home / Our children/ How to start a speech in front of an audience. The Most Successful Strategies for Getting Started in Public Speaking

How to start a speech in front of an audience. The Most Successful Strategies for Getting Started in Public Speaking

Sooner or later, every person has to speak in front of an audience. And since the latter is very selfish, this activity can cause a lot of trouble. But as Mark Twain said: “The public expects nothing from you in the first place,” so don’t be nervous, but it’s a good idea to take advantage of a few useful tips and review examples of public speaking.

Where to begin?

Any example of public speaking begins with proper speech preparation. No matter how wonderful the speaker’s text may seem, you need to understand that behind it lies remarkable work and long hours of practice.

Every successful example of public speaking begins with preparing the speech. It was not for nothing that Mark Twain once said that it takes about three weeks to prepare an impromptu. Any performance, regardless of its type and intended purpose, must be prepared in advance. First you need to make the so-called “skeleton” of the performance. To do this, you need to decide on the following positions:

Understand the motivation of the people who came to listen to the speech.
Determine the main idea of the speech.
Divide this idea into several components (subheadings).
Designate keywords. They will need to be repeated several times in the speech so that the listeners better remember what is actually being discussed.
Every speech should have a clear plan and structure. The speech should consist of an introduction, main part and conclusions.

Muscles

Once the speaker has decided on the basic structure of his speech, it is necessary to build muscle on this “skeleton”. What could they consist of?

You can use vivid examples from life or literature, the main thing is that they correspond to the main topic.
To help the listener visually consolidate the information received, it is worth preparing graphs, slides, pictures, videos, etc.
You can ask the audience a question during the speech, this will help keep the audience's attention on the main topic.

Introductory part

Particular attention should be paid to the beginning and end of the speech. They play the main role in communication between the speaker and the listener. The introduction helps to form a first impression of the speaker, and the summary allows the audience to consolidate the information received.

While preparing your speech, many questions may arise. For example, how to start public speaking? The main thing here is to interest the audience from the very beginning. The first impression of the speaker will accompany him throughout the entire speech, and if you make a mistake, it will be difficult to correct it later.

For example, the introduction to a public speech could be a witty joke or some kind of interesting fact. You can puzzle the audience with a question or intrigue with a pause. The main thing is to attract attention. Just don’t start apologizing for the fact that your voice is hoarse, this is your first speech, etc. The speaker should always be confident in himself, and turn every trouble to his aid. For example, if the speaker is really sick, you should not apologize, but say that due to such and such circumstances, I ask everyone to sit closer so that I can be heard.

End of speech

As for the ending, it is important to summarize the entire speech, highlight the main ideas and recall the issues raised. The last phrases must have a certain emotional message and be expressive, only in this way the listener can not only reward the speaker with applause, but also become an adherent of his ideas. Although, no matter how much you talk about the correct construction of a speech, it will be easier to consider examples of public speaking.

Types of public speaking

Examples of public speaking are divided into several types:

Information. For the most part, these are reports, lectures, and oral responses.
Protocol and etiquette. Such speeches are used when welcoming important guests, making toasts, a funeral speech, or opening a new establishment.
Entertaining. They are usually used for a good time, they have an entertaining context, but at the same time convey information. As an example, we can cite the performances of Russian pop comedians E. Petrosyan, E. Stepanenko, M. Zadornov and others.
Persuasive speech. Such a report must have indisputable facts and evidence that will win the audience over to your side. Examples include speeches by famous politicians. For example, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in 1863, where he assured citizens that not a single soldier died in vain, and this is a necessary sacrifice on the path to freedom.

Get there in three minutes

In general, the audience's attention lasts only 15-20 minutes, this is due to psychophysiological reasons. Depending on the variety, oral presentations can last from a few minutes to 1-2 hours. However, there are also speeches that need to be delivered in 3 minutes. In most cases, these speeches are wedding toasts or press conferences. In total, the length of the speech should be between 200 and 405 words. Here is an example of a public speech for 3 minutes:

“Today the Dalai Lama gave a unique interview to a Russian blogger for the first time. For his YouTube channel, business blogger Dmitry Portnyagin was the first in the CIS to interview the Dalai Lama. Communication with the famous Buddhist took place in a Delhi hotel, where the monk often stays with his followers. Before communion began, the premises were checked twice: first by the Indian security, led by a Sikh, and then by His Holiness’s personal security.

The interview lasted only an hour. During this time, the conversation participants were able to discuss political problems, including questions of the competence of Gorbachev, Yeltsin and Putin. Predict the future of Russia, talk about material and spiritual values, mutual understanding between people and the secrets of success. Each question received a detailed answer. The Dalai Lama spoke openly and with humor. At the end, he gave some advice for entrepreneurs and talked about personal safety.

Dmitry Portnyagin did not remain indifferent during the conversation. He showed the Dalai Lama a photograph of his grandfather and said that a photograph of the Supreme Head of Tibet always hung in his office, so he also became interested in this topic. Saying goodbye to His Holiness, Dmitry gave the Dalai Lama a hat with earflaps as a souvenir. The monk immediately put on his new clothes and appeared in this form in front of the camera lenses. The full version of the interview can be viewed on the Transformer channel.

Suitable or not?

This sample public speaking text follows all the rules. Such short speech fully reveals the topic of the video presentation on the YouTube channel. It tells about the participants, the location of the interview, the questions that were raised and the general mood that was present during the conversation.

At the end of the press release, the speaker invites listeners to watch full version video. Although the ending can be supplemented with one more sentence or two, saying that the interview turned out to be successful and informative for everyone.

Alexander I

To be effective, speech must be precise and expressive. And these may not always be large amounts of text. You can get your point across with a few strong sentences and vivid comparisons. For example, Alexander I’s public speech to the French ambassadors even before the start of the war sounded as follows:

“Here is little Europe, and this Greater Russia(he shows all this on the map). In case of failure, you can retreat only to Paris, and I can run to the edge of Kamchatka! But at the same time, every meter of this land will be hostile to you, even the women will not stop fighting. Russia may lose some battles, but it will never be defeated.”

To say that the ambassadors left under the impression is an understatement. An example of the text of a public speech by Tsar Alexander I amazes readers today. There is not a drop of arrogance here, just facts served with the right “sauce.”

Steve Jobs

A striking example of modern oratory are the speeches of Steve Jobs. Public speaking was definitely not his strong point - it was just a hobby, but he began every presentation of a new product with his own speech. Examples in its execution look like this:

These are just small fragments of one of his speeches. But how does a person motivate?

Correct solution

You can give a speech on any topic. Examples of public speaking are easy to find in print and other media. Usually speakers touch on important social, political and economic problems. IN Lately It has become fashionable to give training on ways to make money on the Internet, present various training programs or draw attention to advertising campaigns. Sometimes speakers conduct psychological trainings, discuss religion or philosophy. But no matter what the speaker talks about, his main goal is to captivate the audience.

A speaker is not a person who professionally manipulates pathetic speeches, but one who is able to conduct a simultaneous dialogue with thousands of listeners. He must speak the language of the people who listen to him, understand their problems, find common ground and skillfully lead them to making the right decision.

Business communication

It may seem that it is varied and has no clear boundaries, this public speech. The examples of speeches presented above give the false impression that the speakers' texts have nothing in common. In fact, they all have the same goal: the listener must agree with the speaker's point of view. And this can be done using completely different methods, including provocation. Although this method is used mainly in court proceedings.

