Don't be afraid of doing a formal speech in front of your class - Information for learners

O those dreaded words ... and for tomorrow you will do a prepared speech.  It is worse than being grounded.  Where do you start and how do you stay calm when you have to deliver it in front of the whole class?  

Lets look at a few tips.

The first thing you need to remember is.... A speech is not a reading assignment, so even if you have written it down on paper and you did your best, the whole exercise will go down the tubes if you stand there, face down and just read from the paper.

This is a speech, NOT prepared reading...

That means that you will have to look up at your classmates (your audience), make eye contact and deliver your speech.  Nobody says you may not glance at your notes now and then to remember what you want to say, but not all the time.  

This can be quite a scary experience and not all of us is made to stand in front of a class and speak out loud, but if you stick to a few steps you will survive it.

If you want to make sure that your speech is effective, you need to prepare and practice.  Writing a speech is just like writing an essay, but after that comes the preparation to deliver it in a good way.

If you want to make sure that your speech is heard and you get a good mark, remember the following

• do not wait until the last minute to just scribble something on a piece of paper and read it in class - take your time, think about what you want to say and use proper English (or what ever language you speak) in doing so
• make sure people remember your speech - use original ideas, use a little humor or stick to a topic that you know or believe in.  If a topic is given to you, make sure you find enough information to grab the attention of the others and don't stand there unprepared, because then your speech will most probably end up as just a few sounds like 'uhm.... uhm'
• If you can write a speech that make other people think, you will grab their attention

You will write your speech in the same way you will write an essay.  An introduction, a middle and a closing.  You must grab the attention of 'your audience' right from the beginning.  That way you will make sure that they will listen to you because they want to know more about what you have to say.

If you want to write a gripping speech, use some of the following to add to your speech

1. tell a short story to grab the attention or sympathy of the audience
2. use contrasts where you tell both sides of a story or your own opinion
3. use words that will create a specific feeling with the listener.  It can be any type of emotion
4. you can use words to exaggerate a point - words like tons and millions and enormous etc.
5. ask 'rhetorical questions' - A question the will not be answered but will make them think
6. you can throw in a 'shocking statement' - something to make them sit up and listen
7. you can use statistics or quotes, but not too many, otherwise it can become boring.  Nobody wants to listen to a list of statistics the whole time
8. repeat certain words that you want to emphasize 
9. use descriptive words that will sketch a picture in the listeners mind.

After you have written you 'killer speech' it is important that you prepare it.  Do not try and remember it word for word.

Write down the 'main ideas' and then carry on with your description.  Keep some cards with you with some 'main words or phrases' on it that if you see it you will remember what you want to say and this will also help you stick to the topic and not leave out important information.

If you see that you have left out a point or skipped a part, do not panic.  Just circle back to it whenever you feel it fits into the speech.

If you are prepared and know your speech, practice in front of the mirror to stand up straight and keep eye contact with your audience.

If you are very nervous, take a deep breath and hold your hands that you do not fidget a lot and if you do not like making eye contact, find some spots on the wall where you can focus.

The more you do a speech in front of people, to more relaxed you will become.  Practice on your friends and family and if it does not go that well the first time, do not give up, you will get better and more relaxed as you do it more.

If you are in a class with a lot of kids who are always trying to be funny and will distract you during your speech, or you really have a problem speaking in front of people, ask your teacher if you can do the speech for her at break time or after school when they are all gone.

Sometimes we just need to face our fears, but the more prepared we are, the better we can face them.

Have a look at the video for some extra tips