When developing your first speech or speech event, the most important element is introduction. What does this mean? When students are introduced to their event or speech event, they must reply to the presenter with a similar event or speech.
This practice is called introduction drilling. Students do this poorly by not responding to the person introducing them. The person trying to make a presentation has no way of gauging how well they will fit in with the rest of the class, how much they know about their topic, and whether or not they are funny.
In order for students to develop their confidence on stage, they must do well in this element. They must also be able to introduce themselves and what they’re about in the same way that they will be able to introduce themselves on stage.
Not emphasizing key words
When a student is speaking, he or she should be paying close attention to the words they are saying. This includes using key words and phrases.
When a student is working on their first speech, they may not realize how many different words and phrases they need to use. When trying to pick which one to use, they may not choose the best one.
Students should be practicing their first speech in front of a mirror or with a friend just so they can see themselves speak and if there are mistakes, they can fix them.
Being able to quickly identify whether or not a speech is successful can depend on what words are missing and what effects were missed.
Speaking too softly
When a student is developing their first talk or speech, they may be too quiet or too loud in some way. This can be as simple as changing the volume on your phone or speaker, or adjusting the sound in the room.
Being too quiet can be difficult when you are trying to think about what you would say and how to say it. It can make you feel like you are not making a difference and that maybe your words are not important.
Being too loud can be difficult if you are trying to get people to listen and be comfortable with your voice. If someone is uncomfortable with your voice, they may raise their voice back up at you.
It is important that students learn how to develop their first speeches by being either too quiet or too loud!
Knowing whether the talk they want to give is a speech about something (what they do) or a speech about something (what they say), Your textbook has an area for both.
Using too many hand movements
When a student first learns to develop their first speech, the student may make the mistake of using too many hand movements. This can be observed in the way they deliver their message.
They may start off by positioning their hands together in front of them, then move on to wrap one hand around each wrist, then pull those wrists together and then ask someone to give them a nice big tip.
This is a good way to start because it equips the student with the necessary motion components. Once they learn how to do it properly, they can add more steps if needed.
Eye contact
Making eye contact is an intimidating process for anyone, let alone a first time speaker. But it’s even more challenging when you are trying to convince someone else of something that affects them emotionally.
When you are speaking to an audience of peers, your audience members can just look at you and feel what you are saying. When you are talking to an authority figure such as a professor or coach, the audience member must be able to look in your eyes and feel what you are saying.
Your audience must be comfortable with you before they can look at you comfortably. You must also be comfortable with yourself before they can look at you. This goes for speakers in general!
The best way to make first time speakers feel like professionals is to spend some time developing their vocabularies and making sure their gestures and expressions convey what they want audiences to understand.
Pausing too much
A short, sharp pause is also bad for developing your first speech. This can happen when students are talking about something else, or when they are answering a question in your speech.
A pause is the opposite of a sentence completion. When you put a verb in the sentence, it becomes a complete phrase. When you add an addition or subtraction to something, it becomes a new thing.
This is how we add words to sentences when speaking. We wrap our words around an idea or addition so we have full control over our speech. By controlling our pauses and controlling your tone while answering questions, you will be more precise in your first speech.
Creating good habits such as making effective pauses and controlling your tone while answering questions can help students improve their first speeches.
Speaking in a monotone voice
When a student first starts developing their speech, it is common to make the mistake of staying in their own voice-line and tone of voice. They may be in their excited or animated state when talking, so we sometimes forget that they are also someone who is speaking to a audience.
The way they talk can be humorous or even satirical, but it is still important for them to maintain a monotone voice when talking about serious topics. A serious speech should always have a positive impact on someone’s life and making them feel good is the goal.
Making small changes to your voice can help break the tension between you and your audience and give you more energy for the speech you are giving. Reminding yourself that they are also an audience member can help smooth out the nervousness of giving your first speech.
Memory errors
One of the most common first speech errors is memory errors. When a student is asked to read a short piece of text, he or she should be able to go back and re-read the text again in order to develop their recall and understanding.
This can be helpful when reading your speech is one of those memory mistakes that they make.
For instance, when introducing someone at the beginning of their speech, they may forget who introduced them and what they said. By being able to re-read the section of text that introduces them and gives them an example, they may be better at remembering who said what during this part of their speech.
Memory mistakes can happen to anyone, even the most prepared person. If you feel like you are only recalling information in recall or understanding mode, try having someone re-introduce you and see if you can correct your memory error.
Word choice issues
Your first speech should be about a subject you know a little bit about. This is called the basics stage and it’s where you learn the most about your topic.
Unfortunately, this is what most students start their speaking careers on. Many students start talking too hard, too slow, or with the wrong word choice.
These students end up being very specific in their speech topics and can be quite good at building confidence as they get better at speaking. They just need to spend some time learning how to take a guess when it comes to presentation and feedbacking.
The reason this happens so often is that people tend to focus on what they are saying and not enough on how they are saying it.
People spend time choosing words and phrases for their Speech & Debate first speeches, but the important part is listening and taking advice from others.
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