Public speaking plan - how to prepare a public speech

The ability to behave in public has been considered the most important social skill since ancient times. Oratory is in demand in a variety of areas, from a banal answer at the school board to the presentation of a project. At the same time, public speaking is stressful. Finding yourself face to face in front of an audience, conveying your ideas to them, and convincing listeners of your competence is difficult even for an experienced speaker. Stress levels are reduced when everything is well prepared: there is a deep understanding of the topic, a public speaking plan has been drawn up, and the speech has been prepared and rehearsed.

In this article we will talk about how to properly prepare a public speech.

Content

The purpose of the speaker
Checklist for preparing for a public speaking Analysis of the target audience
Purpose of the speech
Choosing a theme
Preparation of notes
Presentation for public speaking
Preparing for the audience's reaction
Oral speech production
Contact with the audience
Lyrical digressions
Emotionality
Working on anxiety
Timing
Rehearsals
Before going on stage
Experience is the son of difficult mistakes

Principles for creating a public speaking plan

Introduction

Main part

The final

Conclusion

Burn some cortisol

When you're anxious, your adrenal glands produce cortisol. This hormone limits your creativity and ability to work with complex information.

When you're under attack from cortisol, it's nearly impossible to read or respond to what's going on with your audience.

An easy way to reduce cortisol is to exercise. Exercise outside before heading to work, take a walk during your lunch break, or hit the gym shortly before a performance.

The purpose of the speaker

Speaking in front of an audience is self-presentation. The speaker does not just convey information to the audience, he conveys his ideas, his goal is to convince and inspire. If the speaker mumbles something incomprehensible, reads from a piece of paper, and his speech does not have a clear structure and clear purpose, then the speech will be a failure.

Before preparing a public speech, you need to assess your level of competence, the amount of preparatory work, and only after that engage in speech composition, practice oratory skills, and look for interesting methods of presenting material.

Pause for 10 seconds

Stop for 2 seconds and the audience will think you've lost your point. Pause for 5 seconds and the audience will think you paused on purpose. After a 10-second pause, even those who were texting while you spoke will look up to see what's going on.

When you start speaking again, everyone will be confident that your pause was intentional and that you are a confident and accomplished speaker.

An insecure storyteller fears emptiness, and only an experienced speaker feels comfortable in silence. Take one long pause to collect your thoughts and the audience will automatically give you points.

Checklist for preparing for a public speaking

We compiled a checklist, where we went through point by point how to prepare for a public speaking and not forget anything.

Target audience analysis

For a successful performance, it is important to find out the composition, social status, average age and level of preparedness of the audience.

The purpose, choice of theses, and form of presentation of the material depend on the status of the listeners. “Dummies” need simple images, a minimum of professional jargon, and clarification of complex issues. In front of an advanced audience, the style, tone and choice of vocabulary will be completely different.

Factors influencing the attention span of listeners:

The smaller the audience, the higher the attention.
The lower the listeners' comfort, the better oral speech is perceived. The standing audience is the most attentive, while those sitting in comfortable soft chairs are the most distracted.
Concentration is unstable and decreases in waves, every 10–15 minutes. During a downturn, it is advisable to somehow cheer up the audience. At 45 minutes the concentration dissipates as much as possible, you need to take a break or pause.

So, the ideal setting is to perform for 10-15 minutes in front of a small group in a room with no seating. But in life everything is far from ideal, so use techniques to subordinate the attention of the audience:

speech in the form of dialogue with oneself;
questions to the audience, implying “yes/no” answers;
provocative question or discussion;
targeted questions to specific listeners such as “are you feeling the wind?”;
intonation accents in key places of speech;
lyrical digressions;
appropriate jokes;
the second half of the speech should be more interesting and easier to understand than the first.

If the composition of the audience cannot be known in advance, prepare brief references to the most difficult concepts and, as the play progresses, ask the audience if anything needs to be explained in more detail.

Purpose of the speech

Before preparing for a public speaking, determine for what purpose you are going to broadcast something to people. Usually, goals are somehow forgotten, but they should become the guiding star for the speaker.

How to correctly determine the goal? Answer yourself these 3 questions very honestly:

Why do I need this performance?
What reaction do I expect from the audience?
What result do I expect?

Now you need to figure out how to align the interests of your audience with your goals, and prepare a speech that will satisfy both sides.

