How To Practice Your Speech

How To Practice Your Speech by Jay B

The following cheat sheet summarises the ideal steps to your speech practice session: 1. Use your speech outline when you practice. 2. Make changes to your speaking notes as you go if you don't like something in the content. 3. Concentrate on the ideas in the speech instead of on yourself. 4. Try to picture the setting in which you will be speaking as you practice and act as if you are there, speaking to different parts of the room or space so as to make contact with your audience. 5. Keep a digital recorder handy and record your practice. Listen to yourself and then do it again. Practice several times, recording every time and you will be surprised at the improvement in a short time. 6. Keep a time limit for the introduction, the body and the ending and stick to it, editing your notes as you go. 7. It is very helpful to record yourself on video as well. To save time, do it once after you have practiced several times and then a final time after you have made corrections and modifications and worked them into your speech. 8. Try to make the practice conditions as close to the conditions that are likely to be present during your speech. Be specially mindful of needing to be heard in all corners of a large hall for instance and projecting your voice. Also work out how you will use your notes discretely so you will know how to handle them when you are live. 9. Try to recruit a volunteer who will give you constructive feedback. Better if you have two or more. Your spouse or children are NOT a good choice most of the time so recruit them last if you have to. 10. Don't leave the practice session for just before the speech. That might end up confusing and flustering you if you need to make changes and don't have enough time. Start the practice well ahead and early in the process so you can work the changes into your speech naturally. 11. Rule of thumb is to practice your speech at least five times.