Remember, delivery is as much psychological as it is physical. You must become conscious of behaviors you wish to change, practice that change until it feels comfortable, and then reinforce the changed behavior. |
When your speech is fully constructed, practice the first main point as a unit.When you feel confident with the first point, then practice the second point several times. Only then should you practice the first and second main points together.
Continue with other main points.
Then practice the intro and conclusion as separate units.
THEN practice just the transitions several times.
THEN AND ONLY then should you attempt the speech start to finish.
You need to break old habits and begin new ones.You should always practice your speech standing.
You should always practice in your normal tone of voice, attempting vocal variety, conversational rate, etc.
You should always attempt to stand still, gesture, or move as planned.
Always look up and practice eye contact, either by looking into a mirror or by simulating an audience.
Many vocal problems (voice shaking, lack of volume, speaking too quickly) come from the speaker not breathing deeply enough.Make sure you pause periodically and take a very deep breath. A deep breath will tend to relax you as well as give you enough air to deliver vocally.
If you find you are speaking too quickly, practice just one section of the speech VERY SLOWLY for a few moments. Then attempt a conversational rate.If you find you don't gesture, try speaking for a few minutes moving your arms in random ways. You probably aren't gesturing because the nerves are causing you to get too tight.
If you are gesturing out of nervousness, practice standing totally still for a few minutes.
Many people find it helpful to practice for friends or to audio or videotape their speech in order to identify areas for improvement.
You probably know best how to change your own behavior. Don't hesitate to develop your own strategies for improving delivery. They may sound crazy but still work for you.Because speaking is an individual skill, some strategies for practice may be very particular to you.