Public Speaking

When speaking publicly, it is very easy to get nervous and forget what you were wanting to say. There are many different ways to give a speech, but the best method usually involves writing notes and basing the speech off of them.

When writing notes for a speech you should use notecards or index cards. These cards should be numbered sequentially so that you know which cards to look at first. According to Business Communications Essentials, the main goal of having notes for a speech is to provide you with a que or a reminder of your next point in the speech. It is easy to forget certain points when people are staring at you in anticipation of your speech. If you have just a quick sentence or a few words of the next topic you plan to talk about, then it’s much easier to branch out in more detail. Notecards can also be a type of security if you’re nervous for a speech. Knowing that they are there to help you can give you more confidence that the speech will go according to your plan. Notes should not however, be your entire speech written down. Speeches should not be read but should be spoken. If you don’t know your topic enough to be able to talk about it freely, then it’s probably not the right topic for you to speak about.

My experience in public speaking is pretty minimal outside of my public speaking class I took as a sophomore in college. I remember being nervous and anxious each time I had to give a speech. Things that helped me were being interested in my topic, knowing my topic to the best of my knowledge, and adding a little humor in my speech to loosen things up a bit. As much as I disliked my public speaking class, it truly did help me feel more confident when speaking in front of other people.