Choosing a theme

The deeper the knowledge, the less the fear of public failure. Choose topics in which you are well versed. If there are gaps, study specialized publications, saving data on sources, talk with experts, write out quotes on cards, collect digital materials in a separate folder - they will be useful for electronic presentations.

The topic should be relevant to both you and the audience. If you want to sell a product, talk about its advantages, how it changes life for the better; if you want to show how cool your production is, talk about the advantages of equipment and work organization; if you want to captivate freshmen with the Old Church Slavonic language, look for something that will touch their heartstrings.

Preparation of notes

The portrait of the audience, the purpose of the speech and the current topic are the three pillars on which the text of the speech is built. There are several types of notes.

Outline - experienced speakers use a short or extended outline, in which they mark the sequence of points, so as not to accidentally delve into abstract jungle. Everyone, without exception, needs an approximate plan for public speaking. This is where work on the text begins. The plan sets the vector of your speech.
A brief summary is drawn up based on the finished plan. Each point is supplemented with abstracts, numbers, quotes, and supporting phrases that will help you remember the necessary information. The abstract is the optimal “cheat sheet” format. It is impossible to read the entire speech using it, causing boredom to the audience, but at the same time all the basic information is recorded here in case of memory lapses.
Full text - format for beginners. If you have audience anxiety, prepare your entire oral public presentation in writing. This will help you avoid mistakes, logical and stylistic blunders, structure your speech well and give you confidence.

Tip: write the text of your speech by hand, highlight points with multi-colored pens, and underline key phrases with bright markers. This way you will use different types of memory, and you can use the written text as a thesis summary.

Some speakers memorize their speech. If this relieves excessive anxiety, study, but remember that rote speech greatly interferes with the spontaneity of the speaker.

Presentation for public speaking

If you have the technical ability, be sure to make a presentation. This is a good solution from all sides:

for the speaker it is a support that will take you out of any emergency situation;
for the audience it is a center of attraction and a visual aid.

A good presentation does not copy the speaker’s speech, but complements and illustrates his words. There should not be a sheet of text on the slides; use infographics, illustrations, tables instead of words - everything that helps the visual perception of information.

Preparing for the audience's reaction

The audience is not always loyal to the speaker or the topic of his report. Psychologists identify three scenarios of confrontation between listeners and the speaker:

Avoidance — the public finds any excuse to get distracted and not delve into the essence. Here you need attention grabbing techniques:
increasing the drama of the story;
controlled emotionality;
dialogization of speech;
establishing contact with the audience.
Undermining authority - the audience doubts the authority of the speaker himself and his sources of information.
Be prepared to talk about your sources and provide additional arguments.
Think about what tricky questions the audience might ask, and prepare for a short, reasoned answer. Don’t be discouraged: spend no more than 1.5 minutes on any question.
Misunderstanding - the audience, not wanting to delve into the essence of ideas alien to them, classifies them as incomprehensible.
Use an easy, conversational style, speak more simply.
Use means of artistic expression: comparisons, metaphors, allegories, hyperboles - this adds imagery to speech and makes it easier to perceive complex abstract concepts.

Prepare an adequate response to interference from the audience:

correct reactions to the aggression of provocateurs and inappropriate humor: ignoring, irony, jokes, methods of “boomerang” and “delayed response” (“I heard you, let’s return to this question at the end”);
Wait out the applause and continue speaking when it subsides.

Oral speech production

The public does not forgive:

voice too quiet;
monotonous speech;
speech rate is too high;
fatal problems with diction.

When preparing for a speech, practice the quality of your oral speech. Breathing exercises, gymnastics for the articulatory apparatus, tongue twisters, training to expand your vocal range - all this will improve your sound.

Contact with the audience

Catch the audience's reaction. Get ready to make eye contact with the audience: mentally divide it into sectors and move your gaze while speaking. If there are few listeners, look at each one in turn.

Advice: if stage fright is too great, look slightly over the heads of the audience, find a few friendly listeners and address them.

Practice your posture and gestures - they affect the impression of you. Instead of hiding behind a lectern or table, choose a natural, open posture. A big mistake is to stare at the screen with the presentation and completely ignore the audience. Think in advance about how to engage a tired audience: conduct a survey, start a discussion.

Lyrical digressions

A lyrical digression is a story, a case from practice, or an anecdote that comes to mind as if by chance. This technique enlivens speech and invigorates bored listeners.

