While delivering your speech, channel some of your nervousness through controlled gestures and body movements (see Chapter 19).

Practice Natural Gestures

Practice natural gestures such as holding up your index finger when stating your first main point. Think about what you want to say as you do this, instead of thinking about how you look or feel. (See Chapter 19 for tips on practicing natural gestures.)

Move as You Speak

You don’t have to stand perfectly still behind the podium when you deliver a speech. Walk around as you make some of your points. Movement relieves tension and helps hold the audience’s attention. Some actual exercise a few hours prior to your speech can sharpen your mental focus, leaving you more limber and better able to move naturally.²¹

Enjoy the Occasion

Most people ultimately find that giving speeches can indeed be fun. It’s satisfying and empowering to influence people, and a good speech is a sure way to do this. All of the time and effort that go into preparing and delivering a speech, from the moment the assignment is made to the moment you step away from the podium, make public speaking both challenging and exciting. Think of it in this way, and chances are you will find much pleasure in it.

Learn from Feedback

Speech evaluations help to identify ways to improve what you do. You can learn a lot through self-evaluation, but self-evaluation can be distorted,²² so objective evaluations by others often are more helpful. In your speech class, your speech assignments will be evaluated by your instructor, of course, and probably by your classmates as well. Both sources will provide practical feedback to help you improve your next speeches. Ultimately, all speakers rely on audience feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of their speeches.