“There are only two types of speakers in the world. 1. The nervous and 2. Liars.”

- Mark Twain

You have to give a speech and you want to know what to do ahead of time? Follow these 10 pieces of advice and you'll be well on your way to a standing ovation.

1. Be ready. This happens long before you get to the venue but you have to make sure you've written, edited, practiced and perfected your speech. The rest of these tips mean nothing if you are starting off behind the mark.

2. Know the venue. You are the speaker and all eyes will be on you. Be sure you get a feel for seating arrangements, microphone setup, and audio/visual mechanics for presenting materials. Doing this will help you understand how you'll be making eye contact, how you can move around, what potential snags you might face.

3. Use the restroom. Your body's reaction to nervousness might be sending a signal that you need to go. Or you may really need to go and if you don't, you'll be the uncomfortable, sweaty speaker who seemed to rush through every slide quicker than the last. Get it done without rushing or making a mess.



4. Meet & Greet. Doing this will help you personalize the speaking experience, your audience will get to know you and they might warm up to you before you get a chance to speak. If you have some great interactions, you might be able to incorporate some of these conversations into an anecdote or quote while you speak.

5. Take a few deep breaths. There's a reason why this advice is always given: It maximizes the amount of oxygen that flows to the lungs and brain to give you a sense of clarity; interrupts the adrenalin-pumping "fight or flight" response; and triggers the body's normal relaxation response.



6. Go over your intro. Usually the feeling of your nerves will go away once you are done with your introduction. If you know exactly what you're going to say and how you'll convey it, you'll feel confident and exude that, you'll give better eye contact and you'll be on a roll when you get to the 'real content'.



7. Strike a "power pose". I saw this advice a few years ago and thought it was ludicrous but it's actually helped me in the past. The logic is that if you strike a pose in a position of power, your mind basically reinforces that image of you and your confidence level goes up. It sounds silly but see how you feel in the Bicep Flex or Usain Bolt poses.



8. Hydration. You might remember in the original Anchorman when Ron Burgundy drinks his milk and laments "This was a bad choice". It would be a bad choice before your speech as well. Get water with a lemon to stop a dry mouth and clear your throat. Keep a bottle of water nearby during the speech in case you start getting dry mouth: a break to drink is better than giving rest of your speech feeling super uncomfortable.



9. Get the jitters out. I like to do some stretching or doing a bit of walking before I give a speech. If it's meeting a client in the work setting, I like walking as much as possible to get rid of excess energy, get my oxygen flowing and let my mind clear a bit.



10. Don't sit. I was reading about CEO interviews and one of the members of the hiring committee said that they didn't hire anyone who was sitting in the waiting area. At its core, the sitting position is motionless and passive. By standing up, you summon energy ahead of time, give your body a chance to warm up, and place yourself in a "ready for action" stance.

Famed speaker and coach Carmine Gallo said in a presentation at Microsoft that one of the most successful TED speeches was practiced 300+ times by the speaker. If you practice the hell out of a good speech, you're 90% of the way there. Do these things before you give your speech and I know it'll go well for you.

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