The art of Speaking Skill

How to Speak Confidently; During Your Speech

1. Deliver the salutation loudly, clearly and slowly. This is the moment when the listener gets his first impression of you, and forms either the idea, “Oh, dear! I’m afraid I won’t be able to hear him very well,” or “Good! I’m sure I’ll be able to hear everything this speaker says. “

Watch the effect of a loud, clear salutation on an audience: a visible relaxation, accompanied by little smiles of relief. Their feeling of pleasure reacts upon you and gives you confidence.

2. Except on the most solemn occasions, smile at the audience as you deliver the salutation. As you exhibit one of the signs of calmness and confidence-a smile-you feel calm and confident.

3. Don’t be ashamed of your notes. When you want to look at them raise them boldly. If you temporarily lose the thread of your speech, take your time; look at the notes until you find the next thing you want to say. The listener does not mind seeing you look at your notes. He knows that is the reason you have them. He is content to revolve in his mind, for a few seconds, the thought you gave him before you paused.

Hold the notes tightly; don’t drop them. The feel of them between your fingers, with the knowledge that they contain all you need for your speech, builds confidence.

Similarly, if you are using a lectern, don’t try to smuggle your notes on to it without letting the audience see them; don’t try to conceal your action when you turn to a new sheet.

4. The first few times you speak, you may find that the gaze of the audience embarrasses you. An easy cure is to avoid looking heads their eyes. Instead, direct your gaze a few inches above the heads of the people in the back row. (Not up at the ceiling!) Keep your eyes moving from side to side at that altitude. Few of the audience will perceive that you are not looking at them. But this should be only a temporary crutch. As soon as you can, practice into the eyes of the audience.

5. Don’t hesitate to keep pausing for breath whenever need it. oxygenation of the blood produces calmness and confidence.

6. Don’t hesitate to pause for thought or to find the right. The audience does not mind. If, during a lengthy speech, your throat gets dry, pause while you pour and drink some water. Take your time! Do it confidently and openly. As long as all of them call see  what you are doing, the audience’s attention will be riveted on you. Don’t try to drink and speak at the same time; this viii probably induce an embarrassing spell of coughing or choking.

7. Continue to speak loudly, slowly and clearly. Low volume, haste and indistinctness are signs of nervousness. But if your voice sounds confident, you will tend to feel confident.

How to control Audience Adaptation During the Speech

No matter how hard you work ahead of time, things may not go exactly as planned on the cay of your speech. For speeches in the classroom you may find that the overhead projector for your visual aids is not available or that another student has the same topic as you. For speeches outside the classroom you might learn that the room for your speech has been changed, that the audience will be much larger (or smaller) than you had anticipated, or even that the amount of time available for your speech has been cut in half because a previous speaker has droned on for too long.

if something like this happens to you, don’t panic. Find another way to present your visual aids. Modify your introduction to mention the other student’s speech on your topic. Adjust your delivery to the changed audience size. And if you find you have less time for your speech than you had planned, don’t simply talk twice as fast to get everything in-that would be worse than not talking at all. Instead, condense your speech to its most essential points and present them in the time available. Your listeners will sympathize with your predicament and will appreciate your regard for their time. This will more than compensate for your lost speaking time.

Finally, be sure to keep an eye out during your speech for audience feedback. If your listeners are sitting forward in their chairs, looking at you with interest, and nodding their heads in approval, you can assume things are going well. But suppose you find them frowning or responding with quizzical looks. Then you may need to back up and go over your point again.

How to Say Welcoming a Visitor

The structure of a speech of welcome is much like that of an introduction.

1. Explain what you are talking about. “On behalf of the Our town Civic Betterment Association, it is my pleasure to welcome Mr. So-and-so”.

2. Tell the audience something about the visitor. As in an introduction, be pleasant and positive. Mention the good points and Avoid criticisms. Mention tale purpose of his visit. (Don’t assume that every listener already knows this.)

3. End with a formal phrase of welcome. “SO, Mr. So-and-so, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Our town.”

Here, as in preparing to introduction, it will be helpful to talk with the visitor and filed out if there is anything he wants you to say, or not to say.