The founder of the Russian legal profession, A.F. Koni, once defended a disabled hunchback. For many years, his neighbor mocked him, and then one day, unable to bear it, the hunchback grabbed a stone and threw it at him, thereby causing serious bodily injury. In his public speech, A.F. Koni was original like no one else. He, as expected, addressed the jury: “Gentlemen of the jury!” Then he paused and repeated this phrase four more times, making minute stops after each address. After the fourth appeal, one of the jurors could not stand it and furiously blurted out: “Are you kidding me?!” A.F. Koni was not taken aback, this is exactly the reaction he expected: “I addressed you politely and only 4 times, and you were already starting to get nervous. My client listened to insults directed at him for many years. How was he supposed to feel?

This speech achieved its goal - the defendant was acquitted.

Who, comrades judges, feeds you?

History knows many cases of such original performances. Even in literature you can find good examples of oratory speeches that can be used to teach this art. Thus, in A. M. Gorky’s novel “Mother,” the convicted Pavel Vlasov spoke at the court hearing. He was convicted under a political article and refused to carry out the escape prepared by his comrades only in order to make a speech in front of the large people who had gathered at the trial.

His speech was full of refrains, where he spoke on behalf of the people, but the main “highlight” of the speech was the climax: “How can you destroy the workers, those who feed you, comrade judges?” It costs a lot to create such a speech.

Prosperity of the country

To conclude this article, I would like to give one more option for public speaking. Example text on the topic “Theft in Japan.”

“The prosperity of a country is influenced by many human and economic factors. Among them there is one, almost insignificant fact, which will seem to us a fantastic absurdity.

They don't steal in Japan. They don't steal at all. They don't steal at all. They never steal. People don't lock their apartments and cars. Stores safely place trays of goods on the streets and happily forget about them. They know: no one will take someone else's.

In this country, you can forget anything, anywhere, and then come back for it a few days later. It will remain untouched. Every Japanese knows: if something is lost, it probably lies where it was lost, which means it will be found. Whether it’s a mobile phone or a wallet, you can still find any item.

Tipping is not accepted in Japan. The seller or waiter will run after you for several blocks to give you your change. Most residents of the capital travel on bicycles, and no one ties them up. Steal a bike?! This is funny!

Here they know: taking someone else’s is a shame. After it, the person will no longer be trusted; he will never get rid of it.

And by the way, about the economy. Officials religiously follow this rule: taking someone else’s property is taboo. Not long ago, a Japanese minister, who was suspected of free handling of finances, hanged himself. Not even theft. Because of this story, the previous prime minister also resigned.

So, what does the prosperity of a country depend on? That’s right, from theft, or more precisely, from the absence of it.”

The speaker is a kind of shooter. He either hits the mark and makes everyone bow their heads before him, or he misses, and then the dejected crowd begins to go about their business, ignoring the words of the speaker. Therefore, before speaking in public, you need to aim at a specific target. Examples of public speaking by leaders will help.

Make a shocking statement. A shocking statement will startle the viewer, and he will want to listen carefully. Since such statements often cause powerful emotions, then by saying something like this at the beginning of your speech, you can quickly engage your audience in the topic.

Try saying something simple to get to the point, like "Seat belts save lives."

Make a brazen official statement. A fearless statement can shock or shock the viewer, and he will begin to listen carefully to a seemingly serious topic. You can also say, without using confusing terms, that the viewer needs to know the information you are going to give them.

If you're talking about mood disorders, you might say something like, "Depression, bipolar disorder, and other disorders like these can have deadly side effects."
If you're talking about self-defense, you might say something like, "If you're walking alone and suddenly you're attacked, your reaction in the first few seconds could decide whether you survive or not."

Arouse a sense of tension or curiosity in the viewer. Do not name the subject of speech right away, describe it first. By describing the characteristics of something before giving a specific answer, you force the viewer to try to unravel the mystery, and people become active listeners.

If you are talking about dogs, you can describe the dog's standard qualities or daily schedule, speaking in the first person, and end with the statement: "I am a dog."

Share a shocking fact or statistic. A shocking statistic can prepare your viewers for the importance of your chosen topic. As a result, viewers will pay more attention to what you have to say about the topic.

Statistics showing a decline or rise in the birth rate in a particular region or country can prepare people to listen to population problems.

Give your audience a startling statistic or other piece of evidence. Evidence should be an important element of your entire persuasive speech, but if you want to prove the importance of your topic to your audience at the very beginning of your speech, you can show the audience statistics or similar facts that can prove the importance of your claim. Statistics will be more effective if they are unexpected for the viewer.

For a speech in which you are trying to convince an audience member to use sunscreen, you might mention a statistic that has to do with the number of people who die from skin cancer each year.

Tell a story or anecdote. Stories connect with audiences by mixing both information and entertainment. The story you use at the beginning of your speech can be either real or fictional, but in any case it must be clearly related to the topic.

For a speech about maternity care, you could tell a story about a maternity care-related experience that someone you know went through.
If you are giving a speech about a pie recipe for children and teenagers, you can describe a situation in which a child prepared a pie for relatives on a special occasion. Include details about how happy the family was.

Choose a suitable quote. A meaningful or witty quotation that relates to the topic of the speech can show the importance of the statement, and the main content of the speech can be built on it. For an inspiring or entertaining speech about a specific event, use quotes that are somehow related to the event or appeal to the viewer.

Try to choose a quote from well-known sources, because if they know who said it, they are more likely to react.
Inspirational quotes are a popular way to start a graduation speech. Typically, the speaker will choose a quote that talks about dreams, education, looking to the future, or building a personality.
Typically, quotations are used less frequently for speeches at demonstrations.

Formulate an expert opinion. If you can find an expert on the topic who agrees with your position, then quote or paraphrase that expert's opinion so that your speech and position have a basis from the very beginning.

If you're trying to convince viewers of the importance of forming habits healthy eating and sports, you can start with a statement made by a very famous expert on the subject to entice the public.

Many speakers face a problem - how to start a speech so that you immediately like it? How to appear on stage? How to stand up so it looks natural? How to immediately gain the trust of the public? Where to begin? How to make a favorable first impression? It is known that we will never have a second chance to make a first impression - so it is important to use the first and only chance. There are patterns of impression and perception that any person appearing in the spotlight must take into account. There is an important observation that has been tested many times by experienced speakers:

AFTER YOU SAY “HELLO,” YOU HAVE GIVEN 70 PERCENT OF YOUR SPEECH!

And after the greeting, you will only complement the already formed impression of your personality. In psychology, there is the concept of “imprinting” - that is, “imprinting” the image of a person into the consciousness of the public. If the first impression is positive, it begins to work for you in a kind of “trail”, all your words will be reinforced in a positive way in the minds of the audience. If it’s negative, a negative “trail” will work against you, and the public will subconsciously be skeptical.

The author has repeatedly witnessed situations where competent, intelligent, knowledgeable people could not make a convincing first impression and outright botched their speech. There was only one reason for the failure - bad start, a weak first impression that could not be corrected. As a result, even potentially strong and meaningful speeches and presentations fail to achieve their goal, or even the speaker becomes a laughing stock in the eyes of the public.

And vice versa. The author has observed many times how, after a successful start, reinforced by further performance, the public changed its attitude towards a person. He becomes a demigod. Well, if not a demigod, then at least a much more respected person! What causes this effect? Due to the fact that the significance, or psychological weight of a person, becomes much higher in our eyes when we see that he has some kind of skill, talent, or rare skill. When we see how a master works, it is as if we are present at the birth of a small miracle. Isn’t a beautiful, convincing, captivating, people-pleasing public speech a miracle and a masterpiece? Without a doubt, speech is a small (or large) miracle, comparable to the miracle of the creation of music before our eyes, the miracle of an actor’s transformation, or the birth of a masterpiece painting.