A person who carefully prepares for a public speech necessarily makes several such “home preparations”. It seems to the audience that this is impromptu, but in fact, lyrical digressions must be prepared in advance so that they are appropriate, brief and do not take the speaker away from the topic.

Emotionality

A speech without emotion will not evoke a response from the audience, but an overly emotional speech is more reminiscent of hysteria or a humorous act. Look for balance. Vivid images, a dose of humor, questions for the audience, well-thought-out dramaturgy of the narrative - all this works to create the correct emotional coloring of the speech.

Working on anxiety

The nature of fear of public speaking is social - we are afraid of failure, the disapproval of other people. From a biochemical point of view, fear is a release of adrenaline, so exercises that reduce its level help cope with anxiety: light physical warm-up, arm swings, breathing exercises.

For other ways to work on anxiety, read our article: Fear of public speaking: how to overcome a phobia.

Timing

It is good practice to start and end your speech on time. This is respect for all participants. The public is ready to carry speakers who can finish a report a little earlier. Try to follow the rule: leave before the audience gets tired of you.

The shorter the speech, the more difficult it is to prepare. You will have to cut to the quick: squeeze out the water, fill every word with meaning, select only what really reflects the essence, struggle with wording. In a long speech there is more freedom and room for impromptu.

Rehearsals

To prepare for a report and perform successfully, you need rehearsals, both in front of real people (friends, relatives, colleagues), and in front of a mirror or your phone camera. Rehearsals reveal problem areas: illogical connections, clumsy wording, inappropriate images. But most importantly, they help you practice your voice strength, intonation, speed of speech, check whether you are within the regulations, choose a natural pose, and feel confident.

If possible, rehearse at the event location. This way you will get used to the room and get comfortable on stage.

Before going on stage

Going on stage is very stressful, and each speaker develops his own rituals to help him get ready. General recommendations:

have a snack an hour before the performance;
take a walk;
if possible, come to the hall in advance, look around, check the equipment;
do not drink coffee or alcohol before going on stage;
Do a light warm-up in 15 minutes;
breathe deeply.

Experience is the son of difficult mistakes

Public speaking requires constant practice. The more real performances you have, the more confident you will feel.

Watch videos of speeches by recognized speakers, read books on rhetoric, sign up for courses that teach you how to prepare for public speaking and hold the attention of the audience. All this will add to your self-confidence and remove the fear of an audience.

Replace superstitions with healthy habits

Superstitions are invented to give you a sense of control over your fears. “Lucky” socks will not help you run better in races. By putting on a “lucky” thing, you are trying to magically influence future events over which you have no control and which inspire fear.

Instead of creating superstitions, engage in activities that will help you calm down. Walk around the room you will be speaking in and find the best vantage points. Check your microphone. Go over your presentation to double-check that you are ready to speak.

Pick a few really useful actions and get into the habit of doing them before every performance. Familiar activities will help you gain confidence in your abilities.

Principles for creating a public speaking plan

Preparing a speech for public speaking always begins with drawing up a detailed plan. Based on your goal and the interests of the audience, you need to formulate theses, select convincing arguments and illustrative examples for them, and then arrange the material in a logical sequence. Don’t forget to come up with a bright, intriguing name for the meeting, so that people not only understand what will be discussed, but also want to come and listen to you.

Oral presentation is a special genre and it has strict requirements for structure.

Introduction

The introduction should be bright, emotional, intriguing. Its goal is to establish contact with the audience, spark interest and outline the issues of the report. The introduction consists of a greeting and a start.

Greetings . The speaker has only a minute and a half for the audience to form a first impression of him. Think over your greeting thoroughly: a few words about yourself and your competence, why, in fact, you can be trusted.
The beginning . The premise should clearly outline the topic and interest the audience. An unexpected, intriguing question, a short story, a parable are appropriate here. Try to come up with an informal, bright opening, because it determines whether they will listen to you further.

Advice: the introduction is the most important part; for beginners it is better to write it down and learn it in its entirety.

Main part

The main part reveals the stated topic. This is not just a story about your experience or presentation of information. The content of the speech should take into account the interests of the listeners and solve their problem.

The narrative consists of a logical sequence of theses, each of which complements and reveals the previous ones.

Whatever you claim must not be unfounded. Each thesis needs convincing argumentation. Evidence must be truthful, supported by authoritative sources and concise. In order for the audience to believe in the legitimacy of the thesis expressed, 3 arguments are enough.

