Agricultural Communications and Journalism

• Have your speech typed double or tripled spaced (3 x 5 notes cards work best)
• Learn it in parts - DON'T MEMORIZE IT!!!
• Practice with equipment
• Convince yourself the speech is important
• Go before your audience rested
• Don't overeat immediately prior to speaking
• Dress appropriately
• Resolve to be yourself
• Keep a copy or an outline of your speech with you
• Take a deep breath and exhale slowly, SMILE :-)
• Look at and see all your listeners
• Use the microphone properly
• Keep your notes out of the audience's view
• Control your nervousness. Try deep breathing, looking at a friend, or looking over peoples' heads to calm your nerves
• Avoid speaking in a monotone. Don't speak at a rate slower than 80 words per minute nor faster than 175 words per minute. Vary pitch and volume to fit the mood. In closing a speech, it is advisable to decrease volume, pitch and rate of speaking
• Pause frequently between sentences. Pauses after nervous "uhs" and "you knows" are NOT good pauses
• Use gestures. Natural, not forced. Gesture as you feel. Have gestures above the waist
• Control hands. A bent arm held at the waist. Don't clench your hands. Don't grip the stand. It is not offensive to place your hands in your pockets OCCASIONALLY
• Watch how you stand. Stand at ease. Freedom of movement
• Conclude on time

1. Always speak on a subject you believe in and know about.
2. Speak with enthusiasm or don't speak at all.
3. Unless an audience knows you extremely well they will judge you more by how you say things than by what you say.
4. There are a few, if any, natural born orators. Most good speakers become good speakers through hard work, practice, and determination.
5. A good speech is always a well prepared speech but a well prepared speech is not always a good one.
6. There is no substitute for practice in public speaking.
7. Good facilities in terms of acoustics, lighting, equipment, seating arrangements and social atmosphere are important to the success of your speech.
8. Dress appropriately
9. Obtain a good reference on public speaking and use it.
10. Perhaps most important - PSYCHE yourself up so that you can do the job! If you are mentally prepared, emotionally prepared and physically prepared there is no way you can fail.