Seat Belt Research Paper
Seat Belts
Lying in the morgue or a hospital bed is no fun. Why then do so many travelers refuse to use safety belts when traveling by car' It's time we made many more people belt up. Every 14 seconds someone is injured in a traffic accident in the USA. On average someone dies every thirteen minutes. In fact car crashes are the leading killer of Americans between the ages of 3 and 33. If those statistics had been buckled up, if they had been wearing their seat belts, the chances are they would have escaped serious injury or death. Wearing a seat belt drastically increases your chance of surviving a car crash. Seat belts are the single most effective way of protecting yourself in a motor vehicle. Yet despite the overwhelming evidence 25% of us and perhaps 75% of teens do not. It is time we …show more content…
enforced the wearing of seat belts as an urgent priority. We have come a long way in road safety in a short period of time. In 1983 only 14% of us used our seat belts. By the end of 2002 that figure stood at 75%. Still there is a hardcore of drivers who think that they are somehow invincible or beyond the law. In some countries where penalties are harsher seat belt use is up at 90%. This means that there are literally thousands of Americans who are taking their lives in their hands each day. Their behaviour and disregard for their own safety is costing us all. Even a small percentage increase on our safety belt levels means thousands of needless deaths and horrific injuries prevented. It also means hundreds of thousands of dollars saved in medical expenses. When we look at the arguments put forward by those who insist that they have the right not to wear a seat belt, those arguments fall down one by one. The experience of other countries and by some states is that the only way we will bring down fatalities is by being harsher on those who refuse to listen. At the top of the list against wearing a seat belt stand those who say 'If I choose not to wear my seat belt, that is my affair.' The fact is your choice not to wear a seat belt has an effect on us all. Your decision hits us right in the pocket. Those of us who do the right thing are subsidizing those who don't. Americans are paying $143 billion per year in injury related costs for people who don't wear seat belts. This is made up by emergency medical services, medical treatment and rehabilitation. Choosing not to wear a seat belt means higher health care costs and higher car insurance all round. If more of us wore our seat belts hundreds of millions would be saved in medical and insurance costs. It is a fact that the hospital costs to treat an unbelted crash victim are 50% higher than for those who belted up. Society pays those costs. So those complaining that belt law infringes their personal freedom are, in fact, infringing on the freedom of others. Besides which are our laws on the wearing of seat belts really that more intrusive than many other laws? If you are not wearing a belt you are hurting other people. You are financially harming everyone and in fact may be teaching your children a potentially dangerous lesson. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among children. Children see what you do; they mimic it too. By not wearing a seat belt you may well be about to kill the child with whom you are traveling. Research has shown that a restrained driver is three times more likely to restrain a child. If a driver is unbuckled there is only a 24% chance that a child will be restrained in that car. It is a fact too that children mirror adult behaviour. Those who refuse to buckle up are sending out a deadly message to their children. Would you leave a carton of eggs sitting loosely on the front seat of a car? You wouldn't if you didn't want to risk scrambled eggs on your front window. Can you imagine what would happen to a light child if you suddenly braked' Yet parents continue to risk their children's death not to mention horrific facial injuries by not belting up. Think too of the effect killing someone has on a driver. Accidents will always happen and if a careful driver skids, for instance, and kills an unbelted driver he or she will have to live with that for the rest of their lives. Some think that seat belt laws are just another excuse to pull over and harass minorities. Well the fact is there are many existing laws that already exist to pull over motorists. You could say there would be no need for another. The plain truth is the statistics of death are colour blind. They make no distinction between colour, race or creed. All races and religions are thrown from cars during crashes. It is a sad fact that African American and Hispanic youth are 50% less likely to buckle up than their white counterparts. Those who are against any stiffening of our present laws point out that we already have laws requiring motorists to wear seat belts. Of course we do but we need to ensure those laws are a sufficient deterrent and that they are enforced properly. Others claim that people do not want safety belt laws at all. Yet anyone with any common sense can see that it is time we all belted up.
