Five Tips to Help You Nail Your Next Public Speech or Debate

They say most people are more afraid of public speaking than they are of death.

And though humanity hasn’t found a way to evade the Grim Reaper’s icy grip just yet, we’ve found a few tips to help your next speech or debate appearance seem a lot less terrifying.

Benjamin Caulfield, a 16-year-old student of Perth Modern School and recent Senior Division Winner at the 2017 RCSWA Speech and Leadership Contest, knows his way around a public speech.

“I do quite a lot of music through school and outside of school, so I’ve always liked to perform for others, whether it’s on my violin or piano or as a public speaker; I really enjoy doing that,” he tells Student Edge.

“It always encourages me to think critically, as well as think on the spot.”

Though he still gets nervous in front of a crowd, he revealed five tips that help him make it through any big presentation. Now, they’re yours to use too.

1. Be pre-prepared.

“Before even writing your thesis, you shouldn’t exist in a void of information,” Benjamin says.

“You should be quite well read and be quite across the big talking points.”

This means reading widely and reading deeply on whatever subject you’re going to be speaking about (even if that information doesn’t make it into your speech).

“Based off that [research], you can make quite a detailed and insightful speech [and] it gives you a vast knowledge bank that you can use for impromptu questions, so you’re not thinking on your feet too much.”

2. Keep it clear.

Benjamin says he notices a common problem among speakers, specifically in debates: a lack of structure or clear message.

“In debates, it’s very important to tell your audience what you want to say, and what they should be getting out of your speech when they finish listening to it,” he says.

“If you don’t have a structure, you can find yourself repeating words that you’ve already said, and you’re also bringing down your connection to the audience.”

3. Offer the audience hope.

When you’re asked to give a speech, or participate in a contentious debate, it’s likely going to be on some big, complex problem, such as the appeal of extremism, extreme nationalism, domestic violence and global warming, to note a few examples Benjamin’s witnessed recently.

However, he advises against simply repeating the problems in your precious few allocated minutes of speaking time.

“The point of you doing the speech is that the audience already knows that what you’re talking about is a problem; that’s why you’re talking about it,” he says.

“It’s important to focus on the issue that caused the problem. It’s also very important to focus on solutions to those problems, and try to be specific in those solutions, and not trying to throw anything to see if it sticks to the wall."

4. Be concise.

Don’t get swamped by the bigness of your subject matter, Benjamin advises.

Speakers should also keep their speech to only the most essential information.

“You can go back [over your first draft] and see what parts don’t communicate [your] message to the audience and what parts don’t give hope, and what parts don’t offer the solutions that you’re trying to say,” he says to those wondering where to begin cutting.

“Most of your speech—particularly in your debate—should be focused on how [your] solution would work, as opposed to describing the problem.”

5. Practise, practise, practise.

It’s worthwhile running through your speech a few times before performing in it public, Benjamin says.

“When you open your mouth and hear what comes out, you will feel the urge to edit it and improve it,” he explains.

“By practising, you build familiarity with your speech, and stop relying on what is written on the page. Therefore, you can improve the flow, cadence and phrasing of your words, as well as being able to introduce hand gestures and eye contact that builds a good rapport with your audience.”

Photo: iStock.com/brazzo