Public Speaking Activities And Exercises To Improve Your Speeches And Presentations

The opening words of your presentation or speech are important – you need to attract the attention of your audience. You can make this provocative to capture everyone’s interest, or you can open with a series of questions – real or rhetorical.

If you’re at a loss when working on the body of your speech, try to insert a well-known quote or two by someone famous – if the occasion calls for it, use funny quotes and give the audience a chance to laugh, relax and warm to you.

Another public speaking activity you can utilize is to choose one or two members of the audience and ask them a question about your subject; involve them in the proceedings and they will be more receptive to you. Don’t worry if you make a mistake – either ignore it, or simply apologize and continue with your talk.

The conclusion of your speech should briefly sum up what you have spoken about, and you should also ask if the audience has any questions for you – they may need to have some points clarified. Be prepared for questions and answer honestly. If you don’t know the answer, let them know you’ll research it for them and get back to them.

Tell the audience you have really enjoyed speaking to them all and hopefully you will leave them with a sense of having heard a speech by someone who knows what he or she is talking about. Remember that it takes a lot of practice to become an accomplished public speaker, but if you have done your research and know your subject, the more you participate in public speaking activities, the easier it will become and you will wonder why you were ever nervous about doing it.

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