In addition to classic theses and arguments, include in the main body rhetorical devices that enliven your speech and hold attention.

When composing a speech according to the laws of dramaturgy, increase the degree of interest and bring the audience to the climax. The climax is your trump card, the strongest argument that should convince even the most impenetrable skeptics. After the climax of the performance comes the denouement.

The final

A blurry ending kills the impression of the entire public speaking as a whole, so be sure to include a brief summary analysis of what was said and conclusions in your plan. Good ending:

succinctly summarizes the ideas of the speech;
clearly states the main idea;
relieves tension and creates a positive emotional response from the audience.

Never end on a minor note. Even if your report does not inspire unbridled joy, leave people with hope.

Before leaving the stage, thank everyone for their attention. In the finale, self-promotion, a call to contact you with questions, and a slide with contact information are appropriate.

The speaker needs a plan for self-control. A good, logical structure of the speech consistently reveals the problem from the general to the specific, keeps the audience in good shape, and does not allow the speaker to wander away from the main thread of the story. If you swap elements in such a composition, the logic will fall apart, which is why even experienced speakers write a plan.

Strive to help your audience

Most speakers consider the goal of their speech to be immediate benefit: for example, promoting a website or service, expanding the circle of clients.

Thinking about performing in this way adds pressure to an already stressful situation. Instead, strive to ensure that your speech is useful to the audience.

When you help people grow professionally or try to improve their lives in some way, you already receive benefits in the form of loyal listeners, fame and new clients.

Be brief

If you are given 30 minutes to speak, use 25. If you are given an hour, speak for 50 minutes. Always respect your audience's time and finish early.

By trying to shorten your speech during the preparation stage, you will hone your speech and remove everything unnecessary from it.

Finish early and spend the remaining time answering questions from the audience. If there is not enough time, invite the audience to meet after the presentation to discuss any unclear points.

Never delay your presentation. This can ruin the positive impression and leave a bad taste in the audience's mouth.

Possible mistakes

Oratory skills do not come immediately; many novice speakers make typical mistakes:

They demonstrate a lack of confidence (the speaker has little knowledge of the issue being covered or is afraid of people).
They begin to make excuses and lose the trust of the listener.
Do not illustrate the speech with examples from experience or literature.
They use excessive gestures and chaotic facial expressions (to control body language, they analyze the video recording of the performance and get rid of unnecessary movements).
They do not select words and compose sentences accurately (for example, frequent use of negative particles will lead to misunderstanding of the text).
They pay little attention to preparation.
They read the message monotonously without humorous asides and do not maintain eye contact.
Do not use pauses to maintain attention - stopping for 10 seconds will awaken the curiosity of all distracted people.
They show excessive seriousness, self-confidence and over-erudition.
They use a large number of filler words.
They fuss or, on the contrary, become tight.

Important! High-quality preparation and repeated rehearsals allow you to avoid many mistakes.

Speaker mistakes

Repeat key points

Structure your speech so that you can repeat key points from time to time. First explain the point, then give examples of how you can apply this information in your life, and end with a description of specific actions in accordance with what was told.

Since no one can remember absolutely everything you said, the more you repeat key points, the greater the chance that they will stick in your listeners' memory and be used in life.

What does a person who needs to speak in front of an audience face?

Think back to your recent public appearance. What thoughts did you have when you learned that you had to perform? I think it’s rare that one of you will say - oh, I’ve been looking forward to this moment! Even I, despite twenty years of public speaking experience, often feel a little trembling at the thought of an audience waiting for my speech. Most likely, you thought: “Oh my God, not me, not now, maybe someone else, maybe it’s better to refuse?”

Well, okay, you couldn’t refuse or you decided to act out of fear, seeing prospects for yourself in this. Did you start preparing right away? More often than not, we put off preparation until the last minute, and this is directly related to the discomfort of the upcoming public speaking. We put off something unpleasant (we know how to do it, but we don’t feel pleasure) or incomprehensible (we don’t know how to do it, but we’ll do it later somehow). And then, of course, the stress intensifies. We may even panic and scrap our preparations. As a result, all resources are thrown into the fight against stress - experiences on stage and the ambiguous effect of the performance.

In my experience, more than 50% of speakers begin preparing for a speech with a presentation. As a result, listeners receive a kaleidoscope of data from texts, graphs, lists and pictures. And they don’t always understand why they listen to it.