focus on communicating your key messages to them and not on being nervous.

When speaking in public your voice should be clear, confident and loud enough for your audience to hear you. Remember not to speak too fast and to avoid long sentences. A short pause inserted after each sentence will help you to speak slower.

A public speaker should always be well presented. Be clean, neat and tidy.

Notes are used by public speakers as reminders during their presentations. They should not cause a distraction to the audience.

Public speakers should maintain eye contact with their audience. Hand gestures and movement should be used appropriately and not overdone.

These suggestions are meant to be helpful to students preparing to speak in public. They are not exhaustive or to be considered as part of the public speaking competition marking scheme.