So how do you make a strong and convincing first impression?? What are the patterns of perception? What should happen at the very beginning of the speech? Let's read the title again. The very expression “staged in public” contains a certain double meaning. The first meaning, direct and literal, comes from the word “put” or “stand” - where and in what position should you put yourself, what body position should you take? And often this is a problem for a speaker who does not know what place on stage or in the hall he should take, how to stand up, how to sit down, what to do with his legs and where to put his hands? And the second meaning is figurative. There is such a stable phrase in our language - “he placed himself in the team.” What is meant? That this person has earned respect, authority, a position in the unspoken ranking hierarchy of the team. If the speaker is a new person for listeners, he must earn respect. Straightaway! The speaker has little time to build up! And even if the speaker is known, the position on stage obliges him to play a special role. And in this role - he still new person for the public.

Moreover, the first and second meanings of the phrase “staged in public” are closely related. The first impression we make on the audience greatly depends on the location in the hall and posture. And as a result, the audience’s further attitude towards you depends on the first impression - sympathy and trust in your words, or cold neutrality and a desire to argue. And our task, of course, is to use our knowledge and skill to achieve the most convincing first impression.

Credit to the stage. This is an important phenomenon that the speaker must use. Just knowing about this credit of trust should add confidence to you as a speaker! The stage or any place of performance not only provides a test of strength for the speaker, but also carries some initial positive effect for the speaker. The main place gives a certain credit of trust and respect to the speaker from the public. The stage lifts a person not only physically, but also psychologically, in the eyes of the audience. We are ready to listen to the person who entered the stage only because he occupied this central, main place. Perhaps you have noticed from your own experience that when you are sitting in the hall and a person comes on stage, he automatically causes a certain “quietness” in the audience and an initial amount of respect. And this is only due to the fact that he appeared in this main place. This effect of the initial credit of trust and respect comes from somewhere from subconscious childhood times. When we were schoolchildren, a teacher entered the class, she occupied the main place - and we automatically began to respect, listen and fear. And whoever forgot to do this was reminded who was in charge here. Moreover, the entire education system reinforced this effect in institutes, schools, academies, and then at work. The main one is who is on stage! We absorbed this with the milk of all our “alma mothers.” And it remains in our subconscious. We don’t always know who entrusted a person with the stage and why, but since he was entrusted with it, then that’s how it should be! This means that he has the right to stand in front of us and inspire us with his thoughts! Initially, the stage gives the speaker some power over the minds of people, and people are already ready for this - after all, it is the speaker who is on the stage, and they are sitting in the hall. After all, it is the speaker who is entrusted with speaking to the public!

The initial credit of trust and respect is a pattern, but, of course, it does not exclude the possibility that there may be people in the hall who were previously opposed to you, who came specifically to disrupt the performance or mock you. How to neutralize them is a separate topic. And it is important to know and use the pattern of the initial credit of trust - that is, to increase, and not devalue, this credit of respect from the audience with your behavior.

The seven second rule. How long does it take to form a first impression? These are not hours, not tens of minutes, or even minutes. Psychologists have calculated that the first impression is formed in just first seven seconds the appearance of a person in front of people, and then it only becomes fixed. And we already know that the first impression is always the same. Of course, theoretically you can try to smooth it out and correct it, but it is very difficult. The first impression is like a fingerprint on still wet soft cement or a shoe print on fresh asphalt - it hardens and is fixed for centuries. When a person appears on stage, our image, an idea of us, or, as I say, a new “file” that did not exist before, begins to form in the audience’s consciousness, in their brain. And we create this file ourselves precisely by our behavior in this short time. After just seven seconds, people think they understand a lot about us. After just seven seconds, the audience thinks they've already read us. By this time, the viewer has already assessed the speaker and made a conclusion: interesting - uninteresting, attractive or not, likes - don't like, smart - stupid, sexy - not sexy. In reality, our personality may not at all correspond to this image in our consciousness, but this idea is born as a result of our behavior and will be judged by it. At the same time, listeners may know absolutely nothing about either the first impression or the formation of an image; all this works against their will, that is, subconsciously, in addition to consciousness, without submitting to a conscious decision. This effect works not only for public speaking occasions, but also for personal communication. Surely you have once felt for yourself that if you didn’t like a person right away when you met, this has a trail of consequences on your future attitude towards him. And vice versa, if you immediately liked him and liked him, then you continue to want to communicate with him and get closer to him.

They say that there is even love at first time.

The following results are indicative psychological research. Employers, bosses, and personnel officers were surveyed with one question - when, at what point do you make an internal decision for yourself about hiring a person or not? And according to statistics, the most interesting result was obtained. Most employers came to the conclusion that this internal decision matured within them within just the first minute. What on earth does the employer do in the next twenty minutes of the interview? Right. Convinces himself that the decision is correct. And then, if the person is liked, the boss overlooks the disadvantages and exaggerates the advantages, does not pay attention to the disadvantages and greedily catches the advantages. Maybe not seven seconds, but a minute, but in any case, this is a very short period of time.

Were you students? Remember, the same impact of first impressions is often seen in exams. If a student immediately makes a positive, pleasant impression, the professor begins to “pull” him: ask good questions, exclude difficult questions, ignore weak answers, forgive mistakes, help formulate, suggest, give a new chance. And if you don’t like it right away, then it’s a disaster. The professor will in every possible way drown you with harmful questions, look for mistakes, skip good things, and at the first opportunity he will send you for a retake. And all this also happens subconsciously; the boss, like the professor, are not aware of this effect; they are, one might say, in captivity of the first impression, which controls their attitude and actions.

When does public speaking start? Absolutely right, when the first impression begins to form, and not when you open your mouth! When do these seven seconds begin? When the speaker appears in the public's attention, and not when he begins to speak! When you get up from your seat in the audience and start walking onto the stage, seven seconds have already begun. When you come out from behind the scenes, the impression automatically begins to take shape. Walking down the aisle in the hall - you are already in the field of attention. The public’s attention automatically reacts to moving and new objects - and the entire audience will turn their heads towards you - “so-o-o, well, who’s going to perform there now, this one, or something, come on, come on, now let’s see, what are you worth..." All the spectators involuntarily begin to evaluate you - what is it, who is it, how does it walk, how does it move, where is it going? Therefore, remember - the performance begins with getting up from your seat or the appearance of the tip of your nose from behind the scenes!

No kitchen! Let's look at the typical mistakes of an inexperienced speaker. I have seen the following picture many times. The speaker, believing that the speech has not yet begun, gets up from his seat, walks to the stage, straightening his clothes along the way, frantically moving his shoulders, buttoning up, scratching the back of his head, rubbing his chin and combing his hair with his fingers. Then he hastily wipes his nose, preferably with a handkerchief, straightens his clothes as he walks, and almost buttons his trousers. By the time he gets there, the performance can be considered over. What impression do you get in these seven seconds? Any such fuss works against the speaker. People in the hall should not see any “kitchen” or any preparations.

Can you imagine if we see the president’s preparations for a ceremonial speech on the New Year - how he is made up, pomaded, tinted, the text is repeated in his ear, instructions are given, he is straightened, buttoned up and combed? We will be disappointed, this reduces the importance of a person.

Therefore - no cooking in public, you should already be absolutely “OK”, with no signs that there may be anything wrong with you.

Owner's behavior. This capacious word - Master - contains all the strongest qualities of a person: confidence, independence from the opinions of others, inner strength, one hundred percent psychological comfort, no matter what. And also unhurriedness, acceptable imposingness, lack of fuss. This behavior is associated with power, reliability, courage, leadership, a leader and even a leader. Confident and internal strong man commands respect, people involuntarily obey him, the impression of him is strong, his words have special significance.

