PUBLIC SPEAKING

HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL SPEAKER

Rhetoric is one of the oldest and most
powerful tools a person can use to
sway an audience, effect change,
build up, or tear down. Using it
however, can be a challenge. At some
point, you're going to be called on to
give a speech, at a wedding, at a
party, or running for some office.
Whatever it is, it's important to speak
well.
Step 1
Be confident, no
one wants to
listen to a guy
who is nervous
or doesn't seem
to believe what
he's saying.
Step 2


Believe what
you're saying,
if you don't
no one will.
Step 3
Prepare your
speech whenever
possible, ahead of
time, and read
through it, out
loud at least seven
times before you
give it.
Step 4
 Create a stage
persona, not to go
crazy or dress weird,
but it's best to act
much differently on
stage than you do in
private company, on
stage you rule,
everyone must listen
to you, and you can be
whoever you want.
Step 5 Create a good
appearance, dress
nicely, keep
yourself clean,
and avoid
outrageous
hairstyles,
makeup or facial
hair.
Step 6 Speak off of a deep
breath, take in a
deep breath, and
then use it to begin
speaking, project,
don't shout, don't
fire your words like
a cannon, rather lob
them like a
catapult.
Step 7


Breathe, it's very

important to
breathe, if you
don't get enough
breath, you'll
speed up, and
even pass out.
Step 8
Make good eye
contact, this
takes three
forms; direct,
broad
sweeping, and
gazing into the
distance.
Step 9 Be careful with
your posture,
stand up straight,
don't slouch,
don't put your
hands in your
pockets, fidget,
or play with the
lectern.
 Basic Vocal Warm-Ups
You wouldn’t run a long distance race without warming up your muscles first, right?
In the same way, you should warm up your vocal muscles before speaking in public.
Here are 4 quick exercises you can do to warm up:

• Hum your favorite tune. I use a silly one like "If You're Happy and
Your Know It"

• Run through some scales (do re mi fa so la ti do).

• Pretend like you’re chewing gum or eating a soft cookie using your
upper and lower muscles. Chew slowly and gently to loosen your
jaw.

• Swish your tongue around your mouth. Tension sometimes mounts

in the back of your tongue and this exercise will loosen and relax
it.
 Breathing exercises
Proper breathing is an important part of vocal training. You need to fill your lungs
all the way to your abdomen with air. Practice these 4 steps in order:

• Stand up, shoulders back, and hands on your stomach. Let your
stomach muscles relax.
• Breathe in through your nose and fill up your abdomen first (you
should feel and see it expand), then your ribs, and all the way up
to your chin.
• Hold this breath and count to 10.
• Now exhale slowly. As you exhale, keep your ribs expanded and
tighten your abdomen. The lower abdominal muscles should come
in first as though you were rolling up a tube of toothpaste.
• While you are breathing, check your shoulders and stomach. Your
shoulders should not be going up and your stomach should be
going out.
Voice Relaxation Exercises
If your voice is tense, it will sound harsh to your audience. It might even sound
like you’re squeezing the words out. A relaxed voice sounds more confident and
controlled. Here's how to relax your voice:

• Stand up and place your hand lightly on your throat muscles and
speak in a normal tone. Note the tenseness of the throat muscles
and the tightness of your jaw.
• Yawn. Open your mouth wide. Finish the yawn with a
“hummmm,” prolonging the “mmm” for several seconds. Drop
your jaw as far as you can without stress.
• Waggle the jaw from side to side and continue humming with the
lips closed and jaw loose.
• Repeat the yawning and humming.
• Notice your throat muscles have loosened and become relaxed.
Volume Exercises
Here are 4 exercises to help you increase your volume without straining your
vocal cords:

• Breathe deeply and exhale with a hisssssssing sound. Repeat 10

times.
• Vary the loudness of your voice using the sound “Mmm-mmm.”
Start with a soft sound, then middle, then loud. Repeat, starting
with the loud sound until the soft. Repeat again soft - loud - soft
- loud - soft - loud. Do this for several seconds.
• Repeat exercise 2 using a vowel (for example, “ah”): soft -
middle - loud; loud - middle - soft; soft - loud - soft; loud - soft
- loud. Do this for several seconds
• Repeat the exercise using a number of your choice.