With only a few weeks left until summer break, we might not get as many chances to practice our speaking skills. But with the right mindset, you can still grow as a speaker even without school presentations or debate club meetings. Here are some of my favorite tips to do just that!
- Practice anywhere and everywhere! Make it a part of your routine to practice speaking in the shower, in front of your stuffed animals, or in the morning as you get dressed. 10 or 15 minutes every day isn’t a big sacrifice out of your schedule, and it can help you a lot in the long run. Project your voice as if you’re talking to a large audience, and listen to your tone and vocal variety. Just make sure your family members know why you’re talking to yourself. 😉
- Film yourself speaking. Try setting up a camera or speaking in front of your computer. Then play the video back and marvel at your own performance. Something that really helps me as well is writing down anything I notice and then re-recording until I have improved as much as I can! Don’t stress yourself out too much, but be mindful of your weaknesses and how you can improve them.
- Read a book or listen to a podcast. On this blog we’ve detailed several useful books and podcasts that can really help you improve your public speaking. When you get a minute to yourself, try reading a few pages or listening to a few minutes of your podcast! It’s a much more productive way to spend your time than scrolling mindlessly on your phone.
- Document your progress! Keep your old videos of speeches or write in a journal about how you feel after each speech. These reflections can come in useful and help boost your speaking confidence. Celebrate every small improvement and congratulate yourself on all the progress you’re making!
- Practice anti-anxiety techniques. There are a lot of good ways you can calm yourself down before a speech. And if you can practice these techniques without the pressure of a speech looming over you, you can do them even faster when the time comes! Here are some good tips from Harvard Health Publishing!
With these techniques, you’ll be growing as a speaker even while enjoying your vacation! Have a great summer and happy public speaking.
P.S. It’s a good idea to keep track of any big events that happen over your summer break. If something happens that makes you feel really happy, really sad, really proud, etc… Write it down for your “story file”! That way, you can use your real-life experiences in your future speeches. 🙂 Keep a lookout for a future blog post all about maintaining your own “Story File.”
