The usual situation when giving a speech is this – the closer you get to starting, the harder your heart beats. Breathing becomes more and more difficult, and it feels as if someone is sitting on your chest. The only clear thought hammering in your head is, “But what happens if I fail?” Are you familiar with this situation? If
Believe it or not, but I get asked about stage fright almost every single day. Fear of public speaking is something that holds back a lot of speakers with great potential. This is a widespread phobia that many people I’ve talked to have struggled with. Fortunately, I’ve decided to put together a full guide for my readers who are struggling
You’ve been nominated for an award and now you have to give an acceptance speech. It might be an Academy Award where the whole world is watching or it might be an award for the best coach in your little league. Regardless, it’s still important and you would like to look good while giving this speech. So, how to give
There are certain times in your life that are going to involve ceremony, whether it is getting sworn into a local office, as a school board member, being named head of the PTA or perhaps officiating someone’s wedding. All these occasions are marked by certain ceremonial speeches. So, how to make a good ceremonial speech? A ceremonial speech is not
We’ve all been there. That conference or that Chamber of Commerce meeting where the host is, “OK, before we start, let’s all stand up and introduce ourselves for 30 seconds.” It seems simple, it seems casual and no one is asking you to give a big keynote speech. And still our heart is racing like a Maserati. We’re not even
Public speaking is like anything else in life that cannot exist without some myths, and today I am going to take a closer look at the most common public speaking related myths you should know about. I am 100% certain that there is no such a thing as a “natural born speaker” or anything else these public speaking myths described
When you’re writing an important speech, you must start with a clear outline. However, I find that many speakers are uncertain of how to write a good outline for their presentation. This is why I decided to write a guide for you, in hopes that learning to perfect your outlines will help you give better presentations in the future. How
It’s the big day! Time is running out and you have yet to work on memorizing your speech. The only problem is, you’re due to give your presentation very soon. In fact, you have less than an hour to go. What do you do? I get emails asking me all the time if it is possible to memorize a speech
While we’ve already explored the topic of speaking without notes here on my site, I’ve figured I should add a piece about speaking with notes. After all, there is nothing wrong with using notes in a speech, and it is the preferred method of many speakers. I know that there are a lot of times when I choose to use
The way you use your voice is one of the absolute most important aspects of speaking in public. This can easily change the way your audience sees you, whether for the better or for the worse. Today, I’m going to talk about how to use your voice well so that you can improve your speech-giving skills. So, how do you
You don’t have to be a fashionista to wonder how to dress for public speaking. This is actually a common concern, and sometimes can cause downright anxiety for some people. It’s a big enough issue that people search for advice all the time. That’s what I’m here to help with. Wondering how to dress for public speaking? Research your audience,
In my experience, a lot of my public speaking students give much more attention to how they start their speech rather than how to end it. Many of them don’t realize that how you end a speech is of paramount importance, too. After all, the last things your audience hears from you may make the biggest lasting impression. What are
There is a natural flow to giving a speech in public. And taking appropriate pauses is incredibly important to that flow, whether you believe it or not. But many of my students tell me they’re not sure how to pause at the right time, or for what reasons. If you may be lost on how to do this, you’re certainly
Whether it’s your first speech or your hundredth, you might be feeling the anxiety build as you stare at a blank page. You need to wow your audience, but you’re not sure how. It can be stressful to create a moving speech from nothing, but you’re not alone. Below, I’ve compiled a killer list of speech writing tips from seasoned