At most colleges and universities, it’s required for students to take some type of public speaking course as part of their general education. At my school, the students nicknamed it “speech” class. While I enjoy participating in class during group discussions, I am not someone who likes to give speeches in front of the class. You can probably imagine my reaction when I learned I would have to recite a speech on the first day of presentations in my speech class. I had only two days to prepare while some classmates were given over a week. Although I was anxious about my speech, I decided to make the best of the situation. I channeled all my time and energy throughout the weekend to prepare and not let my nerves get the best of me.
In some situations, nerves are good. It’s normal to feel anxious about giving a speech because you want to make sure you don’t forget your information. Other times, it’s irrational and can cause major stress and anxiety. The methods I used to prepare for this speech helped minimize my amount of stress and anxiety and left me feeling fully prepared for my presentation.
First off, I chose a topic I am passionate about. This made the memorization process much easier because I was reciting some information I already knew. My speech was a biography about Audrey Hepburn, so I arranged my information chronologically to make the transitions smoother as I explained each phase of her life. For each of my main points, memorizing key words instead of large chunks of text was the best method for memorization. Reciting my speech word-for-word would not have been helpful because my professor wanted our speeches to sound conversational and not like reading from a script.
Next, I listened to recordings of myself reciting my speech to hear if I needed to talk slower, add better transitions, or remove parts of my speech altogether. This also helped me figure out the length of my presentation to make sure I wasn’t going over the time limit.
Finally, practicing in front of my friends proved to be the most helpful technique in getting rid of any stage fright. They offered constructive criticism which helped me polish up the presentation and my delivery before I recited it for the class. After going through these steps, I made it through my speech and ended with a grade I was satisfied with. While I’m still not a fan of giving speeches, I now feel more comfortable with public speaking and know what steps to take to prepare, even if I only have a couple days to do so.
Originally published on HerCampus.com