If you want success, you must look like you already have it. (Ancient aphorism.)

Unfortunately, the audience forces the speaker to do everything faster and provokes him into fuss, due to the discomfort and psychological pressure that it creates by the very fact of presence. What is the reason for the fuss? The fact is that when we experience unpleasant and uncomfortable sensations, it is understandable that we want to get rid of them as quickly as possible. How to do this on stage? We understand that you cannot run away. But you can quickly get through your act and get out of sight from the stage. Therefore, during trainings I recommend that participants, on the contrary, move in public a little more slowly, unhurriedly, as if slightly slowing down (according to their feelings), and then the fuss will be compensated and there will be a golden mean.

Entering the stage. Hence the conclusion. We walk onto the stage confidently and calmly, with the air of the Owner and absolutely independently - as if there was no one in the hall. Don't let another one happen typical mistake- communication on the go. This is when the speaker communicates with the audience, even before reaching the place of speech, with the help of smiles into the audience, cheerful greetings, waving to the audience, addresses to old acquaintances and shuffles. This looks like a burning desire to gain trust in a cheap way, will please the public and immediately demonstrates dependence on it. Such coquetry will not evoke respect from the public; it immediately becomes clear that the person really wants to be liked. On the contrary, the behavior of the Host inspires respect - absolute confidence, independence from the audience, the fact that the speaker does not seek to gain cheap bonuses, shows restraint and composure, and does not start speaking earlier than necessary. No flirting!

IF A PERSON SPECIFICALLY DOESN'T WANT TO BE LIKED - HE WILL BE LIKED MORE!

Paradoxical as it may seem, this is true. Because we respect strong people and admire confident individuals. At this moment, such a person becomes in our eyes a leader, a leader and even a leader.

It is important to know that it is advisable not to walk through the center of the hall, because in these seven seconds you will be showing the audience your... back, which is not entirely correct for a first impression. It is better to exit as if from the side, entering through one of the flanks of the stage. Ideally, it is advisable to come out from behind the scenes and hide there after the performance, but backstage is now preserved only in theaters. While walking confidently, we look only forward, assessing how to get to the main place. The main seat is always located along the central axis of the hall and at a convenient distance from the front rows, not too far, but not too close - without piling on the front rows.

We take center stage. It would be a mistake to start speaking somewhere off to the side, not in the center of the stage. Especially, this often happens when the speech is short and the speaker internally justifies this with little time to speak. What does he broadcast to the audience in this case? He gives the audience such a non-verbal message - excuse me, I’m standing here on the edge, I’m sorry, I won’t be long, I just came here by accident, is it okay that I’m distracting you...? And this is no longer the Master - but small man... The owner always deserves the main place. Therefore, do not devalue yourself by speaking from the edge, but boldly look for the main place worthy of you!

In addition to being centrally located, the main location must satisfy the “ninety-degree rule.” That is, the angle of fire, or the sector of coverage of the audience, should be approximately 90 degrees if you extend your arms along the flanks of the audience while standing in the center. If you get too close, the viewing angle will be already 180 degrees, in which case the side spectators will fall out of your influence, and those in the front row will become too tense. If it is too far, the angle will be 45 degrees and the speaking distance will be too far and inconvenient. Having found the main place with our gaze during a calm walk to the stage, we boldly occupy it, as befits the Owner, turn to the audience and fixate on it.

How to get up at this moment? Stand up now in the literal sense of the word - what position to take, what position of the body, arms, legs should be for the best perception of the speaker?

Typical mistakes of inexperienced speakers. The speaker comes out and stands in a pose with his hands behind his back. It feels like his hands are tied behind his back, but he still can’t remain silent. Feeling closed, constrained, gestures will not work. There is also the impression that the person is hiding something there. The stone, for example, did not fit in his bosom, but now he can get it... If the viewer does not see the hand, the speaker’s appearance is subconsciously associated with some kind of danger. Do you know how the handshake gesture was born? In the Middle Ages, this gesture did not yet exist, and when warriors met on the same path, they showed each other their right hand from afar. This meant - I do not have a weapon in my hand, and I am walking with good intentions. Gradually, this gesture transformed into a handshake when approaching. Therefore, people should see the speaker’s hands so that there is no sense of threat coming from him.

Do you know how the gesture of a hug with a friendly pat on the back was born? Hello, dear, how many years, how many winters...!!! The warriors came together and, in a mutual embrace, smacked each other for undeclared weapons behind their backs. The meaning has already been forgotten, but the tradition remains.

Another mistake. The speaker comes out and stands with his arms crossed over his chest in a Napoleon pose. This position of the speaker will again be subconsciously perceived as an emphasized demonstration of superiority. This is also the pose of a harmful teacher:

- Well, well, young man, give me your record book, you won’t pass it anyway...

It is clear that this is also not optimal for public perception.

Another common mistake. The speaker's arms are crossed not at the back, but in front below the waist - "footballer's pose." One can also see stiffness and closedness, plus only the lazy would not ask themselves what they are protecting there. These are not associations that should immediately be generated in the audience.

And one more mistake. Hands in pockets. This looks absolutely vulgar, and for a business audience it is a gross violation of etiquette, after which the speaker will simply fall in the eyes of the public. And if you speak like this at a reception with the president, you will never be invited to him again. It's even worse if your hands are in your trouser pockets and not your jacket. Sometimes the speaker, not knowing where to put his hands from excitement, hides them in his pockets, thinking that at least he has solved this problem, and now no one will notice his fussing hands. No matter how it is! In your pockets, fussy hands are even more noticeable. Especially if they continue to play with keys, keychains, and other objects. Any moving object attracts attention much more strongly - and the entire audience will be fascinated by looking only at the speaker’s lower torso, losing interest in everything else. And this, of course, is also not the impression in which the speaker should be interested.

For the same reason, you should not take with you items that you want to take to calm yourself - notebooks, cheat sheets, notes on sheets, and also just in case - pens, felt-tip pens, markers. All objects in the hands visually enhance shaking and playing hands. An exception is if the speech or report is so voluminous that it is impossible to do without notes, but then you can take them and put them nearby on a chair, table, podium and peep, and if it is impossible otherwise, read out the text.

So what is the optimal position to start and deliver a speech, where should your hands be and what to do on stage?

Basic speaker stance

This is the main stance of the speaker, from which you should begin your speech and spend most of your time on stage. Once the performance begins, you can step away from it from time to time, but it is important to remember to come back. Let's look at the main stance - for training it is better to perform it sequentially, and then automatically and immediately.

Feet shoulder width apart. Exactly in width, and not more and not less. If it is less than shoulder width (“legs together”) it looks quite elegant from the outside, but when you start speaking, you will inevitably feel some instability - the support area is too small. If the legs are wider than the shoulders, it is, of course, stable and comfortable, but from the outside it looks threatening and even aggressive - the person takes up more space than he needs. Just roll up your sleeves and there will be a complete picture of “SS man on duty.” Sometimes at trainings girls say - how come, they say, they teach professional models and mannequins to stand in the “third position”, just legs together, back arched...? Yes, this stand looks beautiful, but keep in mind that if the fashion model starts talking, people in the room will run away... The task of models and other blondes is to decorate the space with their presence, but not to conquer the audience with their speech and intellect. Therefore, it is optimal to stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, even for women.

