JP Rezendes

Ms. Godfrey
Honors Leadership
10/7/19
Public Speaking - MIT Freshman
MIT Freshman
I. Preparation for Speaking
A. Speech is What You Do With Sound
1. To make you voice sound the best, take deep breaths before and while
you are speaking.
2. Practice how to take deep breaths, figure out from a physical
standpoint what deep breaths should be like
3. Speaking posture
a) Stand in a comfortable position (not rigid, not slumped over)
B. Your Voice Creates an Impression
1. Pitch
a) What is the pitch of your voice? You may want a lower pitch so
your voice can carry better
2. Inflection
a) Don’t end sentences with an upward tone (makes you sound
uncertain).
b) Beware inflections of sarcasm
3. Pace
a) Speak slower and more deliberate than a normal conversation
b) Slow pace with pauses between ideas
4. Articulation
a) Very important not to blur your words
b) Say only words (aaah, er, um, uh...these are not acceptable)
C. Get your voice ready
1. Practice breath control
2. Find natural standing body position
 3. Watch what you eat before a talk
a) Whether it is your stomach making noise or you have to clear
your throat often, be aware of what you eat.
4. Get your voice to stretch
a) Make sure it can reach the back of the room
II. Writing for Speaking
A. You will Read your Speech (Or glance at your notes)
1. Have notes with important points (Don't read everything)
2. Adjust your notes to the situation at hand
3. Write how you talk
a) This way you will not get tripped up when glancing at your
notes
b) This will make it easier to remember
4. Avoid clichés
5. Give yourself written aural hints
a) (e.g. pause, laugh, etc.)
b) Write/type in large font that is easy to read.
B. Speed Kills
1. The perfect speed for you to understand what you are saying may be
too fast of the audience
2. Go slow especially with stats.
C. Audience Relationship
1. Know what type of audience you are presenting to.
2. Make eyecontact
D. Visuals
1. Keep the presentations and materials simple
2. Complicated and wordy slides are bad.
3. Visuals have the potential to heighten the interest of the audience
E. Day of the Speech.
1. Read over your notes, especially format, structure, and key points.
2. Don't eat heavily before
 3. Take deep breaths, don't rush it.
Brent Gleason

I. Know your audience

A. Know of their needs and match your content to their needs
B. Captivate their attention
II. Be an actor
A. How you are being perceived is very important, so act as you want to be
perceived.
III. Body Language
A. Do not be rigid
B. Use hand gestures, walking
IV. Speak with Conviction
A. Persuade your audience effectively
B. What you present should have somewhat of a clear structure.
V. Do not read from notes for an extended period of time
A. You can glance at your notes
VI. Maintain sincere eye contact
VII. Audience interaction
A. Speak to your Audience, listen to their questions
B. Respond to their questions
1. Adjust and Adapt
VIII. Pauses
A. Pauses not only will help you but it gives your audience time to reflect and
take it all in
IX. Add humor
A. Add only if appropriate and possible to keep audience interested
B. Be sure to have the necessary equipment to set your audio visual aids.