You may be called upon at least once in your life to give a talk or presentation in your community, lead a meeting or deliver a lecture.
As our focus today will be on how to give a Ted talk, venturing a bit into the Ted background may help us understand what it entails.
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There are occasions when you may be asked to say a few words to commemorate an event or a person. Giving a speech at such an occasion, especially if the mood is festive, would not only be entirely unwelcome and a bore but also not appropriate for the context.
So, what can you do? Give a toast of course!
By definition, proposing a toast involves wishing a person or people future success, happiness and health and asking others to raise their glasses and join in a drink.
Toasts are diverse in that they can be given at retirement parties, awards dinners, weddings, birthdays, thanksgiving ceremonies and engagement parties, among others.
They can be made over festive beverages such as wine, sparkling cider or champagne, as well as any other beverages.
If you are ever called upon to share a few words to add a personal touch to any social gathering, here are a few tips to help you propose a toast that will not only mark the special occasion but also be memorable.
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When it comes to public speaking, we often hear the terms lectern, podium or pulpit being used but do we know the difference between these terms and how they are used in public speaking?
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Giving a speech doesn’t sound like a hard task, but this doesn’t mean that it’s a simple undertaking. Did you know that about 75% of the world’s population suffers from the fear of public speaking, which is commonly referred to as glossophobia? If you’re reading this, you probably do too.
So, what’s a smart way to help you handle this fear and deliver a good speech at the same time?
Memorizing your speech!
Memorizing a speech and no, I don’t mean cramming, allows you to give your presentation in a way that makes you feel and seem confident while also connecting with your audience. There’s a catch though, you need to memorize your speech in a way that makes it seem like you didn’t memorize it.
This will ensure that the speech feels and sounds natural as you present it, even though you may have practiced it a few hundred times. Memorizing a speech also prevents you from avoiding eye contact with your audience while you keep looking down at your notes, which makes you seem unprepared and unengaged.
Below, we look at a few steps that could help you memorize and give your speech.
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For many people, talking in front of a crowd is bound to elicit some jittery feelings. Nervousness, like many other feelings, may affect how you give your presentation which could, in turn, affect the quality of your presentation.
The most common way nervousness presents itself is through rushed speaking. You may not mean to do it but it does happen, which is totally understandable if you ask me, or anyone who gets jittery right before a presentation.
So, how do you ensure that your audience gets to hear all the words you utter, understand them and ultimately, remember them? By speaking slower of course!
To help with this, we’ve compiled a few tips that may be beneficial not only to you but also to your audience. You may also find these tips to be useful if you’re naturally a fast talker.
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When you introduce yourself at the start of a presentation, it’s the first opportunity that audience members have to meet you formally. So, you should give them the best impression that you can.
It’s critical, at this point, to establish a strong connection with participants that will encourage them to hear you out.
Audiences are known to judge a speaker quite quickly!
The moment you open your mouth, they’re deciding whether they’re going to like what you have to say or if there’s something else they’re rather spend their evening doing.
If it’s the latter, they’ll look for a chance to make a speedy exit as unobtrusively as possible – like when the lights dim so that you can show your first slide, for example.
Here’s how to woo watchers and keep them in their seats with an effective personal introduction.
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A motivational speaker is a professional who gives speeches that have been designed to inspire and motivate individuals in an audience. Motivational speakers usually use their life experiences to build successful careers. This they do by sharing any powerful messages they have come across with others who may benefit from the wisdom they acquired from those experiences.
Also known as inspirational speakers, motivational speakers are gifted in the art of persuasion. This allows them to deliver their ideas in a way that is not only positive, but one that also persuades others to follow their way of thinking.
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For many, public speaking is a terrifying affair, while for others, it is an incredibly exciting opportunity. Needless to say, if you do plan to get gigs or speaking engagements, you will need to speak in front of an audience.
Public speaking is a great way to grow your audience or your platform, in addition to being a powerful way to share any concepts or ideas that you may have. It is also a good tool for forging relationships.
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When delivering a speech, how do you ensure the audience understands what you mean while also sounding confident, intelligent and articulate all at the same time? Let’s break it down below.
So, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of somebody who’s articulate?
Is it how they command a stage with an audience made up of thousands of individuals or just somebody who has mastery over how they use language, to help them communicate their message in a way that is both effective and persuasive?
While commanding an audience made up of thousands is no easy feat, it doesn’t really make you more articulate in public speaking.
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Speaking in front of an audience may be a challenge to many, as it may make them nervous or induce anxiety. In fact, the term glossophobia was coined to describe the fear of speaking in public, and many experts believe that up to 73% of the world’s population is affected by this phobia!
The good news is, there are various ways you can use to calm your nerves before going on stage to give a speech or presentation.
However, while these ways may help in the short run, a good way to completely rid yourself of the jitters would be to get to the root cause of exactly why you get nervous or anxious every time you are about to give a presentation.
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