We mentally pull ourselves up by the crown for a virtual long thread into space. The spine straightens, the posture is straight. Slouching is a problem modern man, most people walk bent over - years, worries, anxieties, fatigue, hard life... And if we see a stooped person on stage, this will be exactly the impression, plus a feeling of uncertainty and constraint will emanate from him. Indeed, when we are anxious or worried, intuitively the human body shrinks and shrinks in order to become invisible in a moment of danger. And this is exactly how we are perceived on stage. As a result, the first impression will inevitably be blurred. It is very important to demonstrate in public the exact opposite of what has been said - confidence, strength, energy, freedom, leadership qualities, including through good posture.

Unfortunately, for most people, slouching has already become a habit, so a straight posture is uncomfortable for many and difficult to maintain for a long time. This is true. But any bad habit can be replaced by a new, more constructive habit, just as instead of a cigarette in a moment of excitement you can accustom yourself to lollipops. Therefore, it is important to form a habit of straight, royal, if you like, posture. Do you know how in the old days hussars were taught to maintain an aristocratic position? The hussar had to take a deep breath - and so continue to stand, live, talk, breathe. How were future society ladies taught to have a noble posture? There was an even more cruel way - a corset. When a woman was pulled into a corset with forty laces, she maintained her posture willy-nilly (more likely, of course, involuntarily). For women, by the way, it is possible to use not a mental thread into space, but the idea that you are propping up your head on a balcony or vault of heaven - preparing to become a caryatids. Another option is to carry a light but fragile object on your head - it cannot be dropped. You can train with a book on top of your head, and then you will give a head start to oriental women, known for their grace and a special feature - trained with jugs of water on their heads.

Sometimes a person in my training finds it uncomfortable to maintain his posture, not because he is pathologically slouched, but only because he is trying too hard and straining. Let's do this experiment together. Tighten your right hand tightly into a fist. Very very. Even stronger! Even stronger!!! Now relax your fingers and form leave your fist. It turns out that almost no effort is required to keep the shape of a fist. Likewise, our back muscles, which are responsible for posture, are so strong that in order to keep the carcass in an upright position, they don’t even need to strain very much - five percent of their capabilities are quite enough. Some even know how to sleep standing up - soldiers at a post, horses in a field... Therefore, we leave the shape of the body - and mentally release the excess tension, and in general the body is relaxed.

Shoulders on a “hanger”, chest straightened with a wheel. These rules complement good posture. Shoulders on a mental hanger, as if you were a jacket. In order to hang the “jacket”, we make a circular movement with our shoulders back and fix our shoulders slightly behind. Kiss with your shoulder blades. We straighten our chest as we inhale (remember the hussars) and continue to breathe freely, drawing in air to 80% of the lungs' capacity before speaking for the full use of our chest resonators and a strong chest voice. It is better to breathe both before and during speech (it feels like) with abdominal breathing, that is, with the “belly.” Still, only the lungs will fill, but the volume and efficiency of inhalation will be much higher.

It is important that deep breathing helps reduce pre-performance anxiety. The “four seconds” technique. Inhale slowly and deeply for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, and exhale slowly and concentratedly for the same four seconds.

“When a woman straightens her back and straightens her shoulders, breasts appear”. This aphorism truly illustrates the peculiarities of the female structure of the body. Sometimes women are embarrassed to straighten their breasts, rightly believing that this makes them visually larger. But I think that this is even good. Breasts are a symbol of vitality and beauty for both women and men. And there must be a lot of good people! And a good speaker, even just by his appearance, should attract attention and strive to make a strong, vivid impression. In addition, the stage and the distance between the speaker and the audience hide the dimensions of the speaker, making him small - especially in a large hall. Therefore, on stage, it is desirable to visually appear larger, larger, and occupy all the available space with gestures and movements in order to compensate for this negative factor. Then the visual dimensions of your personality will be larger, you will be associated with greater strength and power. The stage is no place for modest behavior!

Interestingly, a straight spine is closely related to human health. Any doctor will tell you that innervation (stimulation by nerve signals) occurs through the spine, through the spinal cord. internal organs. The spine and its spinal cord are a kind of conductor of these signals from the nerve centers of the brain. If a person has chronic stoop and, as a consequence, scoliosis (curvature of the spine), this gradually leads to innervation disorders and chronic diseases of the internal organs. True, a person often does not notice this, since at a young age this stoop is compensated by the body’s reserves. But youth is not an eternal thing, and when the body’s reserves are depleted, diseases begin to creep up in a regular sequence. Therefore, it is important to shape your posture not only for public perception, but also for health.

What does it mean to form posture? This means training it in life. In life, as we know, there is always a place for heroic deeds. And for the formation new habit it is necessary to tie a knot as a keepsake and remember about posture several times a day. Come up with “anchors” and “hooks”. For example, I see people - I straighten my spine, do the basic stance.

To check your posture from time to time, you can use this method. Lean your back against the wall. There should be four points of contact: the back of the head, shoulder blades, butt, heels. You will be surprised, but this real straight posture. Many will feel it for the first time during this test. And true upright posture is straighter than it usually appears to a person.

If your case is advanced and the stoop is clearly noticeable and difficult to correct, then there is another radical method. Pharmacies sell a posture corrector - an elastic structure that is attached to the shoulders and back and maintains posture no worse than a corset.

Front foot half a foot forward. This is the next rule of the basic speaker's stance. We shift the body weight 60 percent to the front leg. There is a slight tilt of the body forward, a vector towards the public. It's as if you were moving forward, but stopped. The front leg is considered to be the leg on which it is more convenient for you to bear your body weight. This needs to be chosen based on how you feel. Typically, for most people, the front leg is the pushing leg, the strongest one, the one you used to push off in the long jump in 8th grade gym class. Why is this forward vector needed? This body position is read by the public as a readiness for dialogue, a willingness to meet people halfway, and a lack of fear and anxiety. Compare. If the tilt is backward, it will feel as if the audience is pushing the speaker away and he is taking a step back. And then back again. And then back again. And disappears in the fog behind the scenes. Leaning back - the audience seems to be pushing away the speaker. Vector forward - the speaker meets people halfway and is ready for dialogue!

Hands thrown along the body, elbows slightly pressed, palms slightly turned towards the audience. There is no fuss in the hands, the arms are thrown and relaxed, only the elbows are slightly pressed. Spectators perceive this position of the hands as a lack of threat, as self-confidence and in being right. And these are good associations! It happens that the speaker’s hands are poorly controlled, they live their own lives and it is impossible to throw them down at the beginning of the speech. This is called “hands getting in the way.” And indeed, in such cases, the speaker finds no place for his fussy hands and they really begin to interfere with him.

Remember, there is such an episode in the movie “The Beginning” with Inna Churikova in the title role. She plays the actress who plays Joan of Arc. Jeanne kneels in front of the icon and prays to her saint. But suddenly Churikova breaks out of character and becomes hysterical, she jumps up and starts beating her hands:

- I can’t, I can’t! My hands are in the way, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t! They bother me, they bother me, I can’t do anything with them!!!

The director was not at a loss:

- Saw to me!!! Which one is more in the way - the right one or the left one?!

The actress, coming out of hysterics:

- So, that's it... They don't interfere anymore. Everything is fine. Let's work! Camera, turn on, camera, let's work!!!

That’s how we carry a saw during training, just in case. But seriously, using weights while speaking helps to get rid of the fuss in your hands. You can eliminate fuss with solid books, weights or other heavy objects.

Please note that your hands are thrown along the body only at the beginning, before you start speaking. When speech starts, the hands should support it with expressive gestures, helping the speaker express his thoughts.

