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Advice on Coping with Public Speaking Anxiety

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Advice on Coping with Public Speaking Anxiety

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https://www.verywellmind.com/public-speaking-anxiety-how-to-prepare-for-a-speech-3024403

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Many public speaking students are anxious about the performance aspect of class, which is understandable. It can be vulnerable, to speak in front of other people (even if it’s just on the internet.) And sometimes our physiology can betray us (our voice can shake, our cheeks can flush, etc.) But here’s what you need to know: before any of those “delivery” considerations come into play, a strong speech starts with a strong, optimized topic. Don’t underestimate the importance of this step!

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Giving a good speech requires commitment. Achieving your goal will be a lot easier if colleagues, friends and family are there to support you. Ask for help when you need it!

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Video Lesson on Organizing and Outlining Your Speech 

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Video Lesson on Organizing and Outlining Your Speech 

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Video link

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Eat well and give your mind some time off as well.

Get a good night's sleep. I think 8 hours makes sense, but you know your body best.

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Step 1: Practice After you put in all the hard work of research, only then should you practice.

Don’t forget that practice makes perfect (or at least it makes a speech much stronger.) Much like actors, athletes, and musicians, public speaking takes practice. And in order to adequately practice, you have to save enough time to do so. Give yourself a chance to practice your speech several times. To see where you stumble. To notice where you end up over-relying on note cards. To time yourself, and see if you’re over or under the desired time frame.
·         Practice your speech out loud, and where you will actually deliver it

·         Practice your speech with the speaking notes you’ll actually use, and time yourself

·         Practice your speech by recording yourself (and when reviewing the tape, look for issues such as a distracting background, odd camera angle, poor audio levels, how well you did with eye contact, how the lighting works, etc.)

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The day is here, and you want to minimize stress. Wake up early to eat a familiar pre-run meal (remember: nothing new on speech day), and drink plenty of water. Get to class early. Go to the bathroom. Make sure you know where to go. Stretch. Meet your fellow classmates.

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Figure out what works best for your stomach leading up to the speech. You might find caffeine helps, you might find it gives you the jitters. Stay away from too much sugar.

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We're in this together! Cheer each other on - it can be a huge morale boost to finish your speech!

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Appreciate the moment while you're in it, notice how you're breathing and what's going on around you.

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When you’re doing your research, think about a variety of types of support that you could include (no one wants to just listen to five minutes of someone rattling off statistics.) Consider including:

•        Examples

•        Narratives

•        Definitions

•        Descriptions

•        Historic and scientific facts

•        Statistics

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This Padlet page is meant for students  enrolled in a basic communication class as you prepare your informative and persuasive researched speech.

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Draw from a variety of types of sources 

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Draw from a variety of types of sources 

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Every speech in class requires at least three to five sources. Generate these by researching a variety of types of sources:

•        Primary sources (your first-hand investigation into something)

o   Interviews that you conduct

o   Surveys that you conduct

o   Focus groups that you conduct

o   Your original analysis of various things (letters, news articles, TV shows, ads, data sets, etc.)

•        Secondary sources (this is where you review what other people have researched, studied, and written about)

o   Published books

o   News articles

o   Peer-reviewed research

o   Publicly available statistics and data sets

o   Dictionaries and encyclopedias

o   Documentaries

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Where do you find sources for your speech?

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Where do you find sources for your speech?

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•     With your 4Cs ID, you can access the Wilkens Library Resources online, anytime. Check out this how-to video to learn how.

The 4Cs Library Team is here to help you research and access resources that will help you thrive in the classroom. Librarians and staff are available via e-mail (refdesk@capecod.edu), chat (check the bottom right of the library webpage), or by phone (774.330.4480).

Via web searches on sites like Google.

•        Look for books and peer-reviewed journal articles via the library.

•        Do a search of trusted news outlets (The Associated Press, Reuters, NPR, PBS, ABC, NBC, CBS, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, BBC, CBC, etc.)

o   Make sure to stop and check if the news article you’ve found is opinion, or news reporting. Here’s a resource to help you distinguish between types of journalism.

o   News sites can have political leanings, so be aware of this as you research.

