I'll keep this short and simple, unlike most of my other blogs.
Tomorrow I'm going to, for the first time in my life, give a speech to a massive amount of people for some national competition. I'll be talking about the 'Gift of Apollo" (11), and the moon landing.
I got loads of information from the "We stopped dreaming" series featuring Neil deGrasse Tyson. Oh god, I'm so nervous. The whole beauty of the speech comes from it's delivery and how it's supposed to invoke the "space is fucking awesome" feeling from the judges and the audience.
HOW DO I EVEN PRONOUNCE 'DEGRASSE'? IS IT DE-GRASS OR DE-GRA?
On July 10 2012 18:43 Skilledblob wrote: that quote is kinda weird to end a speech imo it sounds more like a good quote for opening a speech.
You have to see the speech first in order to judge the closing words, right?
I wish you good luck Azera! Always remember, there is no one in the crowd who wants you to fail. They all support you and appreciate the work you have put into your speech!
Panicking now isnt going to do you any good; should get some rest and try to be fresh tomorrow. Afterall, at your current stage of preparation, wouldnt you want to give your speech relaxed rather than freaked out?
On July 10 2012 19:35 SnipedSoul wrote: Remember to take deep breaths and control your rate of speech. A lot of people start speaking super fast when they're nervous.
Yeah I'm kinda worried about this, will keep this in mind
Pronounced "de-GRASS", as was mentioned above, and you can always start with a quote from Dr. Tyson if you'd like. Make sure you include him somewhere, as he's incredibly relevant and an amazing person.
The hardest part is in most cases the opening line, after that it should be smooth sailing. Take something simple like "Hello everyone, thanks for coming to this presentation. I want to talk about xyz...". Don't try to go for something too big using quotes from important people and such, just keep it simple, you can add the fluff later.
It's a little like writing a story, the very first word is the hardest. Once the first words are out it becomes a lot easier, so if you have something simple prepared for that you don't need to worry about the rest.
I've always wanted to give a speech in front of a lot of people. I know I'd be nervous doing it, and lots of people don't like doing it and whatnot, but the opportunity to prepare and deliver an awesome speech of worth seems like an appealing one.
On July 10 2012 21:06 Suc wrote: You'll be nervous going up there, but once you start talking all that will melt away, don't worry.
it's kinda the opposite for me ^^ When i get too nervous in the middle of my presentation, i take a two second break by coughing (not a lung cancer cough, just a light 'oh i got something in my throat' cough), it release a lot a pressure, and everything is better afterwards =)
Why would you quote some guy (regardless of fame or relevancy) at the end of a speech? Do you want people to remember a quote from your speech, or a quote from some other guy ?
On July 11 2012 05:29 Apom wrote: Why would you quote some guy (regardless of fame or relevancy) at the end of a speech? Do you want people to remember a quote from your speech, or a quote from some other guy ?
The quote is good for opening though.
I wanted to end the speech with a really thought-provoking question, and this quote fit the bill. I would just ask "How much would you pay for the Universe?" without quoting, but competition rules, and I felt that Dr.Tyson deserves the reference
Yeah, I have a speech due today (Saturday) for my speech class.
I'm not nervous, I just hope I don't forget my shit when I go up on the stage. Nothing worse than forgetting what you practiced. I like to try and memorize my whole speech that way it looks natural as I'm slowly walking across the room while keeping 100% eye contact instead of being pinned to a podium with my eyes glued to a transcript written in front of me.
Anyways here are some TIPS for giving a speech: don't be quiet or monotone... try and be interesting. Nothing worse than a boring speech. Spice it up! Nobody wants to see you fail because it becomes awkward for the whole room, so don't worry about the audience. Have pride in your speech. You put all the work into it so show it off with a confident voice and a positive mood.