Does your heart pounds as strong as mine while giving a speech? When you see all eyes are staring at you and all ears are directed towards your voice? It can make you fumble and overwhelmed at times but this can affect the way you start your speech. The first word that comes out of your mouth will be the anchor that will decide whether the audience will stick to what you say or not? It matters. There are ways to overcome the fear, anxiety, and nervousness to be the point of attention. So let’s get started and find ways that will keep your heart away from your throat; on its right place.
Here is how to give a speech that will be remembered and appreciated.
Be Yourself:
While thinking about how to give a speech; the most common mistake that people make is worrying too much about the wrong things. Like what they are wearing. Or whether their hair looks good. Appearance matters, but there are things which matter even more. This is the time to calm yourself down and be yourself. Be the real you. Talk to yourself before talking to other selfish people – strangers that will not help you. Clear all your doubts and make a move. This is your time where you must take a break for few moments and give yourself a motivational speech. Head out and find a peaceful place to relax yourself and focus. Focus on:
- Your breath
- What you intend to speak
- How you want to dazzle the audience
- What sort of a speaker you want to be?
Keep in mind
These things helps you a great deal as you enjoy being yourself and this also helps you to regain the confidence and wipes away any doubts that you have for yourself. What most speakers mostly do in order for their speech to sound different is to make it complex. This is where they try to impose things on themselves and get lost somewhere in that dungeon of extra doings. The main focus should be on keeping it simple and easily understandable. Just be yourself and communicate the basic idea. This can give an amazing start to your speech, as you will start as a pro; calm, contended and confident.
How to start a speech: Your first word
You head for a good start because once that is done; your confidence level will increase like energy after a cup of coffee. This is the point where careful considerations are to be made. While giving a speech there are something which you must never dare to say. By never I mean never.
These lines are so mainstream and will make the audience yawn as soon as you open your mouth. These disastrous lines are:
- It’s a pleasure to be here; I am really thankful
- This is not going to take long
- I was asked few minutes earlier to deliver this speech
- I am not prepared still I made an appearance
Things like these turn off the audience as they are not investing their time to hear excuses or the lines which they have been listening from childhood. If the opening statement is not strong enough and you are not focused, people will make their mind that the speech will be boring and you will lose your chance to leave an impact over them. This will also make the entire speech clumsy and as you will not be able to connect to the audience; the confidence level will decline with each passing minute.
Be prepared:
There is nothing like being fully prepared in whatever you do. One important step in making yourself confident is to know all about what you are going to say and being sure about it. If you are not fully prepared and lack knowledge on whatever you are going to speak on; will make you nervous and concerned and this will flow to your audience.
While planning your speech, take enough time to prepare the way you should prepare and make sure it comes out naturally. Your words and actions shouldn’t look forced or make-upped. Walk around the area and practice out loud, make expressions. Do not try to memorize your speech word by word, just talk it out as you normally do. Take this tip and you will thank me as soon as the speech starts.
Believe me, if you are prepared well, you will feel more confident and that power of knowing will make an everlasting impact and an excellent impression on the audience you are addressing to. Always believe in yourself and keep in mind that you know how to give a speech with power, make sure to start with something engaging, something that is unique and something that will make the audience render you an ear.
Giving positive vibes:
You can never go wrong with this one. Who doesn’t like a person oozing out positive energy? This person can be you when you start your speech. Give a positive and confident start by a positive statement. Tell yourself that ‘the next few minutes will be so much fun that you probably will not want the talk to end”. I was able to see the curious faces of the audience as if they wanted to listen; I will be heard. This boosted my confidence and power that I utilized in the speech to make an ever lasting impact; A good one! You can even start by telling an impactful story or giving them hope, telling a joke to connect them or making them wonder with some surprising statements.
Body Language:
Body language makes a difference in how you deliver your speech; but it depends upon how you will initiate your speech. What will be your gesture, how are you standing, are there wrinkles on your forehead, are you making nervous moves? These are the things that can make a lot of difference in how you start your speech. There are a few tips that can enhance the confidence while staring a speech as these will make you look confident and you will be able to connect with the audience. These are:
- Even before you utter your first word. The audience will see you. It will be important what your posture is. Good posture can be the key of confidence that you need for ignition. If you know how to start a speech with the correct posture; it will make your appearance and presence more appealing and dependable on the stage.
- Body language also includes your overall gestures. If you tend to hide your hands it may give a feel if nervousness. Use your hands to enhance your tale. For example, while stating the speech; make a statement that is bold and use your hands to add a bit drama to it. This can engage the audience in better way.
- Smile! This is the ultimate tip. Smiles spread fast and makes you connect to your audience. A smiling face is always confident and it can never go wrong. Smile a bit before you take the podium and start your speech. This can make you connect with the audience and you will feel happy and confident. So, when someone asks how to start a speech with confidence. Just tell them to smile.
The body training; breath control:
There are something that ay remain unnoticed but once they are followed they can make all the difference in the world. The people who know how to start a speech always precise these simple rules and are the bosses in speaking. You need to be sure that your body corporates with you while you make a speech. This means you should have breath control, the sleek projection of your voice and to be sure that you are speaking properly.
There are few tips that experts share; these are:
- You must know what your pitch is. Whether are you speaking high or low. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed easily and panting, take a break and modulate your tone. Try to relax and stand in a comfortable posture. Now start speaking while breathing properly; this will make your tone more pleasant and composed and you will sound more prepaed. This will in turn help you to start your speech with confidence.
- The diaphragm training helps clear projection. This makes your voice loud and clear so that the audience can hear you properly. Breathing in and out by keeping the hand on the diaphragm can help a lot. This will prevent your voice sounding exhausted and cramped. You will deliver each word with clarity. This will make the opening statement flawless and you will feel more confident, having a power in your vocal quality. If the opening statement goes well. The rest of the game is yours.
If you know how to start a speech with confidence and power; you can do wonders with your presence. This is an important tool as people get inspired by clarity, wisdom, confidence and all this coming in clear, easy to hear attitude. A small tip from me; just believe that you can do it and you will.
