There are three easy things you can do to prepare for a conference so you can deliver your speech eloquently and confidently.
- Write the speech.
You can’t deliver a speech without the actual speech. So sit down and write it before your big conference. You want to write a speech that is both informative and engaging.
The last thing you want is for your audience to drift off while you’re presenting on stage. Here are some writing tips that may help you:
- Choose a thesis statement. Ask yourself: What is the central message of your speech? All the facts that you’re presenting during the talk should support your thesis statement.
- Know your audience. Ask yourself: Who will you be talking to? Are they business professionals? Students? Peers? The tone of your speech should match the demographics and interests of your audience.
- Do your research. No matter what your speech is about, do not skip research! Check your facts and make sure that they are accurate. If you’re unsure about a term, a concept, or a statistic, look it up and familiarize yourself with it.
- Be concise. Most first-time speakers get too excited about being in the spotlight. They don’t realize that they’ve been droning on and on about a topic that isn’t even relevant to their thesis statement. It’s alright to include anecdotes and trivia in your speech but don’t let them outshine the message that you ultimately want to deliver.
- Proofread and edit. These allow you to correct grammatical mistakes and remove fluff from your speech.
- Visit the venue.
Before the event, it can help you calm down your nerves if you visit the venue. A conference room hire happens months before the actual event. With new technologies, organizing conferences is more convenient.
Organizers use websites like Venuefinder to find the best venue based on the number of attendees and the theme of the event, among other factors. Therefore, you can actually go to the venue for a little look-see so you can familiarize yourself with the layout of the conference hall. You can look for the closest bathroom in case you need to go before you get on stage.
- Practice.
If you want to sound confident on stage, practising your speech is key. The more you practice, the more natural you will sound. It also helps you memorize your speech, so you don't need to look at your cue cards (if you prepared any) as much. You should also practice your presentation.
If you’re going to use props or a visual presentation (like a slideshow or video), you need to know how to smoothly transition between words and actions. If you think it will help, you can have a dress rehearsal of your whole speech. Wear your outfit and deliver your speech the way you would in the actual event to see if there are any kinks you need to smoothen out.
If you’re nervous about presenting during a conference, prepare by writing your speech, visiting the venue, and practising so you can feel more at ease about the whole affair.