克服演讲紧张的5种方法

 　　Most people feel nervous prior to giving a speech. This is human nature and indeed some degree of nerves is absolutely essential to remain alert and deliver the speech clearly. However nerves do become a problem if they are debilitating¹ in any way. Thankfully, there are practical ways to overcome this which are outlined below.

　　Rationalize your nerves

　　First of all, silently and in advance of your speech, rationalise your thoughts. What are nerves? Nerves are simply a fight or flight response to danger. If you anticipate something you fear adrenaline will pump around your body causing you to feel anxiety. Although it may feel uncomfortable, nothing bad will happen to you. In fact look at your nerves as a positive thing as they will give you the energy to deliver your speech in an emotive, engaging and passionate² way.

　　Prepare and Practice

　　The more familiar you are with something, the less uncomfortable it makes you feel. Think about your first day at work and think about how you feel at work now? The anxiety levels will have undoubtedly³ reduced the more familiar you are with your role, surroundings, colleagues etc. Apply this principle to your speech. First of all, know the subject of your speech inside out. Write the speech in the format⁴ it is to be delivered i.e. on PowerPoint or acetates. Prepare speaker notes that give you prompts on the title of the slide and its contents. If there are any names or statistics that you might find difficult to remember, include them on your speaker notes. These notes are not designed to be read from, but are designed to be held by the speaker and glanced at every so often to prompt the speaker and facilitate the flow of the presentation from beginning to end. They should be produced on small, discrete⁵ cards that can be hand held.

　　Engage with the audience

　　Familiarise yourself with who the audience is going to be, how many people will be listening and what their objectives are by listening to your speech. You must understand your target audience before writing the presentation so that you hit the correct tone and deliver it using the appropriate vocabulary. If it is fitting, circulate your presentation to a select few members of the audience ahead of the speech and ask for their feedback. Again once this is done, if it is appropriate, circulate the speech to the audience beforehand so that they know what to expect and have an opportunity to prepare any questions in advance.

　　Structure the presentation

　　Make sure you structure your speech in a logical way. You want your message to be delivered in as clear and concise⁶ way as possible i.e. a beginning (introduction), middle (main body) and end (conclusion). The best way to remember this is to ‘say what you are going to say; say it; and say it again! Always thank the audience for listening at the end of the speech and invite them to ask any questions.

　　Keep Calm

　　There is no need to panic. What is the worst that can happen? Even if you mix the presentation up, chances are the audience will not even notice. If your mind goes blank, take a sip⁷ of water. If it helps to imagine the audience have no clothes on, then use this visualisation technique! Take deep breaths, talk slowly, make eye contact and smile. Remember that everyone in the audience is there because they want to hear what you have to say.

1 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

2 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

3 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

4 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

5 discrete   

adj.个别的，分离的，不连续的

参考例句：

• The picture consists of a lot of discrete spots of colour.这幅画由许多不相连的色点组成。
• Most staple fibers are discrete,individual entities.大多数短纤维是不联系的单独实体。

6 concise   

adj.简洁的，简明的

参考例句：

• The explanation in this dictionary is concise and to the point.这部词典里的释义简明扼要。
• I gave a concise answer about this.我对于此事给了一个简要的答复。

7 sip   

v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量

参考例句：

• She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
• Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。