There are those rare individuals who are used to public speaking, but for most of us, it's not a common thing to speak in front of an audience of lets say, five hundred people. Apart from being well prepared through sound practice, a successful public speech is delivered when you are confident and passionate about the subject you would be talking about.
Assume your speech will be on "how to improve your life".
Before preparing to deliver your speech, you have to ask yourself some questions. What's the purpose of delivering the speech? Is it to impress others? Is it to show that you have a broad knowledge of things, and you are superior? Is it in view of helping people, sharing your knowledge and encouraging others to follow the same steps? Your success also depends on your own personal intention. What's on your mind? If you are looking for other's interest, rather than your own, then you are on the right track.
You might be nervous at the beginning of your speech, it happens, especially if you are a first time public speaker. Knowing that all attention is focused on you makes you feel uncomfortable. One rule of thumb is not to panic. You might start a few words and lose ground, don't panic, stop for a moment take your breath and continue, to avoid babbling. Remember those who are looking at you are people who would also be in the same situation if they were to deliver a speech.
The goal is to captivate your audience; to be able to convey your message. Be yourself, never try to be better than what you are in normal, everyday life. You will look ridiculous, and your audience will see that. Body language is to be considered.
Eye contact is important. You might start with something funny or talk a bit about yourself in a humorous tone. If you know your goal, you are prepared and happy, then you should not have any problem to look your audience straight in the eyes. When you do it that way it means that you have total confidence in yourself and more apt to capture attention. It also shows that your speech comes straight forward from your heart. You might have prepared your notes, but speaking from within will create an atmosphere of trust among the audience. They sense that you are genuine.
Remember, you are delivering a speech on "how to improve your life" to people from different walks of life, facing challenges everyday. What they are expecting from you is ideas and solutions. The one with the right advice and tips; therefore share your past experiences the good and the bad, in other words share your testimony. Sometimes you might go into details, say what measures you took and what solution you brought.
Be passionate and don't be afraid to speak freely on your past mistakes, what you learned from that and what you did to repair things. People know that you are not perfect. You will be conveying the message that they are not the only one in the same situation. Someone else was there before and understands their problems. You might see a smile of relief on some faces among the crowd.
Use simple language. Don't use difficult terms and expressions to impress, your audience will lose interest and get distracted. They see in you, the problem solver, and they are listening for counsels to apply in their own situation.
To avoid monotony, spice up your speech with variety. Switch up your vocal tone and use supporting material to animate the atmosphere and interpret your thoughts. If you are good at interactive media, that's a bonus. You might as well, from time to time, move away from your pulpit and walk towards the audience while looking at them. Smile and relax, show that you are conversing with them rather than being the stereotype.
If you have delivered important points and feel that that the message has been passed on to people, you might end your speech before it is expected. It's like leaving the way open for people to come towards you for advice. I'm not saying that because the need to feel important is strong, but if the goal to achieve is to help people and to transmit your "savoir-faire" then that's how it should be done.