•        Use public data sets, such as:

o    US Census data: https://www.census.gov/

o    World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/

o    Pew Research Center: https://www.pewresearch.org/

o    Five Thirty Eight: https://fivethirtyeight.com/

o    Unicef: https://data.unicef.org/

o    Data.gov: https://www.data.gov/

•        Find information from professional organizations related to your topic

•        NOTE: Beware of “think tanks” with political biases (see a list here)

IMPORTANTLY: All sources must be shared TWO ways. First, they must be shared verbally in the speech, via signal phrases, meaning we need to hear them spoken (as in: “According to the Pew Research Center …”). Secondly, they must be included in a works cited list, formatted in either MLA or APA style. (See the Purdue OWL site for citation style details.)

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It’s related to a passion of yours, or something you have a deep desire to learn more about.

Think creatively! It doesn’t have to be a “schoolish” topic. What is something you love talking about/thinking about anyway?

What do you and your friends spend hours debating about or devouring in your free time?

I’ve had students do speeches on everything form composting, Fortnite, K-pop, personal training, dating apps, meditation, and raising baby goats.

List of Sample Topics

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Don't pick a topic that is too complex to follow OR too simple that it fails to teach anything to your peers. 

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Don't pick a topic that is too complex to follow OR too simple that it fails to teach anything to your peers. 

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Topics with lots of technical terms can be tricky, as can topics that aren’t necessarily entry level. You might have a passion for some advanced computer modeling used in astronomy, but if an audience member should have a strong foundation of physics and calculus in order to understand the importance of your topic, it might not be the ideal topic choice for a general audience.

Also, don’t swing too far in the other direction. Try not to pick a speech that’s overly simple and, in turn, is unlikely to teach anything to your adult peers, i.e. “what is Twitter?” or “how to make a PB & J sandwich.” Remember the Goldilocks principle – some speech topics are far too simple. Some are far too complex. Aim to pick a topic that’s just right.

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Pick a topic that interests your audience 

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Pick a topic that interests your audience 

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Ask yourself, what might YOU want to hear a speech about? As a general rule, plan for an audience of young adults (traditional college-aged students in their early to mid 20s.)

What sort of speech topic might bore you to tears? Please don’t pick a dull/dry topic. Please? Pretty please?! And also? Remember that it’s okay to be funny, and to put some personality into your speech.

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It’s wonderful to entertain, as long as you can still stay on track and meet the requirements of the specific speech. You want to have adequate sources and a written outline.

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1. Main points should be about the same length.
2. Connect the main sections so that it flows.

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public speaking is not merely “talking” and “reading” at the same time. Speaking is a more “animated” process, with meaningful pauses, eye contact, and vocal emphasis.

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Keep in mind the following best practices for at-home speeches: 

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Keep in mind the following best practices for at-home speeches: 

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·         They must be recorded in one take (no editing allowed.)

·         Maintain eye contact by looking at the camera of your recording device (do not read from the side of your screen, from a document on your desk, or from a phone or paper in your hand.)

·         Avoid reading from a script (practice reduces your reliance on notes!)

·         Record in front of a neutral, non-distracting background

·         Dress nicely for the speech (you don’t have to wear a suit, but you shouldn’t be wearing your pajamas)

·         Record in a place that’s free from other noises or distractions

·         Record straight-on (not from down below, with the camera shooting up your nose.) Also, center yourself in the frame, and capture your head and shoulders (so that the video is neither too zoomed-in or too far zoomed-out.) Seated speeches are fine for remote delivery.

·         Have good lighting (ideally natural lighting versus harsh overhead florescent lights; whenever possible, avoid recording at night.)

·         Have good audio levels (always do a few test runs before recording the full, final speech, in order to identify any potential tech troubles.)

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You can re-record the speech if things go wrong! Take advantage of this benefit of remote speech delivery. (On the other hand, remember that no speech has to be perfect. Mistakes are natural. Don’t get into a spiral where you constantly start over and can’t manage to actually finish the recording.)

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You may have read this earlier in the course, but it's always helpful to review some good advice!

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Use this form to review your outline for completeness