Public Speaking Tips

Good evening lovely delegates,

One of the aspects of MUN that I love the most is its ability to give students like yourself that opportunity to practice public speaking skills. Below are some of my favorite tips for public speaking, however they do not and should not serve as limitations for your own personal style of speaking. Whether it is your first committee or your last, I can not wait to hear all your lovely voices in conference!

Best,

Chloe Zitsow

Head Chair of DISEC, BMUN72

Preparation:

  • While notes can be useful, do not pre-write or try to memorize your entire speech. Doing so raises the likelyhood that if you stumble it will be harder to recover. Instead, write out bullet points of the main points you want to hit in your speech and practice. While your speech may be a little different each time, with this strategy you will succeed in improving your adaptability as a public speaker.
Physicality of Public Speaking:
  • Take a strong stance with your feet and hold your hands either in front of you, at your side, or behind your back. Unfortunately, nothing can derail an audience's attention to a speech faster than when a speaker sways, fiddles with their hands, or has their hands in their pockets. Taking a strong stance can help mitigate nervous fidgeting while knowing where to put your hands can reduce the chance you start twiddling your thumbs mid-speech.
General Public Speaking Tips:
  • Our committee is a large one, so enunciation and projection are your best friends when you speak.
  • Try not to stare down at your notes while you speak. Instead look around the room. If making eye contact is too intimidating, picking a fixed wall point and looking at that instead can be helpful.
  • If you feel comfortable doing so, hand gestures can be a great way to make your speech more dynamic, however they should not be overused. Use hand gestures to emphasize important moments of your speech such as counting on your fingers if you are proposing a three pronged solution.






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