Last Updated on Mar 23, 2020 by James W
There are few moments more nerve racking at work than that of making a speech at an important conference.
If you have a big speech coming up then it pays to take your time to make sure that you do it right; This means following some of these pieces of advice.
Think About What You Are Going to Say
It might seem obvious to do this but there are people who will head to a meeting without having thought long enough about what they are going to say at it. No matter how well you know the subject matter, you will feel a lot more comfortable if you have some clear notes written down. Even the process of writing down some notes can help you, as it will help to make things clearer in your head and perhaps get you to face up to some issues that need addressing. By spending some time going over your speech you should also find ways of improving it at the same time. In fact, you should find that you refine and perhaps shorten your speech every time that you check it over. You can then take your notes with you in case you need them during the speech. Even if you end up not reading your notes, you are likely to feel more confident just having them close to hand in case they are ever needed.
Practise Your Speech
Once you know what you want to say there is no substitute for practising it. This is the ideal way to spot any mistakes in your speech and to change anything doesn’t sound quite right when spoken out loud. You might also decide to ask some friends or work colleagues to listen to your speech and give you some feedback on it. If you have colleagues who are also going to be making a speech at the same conference then you can work together, listening to one another and helping out with ideas. The more you practise the more comfortable you should feel and the more polished your speech should be. What you shouldn’t do is wait until the night before the event and try to cram it all into your memory. It makes a lot more sense to prepare your speech in advance and give yourself plenty of time to get it just right in a calm way.
Check Out the Venue Beforehand
These days it is common for companies to hold their most important conferences in venues such as luxury hotels. For instance, many companies head out to the likes of one of the great Luxury country hotels near Chester for conferences and events. This is great in the way that it gives you all the chance to enjoy a great setting with terrific facilities. One thing you need to bear in mind, though, is that you don’t want to make your speech in a venue that is completely new to you. What this means is that you will want to check it out beforehand so that you feel more comfortable there. If you are able to go there before the day of the conference then this is the perfect way to get in the right mood. If not, then you should be happy enough turning up early and getting a feel for the place in this way. If it is one of the main meeting venues near Chester then you will find a place that is nicely set up for holding comfortable and professional meetings. In the same way, if you are going to be using pieces of technology then you will want to be able to feel completely comfortable using them before you start.
Use Images
A good use of images can help to turn any speech into something far more impressive. This is a smart way of adding life to any presentation very quickly and simply. One thing to definitely avoid is the idea of putting on the screen the exact same words you are speaking at the time you say them. This is boring for the audience if you do it this way. Instead, you could accompany the images on the screen with short phrases giving the highlights of what you are saying but without all of the details. It is worth spending some time looking for the perfect images to bring your presentation to life. It is also best to avoid using too many images on the screen at the same time, as this will make it look too busy and complicated and thus hard to read and digest.
