guest speaker

tunatartare · #1 10-13-2006, 04:48 PM

I know that several people on here have mentioned that they've been guest speakers at various events and presentations. A friend's fraternity at SUNY Stony Brook is doing a program on Meningitis next month and asked me to be a guest speaker to talk about my friend's experience last year. I think that it's great that they're doing this and I want to support them, however, I am terrified of public speaking and am horrendous at it. If anyone can give me any tips or words of advice, that would be greatly appreciated.

adpiucf · #2 10-13-2006, 04:51 PM

Just feel comfortable with your topic.

If you're giving a powerpoint, your slides should not be your speech on powerpoint-- just list main points and elaborate.

Have handouts and make it interactive-- invite questions and an icebreaker activity.

Show a video.

HTH!

33girl · #3 10-13-2006, 05:16 PM

Please don't give a powerpoint. Please.

Definitely try to make it as interactive as possible.

Practice giving your speech to someone who knows NOTHING about your topic. When you know something really well you tend to use terminology etc and forget that everyone doesn't know it.

Good luck!!

Drolefille · #4 10-13-2006, 05:20 PM

The more personal it is, the more it affects the audience. And I hate public speaking too, but the better I know my subject (and the less I feel like the audience knows it) the better I do. So I agree w/ 33girl and say treat the audience like they don't know anything about the subject.

Pay attention to your speaking and slow yourself down if you start talking too fast.

adpiucf · #5 10-13-2006, 05:26 PM

You could open talking about your friend and what she liked to do. Talk about what a great person she was and then start tallking about her symptoms and her decline. Talk about her death and how it affected you and how it brought you to talk to them today. Explain what the disease is, how you get it, what can happen to you as a result and how you go about avoiding it.

Photos help.

Tom Earp · #6 10-13-2006, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KLPDaisy

I know that several people on here have mentioned that they've been guest speakers at various events and presentations. A friend's fraternity at SUNY Stony Brook is doing a program on Meningitis next month and asked me to be a guest speaker to talk about my friend's experience last year. I think that it's great that they're doing this and I want to support them, however, I am terrified of public speaking and am horrendous at it. If anyone can give me any tips or words of advice, that would be greatly appreciated.

Drink before!

Kidding of course. I hated speaking in front of people, A LOT!

But with what I did in running a Local it helped and have been a speaker since then.

Know your item of discussion.

Do not just play speach talker. Do not act like a school teacher and do a cracker dry report.

1. Introduce the Topic.
2. Explain what it is.
3. Give an experience of a friend and what you did to help or knew of and how it effected them.
4. Ask for any experiences from the audience.
5. If none ask a question?
6. ? Do you really know what this disease can do to you and others?

Get the floor open and it will flow amongst them. Hopefully!

Just know your subject enough to answer any Q's! Oh, or have someone with you who can.

Have a good belt anyway, ease up and just go for it!

Alpha Sig Scott · #7 10-13-2006, 07:22 PM

Picture everyone in their underwear, ala Jan from the Brady Bunch

. The episode about her speaking in front of her class. Good luck

tunatartare · #8 10-13-2006, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alpha Sig Scott

Picture everyone in their underwear, ala Jan from the Brady Bunch

. The episode about her speaking in front of her class. Good luck

I don't know that episode. What happened?

KSigkid · #9 10-13-2006, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adpiucf

You could open talking about your friend and what she liked to do. Talk about what a great person she was and then start tallking about her symptoms and her decline. Talk about her death and how it affected you and how it brought you to talk to them today. Explain what the disease is, how you get it, what can happen to you as a result and how you go about avoiding it.

Photos help.

This is great advice - speaking about it this way will keep the audience focused, and more people will come away with a message from your speech.

I say do it, and good luck.

Alpha Sig Scott · #10 10-13-2006, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KLPDaisy

I don't know that episode. What happened?

That's about everything I remember from this episode. I guess that's not much help huh? Maybe someone else can remember the ending.