The head is in a position of acceptable arrogance. That is, the chin is slightly above the horizon line. If the chin is raised too much, the person will feel contemptuous. If the chin is below the horizon line, there will be a feeling of a threatening look “from under your brows”. Eyes are fixed on the audience. On the face there is a “Gioconda smile” - a readiness to smile, a half-smile. If the facial expression is relaxed and neutral, it will be perceived as sullen. Therefore, it is better to add a half-smile, that is, the corners of the lips are slightly raised. If you perform in America, you have to smile with all your might, with all 33 teeth, with all your Hollywood smile, otherwise they won’t contact you (“is he a loser?”). But in our culture, an exaggerated smile will irritate people (“What’s that grinning?”). He hasn’t said anything funny yet, but he’s already grinning. Therefore, it is optimal - the corners of the lips are raised, the Mona Lisa smile.

These are the main rules regarding the basic speaker's stance. This is the basic, basic, dominant stance. Doesn't mean you can't step away from it from time to time. This means that you need to return to it from time to time.

What are the associations with this stand? This is an ancient Greek or Roman monument. At that time, it was in this pose that all the heroes, competition winners and others were sculpted the best people. If it was a thinker, he was holding a scroll in his hand. It was this pose that reflected their fortitude, dignity and greatness. This is Lenin on an armored car. Only the proletarian leader uses a gesture pointing to a bright future, but everything else is similar. And it was not for nothing that Ilyich was depicted in this pose - after all, he was supposed to be imprinted in the mass consciousness as a tribune, a leader and a strong man. This is also the pose of the Statue of Liberty in the USA - a symbol of all generations of Americans. This is our worker and collective farmer at VDNKh - they are just taking a more powerful step. This is a ballet dancer coming out in triumph to applause and rain of bouquets. All these images reflect success, strength, and leadership qualities. And all of these are not random - these are correct associations, and in this stance the speaker corresponds to them.

The basic speaker stance has two useful properties. Firstly, it creates in the public necessary first impression of the speaker. And, secondly, if you stand in this stance for thirty seconds, you will feel a surge of confidence, strength, some pathos, a desire to say something powerful:

- Romans! Fellow citizens!

Or at least:

- Russians!

The main stand itself creates the necessary internal state dignity, greater confidence, strength. Why is this happening? Because not only the internal state is reflected in the appearance and posture. But the opposite is also true. The external shapes the internal. The pose itself also has a formative effect and is reflected in the internal psychological state. Therefore, I never tire of repeating to participants at trainings - even if you are nervous before a performance, do not forget to simply put yourself in the basic stance by willpower and the anxiety will decrease!

What if you have a sit-down performance? For example, during a meeting, negotiations, conference. All the same, the rules are the same, just sitting. It’s as if the monument sat down. Of course, “who will plant him, he’s a monument?”, but once upon a time the speaker has to speak while sitting. And then the body is moved forward, and not thrown back onto the back. The chest is straightened. The spine is straight. The head is raised. Feet shoulder-width apart, one foot slightly in front. Hands are thrown on the knees or placed on top of the table - and later, during speech, appropriate gestures are included. It is undesirable to wrap your legs around the legs of a chair - it looks pathetic. And if you speak while sitting, it is better to sit on a relatively hard seat, which helps the speaker’s energy. Negotiators have this cunning trick - slipping an easy chair or sofa to their opponent. And then the person feels completely good, he relaxes, and in this state it is much more difficult to engage in speech and logic - the tone disappears.

No fuss! The speaker's basic stance should go with this. Especially at first, when a relationship with the audience is established, when any unnecessary movement will be subconsciously interpreted by the audience as excitement. The rule is this. You come out, take a position in the main position in the speaker's stance and pause. During a pause, you behave like a rock man, like a monument to yourself. No flirting, antics, twitching of shoulders, squeezing of hands, fiddling with fingers, moving lips, tapping feet. We exclude this! Vice versa. The man is a rock! This is strength, confidence, composure. This is the impression the public will form.

Before starting the speech, we take a break. Why do we need a pause? What role does it serve? Why not start talking right away? The pause serves a very important function. Firstly, it attracts and captures the attention of the public. And even if you pause in the middle of your speech, the attention of the audience will return to your performance. Secondly, during the pause, in fact, the so-called “public performance” occurs, that is, the relationship between the speaker and the audience is finally established, “who is in charge” - the speaker speaks, the audience listens. Of course, a pause is a test for the speaker’s nerves, but if you pass this test, the audience will respect you. The audience will accept your right to be the leader for the duration of this speech.

How long should the pause be? Let's evaluate it using the theater as an example. Before the start of a performance in the theater there is always a certain bustle in the hall, noise, discussion of programs, rustling of wrappers. Everyone is already seated, but the attention of the audience is still scattered. And imagine this picture. The curtain opens, the stage is illuminated and we see a man standing in our basic speaker's stance, facing the audience and holding a pause. And the bigger the artist, the longer his pause...

What will happen to the public? Gradually it will calm down and focus on this actor. Those who are not yet ready will be pushed by their neighbors - quietly, shhhh, take away the candy, it has already begun... The attention of the theater audience will be gathered in an increasing parabola. And after some time, a maximum will be established - the peak of public attention. There will be dead silence in the theater with the full attention of the audience - what next?

This is reminiscent of a plot in Yeralash. Spring. The boy is standing in a puddle. The puddle is large and deep. Adults gather around - boy, why are you standing here, are you going to catch a cold!? He stands, is silent, pauses. Even more adults gather - boy, why are you standing here, why are you standing here, you’ll catch a cold, what, why, you’ll catch a cold... He stands calmly, pauses. There is already a crowd of adults, everyone is reaching out to him - boy, why are you standing here, you’ll catch a cold, what, why, why are you standing here, why are you standing here...!!!??? And finally, with the words “Here it is!” he jumps on the spot in a puddle, a fountain of splashes, all passers-by are wet. This boy has strong nerves! He doesn't just waste his energy. He gathered his attention, paused, and the efficiency of his hooligan actions became much higher! It's the same in public. You come out, fixate yourself in the main speaker’s stance, take a pause - and all the attention of the audience will be focused on you:

- Why are you standing here? And why are you standing here?? And why are you standing here???

And aerobatics are at the peak of attention - but that’s what it is! I have a speech here! And your first words sound. If this is the Bolshoi Theater, I estimate the time from appearance to the peak of public attention to be about 12-15 seconds. If this is an ordinary conference room for fifty people, then the maximum attention time will be about 5-7 seconds. This is the time we need to focus on. If the audience is very small, you can shorten the pause to 3 seconds, but there must be a pause!

If the pause is overexposed, what will happen to the audience? That's right, when the peak of attention has passed, it will inevitably weaken and the noise will start again:

- What is it? Why are they? Are they making fun of us?

Therefore, it is important for a good speaker to sense the timing and start speaking at the peak of attention!

What to do during a break? The pause itself should also not be empty - an empty pause disappoints the audience. She must be filled inner life. There is a story about Konstantin Sergeevich Stanislavsky, who during acting training gave tasks to his students to simply pause on stage in front of the audience. Almost everyone couldn’t stand it, they smiled, giggled, hesitated in place, and played with their facial expressions. And finally, Stanislavsky came out himself and began to look carefully into the hall - and all the students felt the fullness, the significance of the pause, even his inner thoughts. He silently looked into the audience for two minutes, and the audience was not bored - the rich pause held their attention.

That's why the rule is like this. During a pause, you collect the views of people from different sectors of the hall, assess their readiness, think about their faces and internal state:

- So, well, are you ready or not? What do we have here? Fine. Who do we have here? OK. And in the gallery? Not everything is ok yet...

There is no need to demonstrate anything special outwardly - this will lead to falsehood. Only internal work makes the pause rich and not empty.

