You’ve been asked to emcee your company’s annual awards dinner, introduce a speaker or give a presentation at your next staff meeting. Whatever the occasion may be, this means you’ll be speaking in front of a crowd. And no matter if it’s for a large audience or a small, intimate group, speaking with confidence is an extremely important professional skill.

The path to speaking well begins long before you take the stage. Whether you’re making a long, formal speech or simply a short introduction, the most important step is to be prepared. The Helpful Hints staff consulted professional speakers who offered this advice:

Begin by jotting down notes about the material you want to cover. Many speakers keep notebooks just for this purpose, adding thoughts that pop into their heads at odd moments. Once you have most of your information collected, develop an outline. Then rework this outline until you have all your ideas in their natural order.

Now, write down the words themselves. Revise and rewrite until everything seems right to you. Be sure to check for accuracy, redundancies and clichés. Keep in mind that professional speakers recommend using everyday language so that you are comfortable with the words and so your audience can easily understand your message.  They also suggest avoiding too many technical words and statistics.

Next, rehearse out loud until you feel comfortable with your delivery. You’ll want the words to roll out naturally, and this takes practice. Using a tape recorder will let you hear how you sound. Make sure you are speaking clearly, loud enough and not rushing your words. Timing your remarks is important if you have a specific time allotted.

Now, print your key points onto Avery Postcards (available on sheets of four cards per page for easy computer printing) to refer to while you’re speaking. You’ll find that printed notes are much easier and quicker to refer to than handwritten ones. Then, practise your speech in front of someone. They may be able to point out little improvements.

If public speaking makes you at all nervous, Janet E. Esposito, author of In the SpotLight: Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Performing (published by Strong Books), says, “You can build your confidence by focusing your attention on your message—the information you’re giving to your audience—instead of on yourself. Taking deep breaths also has an amazingly calmative effect on anxiousness.”

Keep in mind that your audience is eager for the information you can offer. Follow these tips and you’re on your way to great public speaking.

Quick Tip
Palm Cards
Print your speaking notes on Avery Postcards. Use bold type for key words and ideas to trigger your memory and avoid simply reading from your notes.