Alpha Sig Scott · #11 10-13-2006, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KLPDaisy

I don't know that episode. What happened?

From www.bradyresidence.com

#108. "The Driver's Seat"
Original Airdate: January 11, 1974

Marcia bets that she can beat Greg's score on the driver's test. After Marcia aces the written exam, she's ready to enter the driving world, but she chokes on the driving exam. After she takes her own advice that she gave Jan about imagining people in their underwear, she passes the test on the next try. To determine who is the better Brady driver, Mike sets up a test in a parking lot, and Greg knocks the egg off the pylon.

Guest Star:
Herb Vigran (examiner)

"Just imagine him in his underwear!"

DolphinChicaDDD · #12 10-13-2006, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

Do not act like a school teacher and do a cracker dry report.

No offense, but when was the last time you were in a classroom? My lesson today included a computer, projector, the internet, marshmellows, and molecules.

At any rate, I would do a basic overview of the disease but keep, like previously mentioned, speak openly about your friend. I would end up speaking about vaccination and what can be done to prevent the disease.

tunatartare · #13 10-13-2006, 08:36 PM

I guess my biggest worry is that if I make it too personal, I'm not going to be able to control myself and will cry in front of everyone.

DolphinChicaDDD · #14 10-13-2006, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KLPDaisy

I guess my biggest worry is that if I make it too personal, I'm not going to be able to control myself and will cry in front of everyone.

Practice it. Many many times. It gets easier to tell a story once you've done it many times. I first shared about my eating disorder in my sorority one time, and I cried hysterically. I was then asked to do a risk managment thing on eating disorders. I still cried. But then other sororities and sports teams asked me to do it. Yeah, I still got a bit upset, and I would tear up, but never quite the same hysterical tears that happened the first time.

blueangel · #15 10-14-2006, 12:16 AM

Public speaking is a lot of fun. It's great to connect with your audience and feel that you've made a difference in people's lives.

Don't psyche yourself out. Know that everyone there wants to hear what you have to say, and wants to like you. They want you to succeed. They're on your side.

Don't memorize or have cue cards. Speak from the heart, and speak from experience. Don't be afraid to inject a little humor, and don't be afraid to involve your audience by asking them questions. Tell anecdotes. Worried you're going to cry? It's human to cry. Don't be embarrassed... if you do, your audience will probably cry with you. You'll show them how powerful the subject is, and made a huge impact.

Plan out what you want to say and what your goal is. What do you want your audience to take away from the speech? Find out from the person who is hosting the event how long they want you to speak for, and what they want you to accomplish in your talk.

Listen to a tape from Zig Zigler, and notice how he draws his audience in through weaving stories about his life and experience.

Write up a rough outline of what you want to say with just a few cue words. Practice your talk with that outline, and then get to the point where you don't need it anymore. You can certainly have it with you on the podium in case you draw blank.. but try not to use it. Even though you've rehearsed, you don't want to look rehearsed! You want to sound natural.

Dress for success, but be comfortable. You don't want to be teeter tottering around on spike heels, or be thinking about how the waistband of your skirt is pinching your stomach, and how you shouldn't have eaten that donut! Look professional, well groomed, but relaxed.

Pick a few people out of the audience. Look directly into their eyes and talk to them. Keep shifting to different people. Think of it as talking to one or two people, rather than a big audience, and you'll relax.

Walk around if you can, rather than standing still. I love it when there's a whole stage to walk around in and there is a long microphone wire. But, you may be limited to standing at a podium with a stagnant mike. If that's the case, don't be afraid to use your hands to gesture as you would in a normal conversation. You don't want to look stiff. The more you move around, the more relaxed you'll feel.

Smile!

Leave them with a last inspiring phrase.

I don't know how much time you have before you'll be giving this speech, but you can join Toastmasters. This will help you get comfortable speaking in front of an audience.

Relax and have fun. Don't dread it.. look forward to it. Once you give your first successful talk, the rest come easier. You'll build on success.