We remember that you must be in the state of the Master of the hall. What does the Boss do in life? Business. And so he came on stage and he has a business - he chooses people for his business. Master - good psychologist, he observes and evaluates who will suit him and who will not, with whom he can cook porridge and with whom only compote, who to hire and who will not. And then the pause becomes meaningful and rich. The secret of such a pause is to concentrate attention on the people in the room.

What text should I start with? And only when the audience is ready to receive it, do you open your mouth and start speaking. I will offer a universal beginning for almost any speech:

- Hello! I am very glad to see you! My name is... (name)! I am... (who you are)! The topic of my speech... (and further on the topic).

Here's everything you need to get started. Universal greeting. A universal compliment to the public. Introducing yourself. Presentation of your social role.

The public initially has a natural curiosity - who is this, what is this, what is the person like. And the beginning of a speech is an opportunity to satisfy this curiosity and, with the help of a presentation, raise your importance, give yourself “PR.” Do you know the difference between PR and boasting? Only one position. The reason. If there is a reason, it’s PR, in the good sense of the word. If not, this is already bragging and looks unprofitable. The beginning of a speech is always an occasion - did you want to know who is speaking now? Well, please, I don’t feel sorry, I’m telling you. Of course, this is only suitable for new audiences. If the public already knows you, then self-presentation is no longer required.

You can look for other beginnings for speech, but this universal beginning is always suitable, even when nothing comes to mind.

If you have staged a successful performance in public, a good start and contribution to the success of the entire performance has already been made and the audience will be ready to give you applause at the end of your speech.

Successful performances to you!

Give a specific example

Many novice speakers believe that they first need to present general provisions. At a time when examples are easier to understand and more understandable to the audience. So why not start with them? Start your speech with an example, grab the attention and interest of the audience, and then begin to give general comments about your example. And this will be a good start.

Use some thing or object to attract the audience's attention

It can be held in both hands, in one hand, in the palm of your hand, above your head, at waist level. All this is not very significant. However, it is important that your subject is related to the topic of your speech. Look at . He almost always holds some kind of gadget in his hands at his presentations.

Start with shocking facts

For example, “Russia has the highest crime rate in the world.” Is not a fact. But it is clear that such a beginning will have an effect.

Start with a Powerful Quote

Statements famous person always have an attractive force. Therefore, the right saying is one of the most successful ways to start a public speaking speech. How do you rate the following opening of a speech on personal success: “No failure is fatal, no success is final, all that matters is the courage to continue!” ()

This start has two positive aspects. First, the quote is interesting. Second, the quote brings you and your audience straight to the point.

Ask questions

This is not only an opportunity to establish contact with the audience through interactivity. The question will help you find the key to the minds of the listeners, because it makes them think with the speaker and cooperate with him.

Arouse curiosity

This is important for capturing the attention of the audience. To do this, you can use from one phrase to several paragraphs. I know the story of one hunter who tied himself with a sheet and began to crawl back and forth, thus arousing the curiosity of the animals and attracting them, his prey.

How not to start a speech

Don't start with funny stories. There is nothing more challenging in public speaking than making your audience laugh. Humor is a very subtle thing. Keep in mind that stories are not always funny in and of themselves. In many ways, the speaker’s charisma plays a role here. The vast majority of storytellers will fail with the jokes of famous speakers such as Mark Twain. The author himself once got into trouble at a public speaking championship while telling a funny story. However, the reader may turn out to be a person with a great sense of humor. In this case, the flag is in your hands.

Don't start with an apology: “I'm a bad speaker... I'm poorly prepared... I have nothing to say.” Even if you are poorly prepared, some of the audience will understand this without your help. And the other one won't understand.

Despite all the advice in this article, much will inevitably depend on yourself, on the audience, the subject of the speech, and the prepared material. However, the author hopes that the tips provided in this article will be useful.

From this article you will learn:

What are the rules of public speaking?

What are the rules for preparing a public speech?

What psychological techniques can be used in public speaking?

Performance with public speech– this is a stressful situation for any person. Even the most brilliant speakers who have spent hundreds of hours on stage confirm this. Why is this happening? Any public speech is a statement own thoughts and ideas. Their successful or unsuccessful expression immediately affects a person’s reputation, his assessment as an expert, specialist. The rules of public speaking are, as a rule, quite universal. You can speak in front of different groups of people - these could be ministers and bankers, students and schoolchildren, journalists, colleagues and even prisoners. But all of them, first of all, will be your listeners, and you need to know a few rules that will help you correctly structure and present information, remain calm and keep the situation under control.

Public speaking: rules of preparation

Any public speech must be thoroughly prepared. The famous psychologist D. Carnegie has a whole book containing recommendations and rules for preparing a public speech. Main idea: “You need to know what you want to say and what your audience wants to hear. Only based on this knowledge can one correctly convey the information and convince one to believe oneself.”
First, let's analyze what types of speeches there are:

Improvisation. This type of speech does not require preparation, but it does require a lot of deep knowledge material and topic. In this case, the speaker expresses theses on a given topic and answers any questions from the audience easily and reasonably. Only experienced speakers and masters of their craft can do this. Such were Trotsky, Lenin and Mechnikov.
Speech from notes. Preparation is carried out for each item, which is worked out in advance. Answers to possible questions that may arise during the presentation are also written down.
Preparation of the full text. Most often you can see such a report from politicians. Sometimes their answers to the questions asked are not entirely consistent because they are not used to deviating from a pre-written text.

How to plan a presentation from start to finish and capture the audience's attention? Find out in the training program "

Performing without using prompts. The prepared text is learned by heart and spoken out during rehearsals, but in this case the rules of public speaking do not provide for the opportunity to answer additional questions.

A particularly valuable quality of a speaker’s skill is the ability to take into account the mood of the public in his speech and the ability to adapt to various changing circumstances.

Preparing a speech summary

What are the rules of public speaking? Let's start with preparation. Take notes on issues that are relevant to the topic of the speech or the specifics of your topic, industry or profession. D. Carnegie advises: “Write down other people’s and, of course, your own thoughts on scraps of paper - it’s so easy to collect and classify them.”
If you already know the topic of the report, then the following procedure is recommended:

Make a list of facts that are relevant to the topic and that you may need for your report.

Decide on the main, interesting, informative facts; feel free to cross out those that are secondary or only indirectly related to the matter.

Return to the topic of the report and see what data you may not have enough to fully disclose the topic in the manner in which the materials were selected.

Be sure to support your theses with facts, figures, statistics, and examples. It is better if for each thesis you have several points that support the main idea.
The rules for giving a public speech also recommend that you pay close attention to the language when you compile an outline of your speech. Do not shorten sentences, write full, expanded forms. Do not write down questions, but specific statements that you could use during a public speech.

Working with notes

Of course, all lecturers used prepared materials differently during their presentations. For example, C. Chaplin, who did not feel very comfortable in front of a microphone, always kept the full text of the speech before his eyes and tried not to deviate from it. And the recognized lecturer I. I. Mechnikov prepared with special care for all speeches, but did not take notes. His speech was always a masterful improvisation.
The rules for public speaking by the famous chemist S.N. Reformatsky were as follows: he wrote out the entire text of the lecture, and then read it to his family. As a rule, he took the notes with him to the department, but did not look at them. The famous historian V. O. Klyuchevsky had the ability to tell an interesting story, based on a prepared plan for the speech, and the physiologist I. M. Sechenov whispered it in full before the lecture. The recognized speaker V.I. Lenin prepared small pieces of paper with theses, with the help of which he built a public speech.
Of course, only a few can speak in front of an audience without any anxiety. But if you speak on the same topic several times, your confidence will only grow each time. You will be much more fluent in the material. When preparing, try to talk more, pronounce the text, and not just read. Over time, by applying the rules of public speaking, you will achieve success in this matter. Just remember, even the most experienced speakers always rehearse their speech, so don’t neglect this important step.

