public speaking

When I started public speaking in the a class by Mrs. Cangco in the mid-1990s, AMA COMPUTER COLLEGE

class of 1993, I was deathly afraid. 

It's taken me 20 years to get comfortable. I hope many of you are called upon to give speeches it's 

the closest thing to being a professional athlete that many of us will achieve. Here are  tips for 

giving great speeches: 

Have something interesting to say.  If you have nothing to say, you shouldn't speak. end of discussion. 

Cut the sales pitch. The purpose of most keynotes is to entertain and inform. It's seldom to provide 

you with an opportunity to pitch. For example, if you're invited to speak about the future of digital 

music, don't talk about the latest cellphones, gadget you are selling.

Focus on entertaining.   Many speech coaches will disagree, but the goal of a speech is to entertain 

the audience. If people are entertained, you can slip in a few nuggets of information. But if your 

speech is dull, no amount of information will make it great. If I had to pick between entertaining 

and informing an audience, I would pick entertaining.

Understand the audience. If you can prove to your audience in the first five minutes that you 

understand who they are, you've got them for the rest of the speech. 

All you need to understand are the trends, competition and key issues facing the audience members. 

Overdress.  Never dress beneath the level of the audience. To underdress is to communicate, 

"I'm smarter/richer/more powerful than you. I can't take you seriously, and there's nothing you

can do about it." This is hardly the way to get an audience to like you.

Tell stories. The best way to relax when giving a speech is to tell stories--any stories: stories about 

your youth,  about your customers, etc. When you tell a story, you lose yourself in the storytelling.

You're not "making a speech" anymore. You're simply having a conversation. Good speakers are 

good storytellers; great speakers tell stories that support their message.

Talk to them (the audience ) before the speech--especially the ones in the first rows. Then, when 

you're at the podium, you'll see these friendly faces. Your confidence will soar, you'll relax and 

you'll be great.

Speak at the start of an event. The audience is fresher. They're more apt to listen to you, laugh at 

your jokes and follow your stories. 

Practice, and speak all the time.