by Cody Hodge

Created on: December 04, 2008

They say that in life the two scariest things are death, and speaking in public. Ironically, public speaking is actually number one on that short list.

So in other words, if you were at a funeral, you would rather be the person in the casket rather than the person at the microphone making the speech.

Fortunately, speaking in public doesn't have to be a death defying stunt for people. There are several small tips that can help you face your fears and speak confidently in front of an audience.

1. Practice your speech in front of a mirror, or in front of family and friends first. This will help get you used to speaking in front of an audience, and you can get feedback after you speak. You will be able to pace the speech, and the speech itself will flow better. Having some note cards is helpful as well, in case you get stuck.

2. Start off your speech with an effective one liner. It can be a joke, a quote, or whatever you think will make an impact, but make sure that it connects with the audience. If you are speaking at a Jewish convention, make sure that you don't tell a joke about a rabbi, or if you are speaking in front of Bills fans, don't bring up the term wide right.

3. When you speak, don't use too many filler words. Try to avoid saying um, which is the single biggest filler word during a speech. It is acceptable to pause if you need too, and it sounds better than saying um, or stuttering if you forget a line. Also if you think you are speaking too fast, or too loudly, don't worry about it. Projection of words is a good thing, and most of the time, the pace of the speech is just fine, and the feeling of rushing the speech is just in the speakers head.

4. Don't over-think the speech. Just go with what you have planned, and don't try to go off the cuff too much unless you know it will be effective. As much as you hate speaking, just remember that nobody else wants to be up there either, and they can sympathize with the difficulties you may be having. Being too fancy can cause mistakes, and in public speaking you can't deny something once you have said it.

Basically just prepare, prepare some more, and then go ahead and let it rip. Just go out and be yourself, and the speech will be fine, and you will find that speaking in public isn't as hard as you think it is. Public speaking is a skill that eveyone needs, and everyone must use from time to time, and having this skill will make you marketable. If you need help, go to an orginization such as toast masters, which is a group that meets time to time in most cities to practice giving speeches.

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