Rehearsing a future speech

Feel free to discuss the topic that will be the subject of your speech in an informal setting. Practice in front of friends, family, talk to people who can support you.
But how, when and how much is better to rehearse a future speech? The more often the better! Use every opportunity to do this. If you walk down the street, repeat it to yourself; at home or in the office, you can repeat it with gestures, pronouncing it in a full voice, placing emphasis in important places.
D. Carnegie's rules for public speaking say: arrange a kind of game at home with your family or friends - making speeches. You can choose topics in which you are strong and in three minutes try to convey it to your listeners as clearly and informatively as possible.
Many people have heard the recommendation for working with a mirror, but most often it only distracts novice speakers. Leading psychologists, for example O. Ernst, even write about this method as extremely harmful. First of all, you need to focus on the topic and meaning of the speech you are delivering.

Rules of Public Speaking: Psychology

By the time of your public report, you need to approach it in excellent psychological and physical condition. Don't worry about your fears because at the end of the day it's just a performance. O. Ernst wrote: “Not one of the speakers has ever fainted on the podium, even if his performance was really below any criticism.”
The existing rules for giving a public speech contain several important points:

Pay close attention not to your experiences, but to the content of your speech.
You should not tell your listeners absolutely all the prepared material; leave room for questions, if any. And the idea that you know much more than you say in this lecture will significantly increase your self-confidence.
You shouldn't prepare on the day of your performance; it's better to finish all your preparation the night before.
Before the performance, you should not start new things or get involved in new activities that are unusual for you. They will take over all your attention and direction of thoughts.
Try to have a light lunch or breakfast, don’t overeat before an important report.

If you still feel that anxiety does not leave you, the main thing is to understand the cause of your anxiety. Most often this is:

Lack of practical experience in such performances.
Features associated with your character: shyness, restraint, excessive anxiety, lack of self-confidence.
Doubts about the interest of listeners.
The fact of unsuccessful performance in the past.
Strong emotions associated with excitement and experiencing a stressful situation.

If your anxiety is mainly related to the reaction of listeners, then there are the following rules of public speaking:

choose a viewer who is positively disposed towards you and tell the story, looking into his/her eyes, as if you are alone in this room;
if you feel that contact has been established, you can nod slightly and turn your gaze to your neighbor and look into his eyes;
try to maintain a friendly and open expression on your face;
try to smile more often and then you will see how the mood in the room will change.

If your anxiety is related to your own condition, then carefully study these rules of public speaking:

Practice speaking in front of the public as often as possible, participate in public discussions, conversations, and ask questions.
During this time, you will find an inner state that gives you confidence and helps you feel successful. This feeling will be different for everyone. Some people need to feel the “joy of flying”, some need to feel as focused as possible, concentrated on their topic, while others need a slight excitement that makes them slightly excited and joyful.
Think about what emotional response you want to achieve from your listeners, what message you send to the audience.
Before going on stage, be sure to “warm up.” You can talk to one of the audience or organizers, or just walk around the room.

General rules for giving a public speech:

Ideally, you have the opportunity to rehearse the day before in the room where the performance will take place. You can look around the room, rehearse your entrance, give a speech, practice your posture, gestures, voice volume, and some important turning points in your speech.

Before going to bed, imagine the entire course of your speech. How the event begins, how the audience gathers, how you go on stage, what you say, where you look. Finish your speech and feel how great you did.

A few hours before going on stage, go through the outline of your report in your imagination, fix the key points of the speech in your mind and feel the joy that will overwhelm you after a successful performance.

Rules for successful public speaking: psychotechnics

One of the secrets of communicating with an audience lies in certain psychotechnics. You definitely need to form eye contact and show your interest in her.
When you enter the stage or pulpit, do not rush to immediately begin your speech, pause, look around, look at the audience, smile, if appropriate. By making eye contact with your audience, you greet them and let them know that you are there especially for them. Therefore, it is important to observe it during the performance.
Remember to maintain eye contact even when you are speaking scientific communication, where frequent reference to your notes is the norm. Subconsciously, a person feels when attention is paid to him: the glance may last only a split second, but it makes it clear that something important and valuable to him is happening. Therefore, try not just to look around the hall, but also to establish eye-to-eye contact with the audience.
When you are engaged in the psychotechnics of establishing contact with an audience, it is very important to understand what is most great importance has an emotional content in your gaze. What is in it - goodwill towards the audience or indifferent indifference, courage or fear. In our eyes, all our emotions can be read without difficulty, which means that listeners, as a rule, unmistakably see and feel what is happening in your soul.
So, the main rules for giving a public speech are to look around, make eye contact with the audience, and concentrate your attention on the subject of your speech.

Remember, the first words of your talk are the most important; it is at this moment that your listeners will determine whether they will listen to you or continue to have their head in the clouds. There are several techniques that will keep your audience's attention.

Interesting fact. One of the most effective ways to attract the attention of any audience is to tell an interesting fact that is directly related to the topic of the speech: “Did you know that...” or “Have you ever thought that...”
Colorful presentation. The presentation helps to structure and regulate the speech. You can outline the main points or rules on the slides feedback. The rules of public speaking suggest that you formulate this aspect this way: “I have fifteen minutes to talk about...”, “During the speech, I would like to address the following questions...”, “If questions arise during the speech, you can ask them by end of the report."
Questions. If this is possible in your format, then be sure to use this technique to attract attention. Questions force you to involuntarily look for answers, even if they are not spoken out loud, so they will listen to you more attentively.
Joke, anecdote. It is important to maintain some intrigue and not immediately reveal the connection between the anecdote and the topic of the speech. But the connection must exist. Remember that the joke must be tolerant and appealing to the majority in order to create the right mood.
Compliment from the audience. Consider a compliment as a sign of respect and recognition from the public. A correctly said compliment will evoke a grateful response from listeners. Try not to overact or exaggerate the weight of the compliment so that it is not perceived as ridicule. It is better if the compliment is short, unambiguous, and reflects reality. It can be expressed not only personally to the audience, but also to address their profession or company.

Techniques for attracting and maintaining audience attention

Skilled speakers use some rules of public speaking to attract and hold the attention of the audience:

Contrast stimuli. This rule consists of changing the type of signal for obtaining information. Most often, you can change the audio and video signals. The speaker, for example, can take a long pause, slow down or speed up the pace of speech. Also an example of a contrast stimulus can be movement around the scene. At first, the speaker can stand still and begin to move during the report, or vice versa.
Addressing current issues. For every person at a certain period of life, there are relevant topics that concern him. Typically, in a group of people, large or small, these problems are identical or very similar. Then, by addressing these topics that concern them, you can capture the audience's attention. In this method, the source of attention will be the significance of the information.
Contacting authoritative sources. The rules of public speaking have long contained advice to turn to authoritative sources. Quotes from great people and deep sayings are often used by many speakers in their speaking techniques. Success depends on several factors: relevance, completeness of the statement, authority of the source.
Address questions. This type of question is addressed to those present in the hall. And even rhetorical questions increase the audience’s attention.
Humor. A good joke from a speaker always evokes pleasant emotions in listeners, draws attention to him, arouses sympathy and interest. Often humor can relieve tension and prepare the audience to accept new information. And although humor most often draws attention not to the topic of the speech, but to the speaker himself, it should be used correctly.