Jude Magnotti ‘26
EE Co-Managing Editor
If you are one of my fellow introverts out there you understand just how utterly terrifying the task of speaking in front of other people (particularly your peers) can be. Even if you are not generally an introverted person, public speaking can be a daunting task that has haunted the minds of even the most confident of individuals. Nevertheless, the importance of such a skill in life can not be understated.
Unlike the boring fractions and geometry you learn in math class each day, the art of speaking and presenting information to your fellow human beings (yes that is what those weird creatures are called, shocking right?) is something that is equally important in all fields of life. Whether that be work, romance, or relationships, speaking in front of other people can go a long way towards achieving your desired goal. While certain people may be more or less inclined to embrace public performance, speaking is like any other skill really; what really matters is HOW they are able to get their message across, not WHO is delivering it. With that being said, here are a few of the key components you can take into account when preparing for a speech:
1: Hone Your Speech Elocution:
While some individuals may possess more desirable voices or speech qualities than others, the art of training your voice to sound powerful is universal. Someone may not hit every syllable perfectly, or articulate every word precisely, but if you practice just speaking to yourself or someone else whenever you can, then you will notice your tone of voice noticeably start to improve. Emphasizing certain words or taking powerful pauses in between can greatly refine the impact each word has on the audience. Searching up specific tips online as well can be a helpful way to dive into more of the specific techniques used in speech.
2: Know Your Stuff!
It can not be emphasized enough how impactful having a complex and deep understanding of your subject can be. In addition to naturally giving you credibility in front of your audience, knowing exactly what you’re saying and why you’re saying it can give you a massive boost of confidence. Having background knowledge also lends you the luxury to be able to improvise well thought out answers on the spot. This comes in handy especially when things don’t always stay on course or if your audience wishes to know more about the topic then what you just had planned. A repertoire of facts, points, and information at your disposal can completely turn the tide of a speech, presentation, or even a full blown argument.
3: Build Up Confidence Through PRACTICE
You know what they say: “Practice makes perfect!.” This phrase rings especially true in regards to public speaking. The more you practice, the better you get and the more comfortable you will feel with something even if it was something that you never thought you could be good at in the first place. This level of familiarity with your craft then lends itself to having more confidence each individual time you speak in front of other people. This confidence will not only force people to listen to you, it will allow you to command the previous skills I mentioned to a much higher degree. With any luck, you will even eventually be able to stop having nightmares about your history presentation due tomorrow! (I lied, they still have not stopped).
4: Know Your Audience
No matter what tactics you use, your public speaking approach will always come back to who you are addressing as a whole. Whatever you are saying will have no effect on someone who does not want to hear it. This means that you have to tailor each individual aspect of your speech to the values and beliefs of your audience as you would if you were tailoring a three piece suit on to an elegant gentleman. While your audience may have preconceived expectations about you coming into a speech, by simply acknowledging what your audience wants, and playing to that need, you can subvert the audience’s expectations of you and flip their entire perception of the speech on its head. Whether you are speaking in front of a group of friends, a group of adults, or even people you have never met in your life before, all it takes is one second to make a few inferences about your listeners and adjust your dialect accordingly.
5: Believe In What You Are Saying
As many components as there are to a good speech (or presentation, argument, etc.), there is one thing that will stop you dead in your tracks from ever achieving your desired goal in the moment. You have to actually BELIEVE in that which you are preaching. You can utilize every single tactic I previously mentioned before, but without the authentic and passionate belief in what you are provoking you are bound to fail no matter what. People with no principles are bound to be called out eventually, but if you remain firm and committed to the passion in what you are saying, the audience will be forced to hear your point even if they don’t necessarily understand or agree with it. It is this commitment to authenticity and individuality that separates the GOOD speeches from the GREAT ones, and every person regardless of their race, gender, or beliefs can mesmerize their listeners if they just have the faith in resilience to believe in what they are saying even in the face of criticism from everyone around them.
Photo courtesy: Laura Kreider, USAG Vicenza/PAO CC BY-NC 2.0