Seat belts though are uncomfortable aren't they and don't they some times mess up your clothes' Firstly if this applies to you, check that you have your seat belt adjusted properly. Secondly, while belts can be adjusted and clothes straightened out, broken bones take a long time to heal and scars may be there forever. Now and again it's tempting to get in the car for a short journey and not bother with the hassle of wearing a seat belt. It does not matter about the length of the journey; the risk is just as great. Three quarters of all serious motor vehicle crashes occur within a few miles of home. Is it better to be thrown from a car than trapped inside? You have a four times greater chance of being killed if you are ejected from a car. There are only one or two ways to be ejected from most cars. All are painful, severely damaging and highly dangerous. Some people it seems will not be persuaded to get into the simple habit of belting up. Some people seem to be thinking they are invincible and it will not happen to them. The threat of serious injury, disablement or death is not a deterrent enough. Many of these people are the young and inexperienced road users. Teens have by far the highest fatality rates of motor vehicle crashes, more than any other age group. While learning and coming to terms with the skills needed for driving, they often engage in high risk behaviour such as speeding or driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It may be that the young are more easily distracted while driving. It may be that they have not the experience in coping with some situations. They may be more likely to underestimate the dangers involved in hazardous driving. Teen fatalities are so high because of all groups they are the hardest to persuade to buckle up. Yet sensible teens should get the message across to the friends that it isn't cool to be cold stone dead. Those who do buckle up cut the risk of their death roughly by half. Belting up saves lives, reduces injury and saves us all money. Experience at home and abroad shows that telling people about the dangers of not wearing seat belts has little effect. That same experience shows that where penalties are tougher, where primary laws are seen to be enforced means that those high percentages can be achieved. It should be obvious to everyone who travels in a vehicle that there is simply no excuse not to buckle up. There is no sound argument against this sane and humane policy that will benefit us all. The fact is that wearing a seat belt soon becomes a habit. With practice you will not even notice you are doing it. It is a habit, for once, that is definitely worth forming.
Sources used in this speech and related information
Safety Belt use in the US and elsewhere http://www.actsinc.org/safetybelts-4.cfm Ideas to Promote the Buckle-Up message http://www.actsinc.org/safetybelts-4.cfm National Safety Council http://www.nsc.org/partners/statersch.htm
Seat Belts
Wearing a seat belt it isn't cool That's what some believe so it seems Isn't it time they thought more about Shattered lives and those broken dreams? What is the future for a young girl Whose face has a hundred stitches? Or for the man with a broken back Whose life has no meaning or riches? What about those left dead or lame Could you live with the awful shame Of killing a dad or a mom or your friend?
Slow down, be careful don't make it the end And wear your seat belt, the life that you save Might be your own, without it the grave!
Top 10 ways to prepare for your speech
Don't be scared, just be prepared. That's the simple answer to all those worries you may have about giving a speech. 1. Accept the invitation. If someone has sent you a written invitation to speak they deserve the courtesy of a written reply. That is, of course, unless they have asked you to telephone them. In a family situation you may, of course, simply prefer to discuss it with other members of the clan. 2. Check the date. It's no good preparing a wonderful speech if you arrive to give it on the wrong date. 3. Know your venue. How long does it take to get there? Is it easy to get parking? Have you an umbrella in case it rains as you run from the car to the hall during a thunderstorm? 4. Synchronize watches. Know exactly when you are expected to speak and for how long. Arrange this beforehand with the M.C. or perhaps the best man at a wedding. 5. Case the joint. Will you be speaking on a stage or from the top
table? Do you approach from the floor or from the wings of the stage? Is the light shining in your eyes as you try to read? 6. Sample the sound. Check that the microphones work. Check too if there will be any sound with which to contend such as waiters serving or a tap dancing class in the next room. 7. Dress for the occasion. Clothes should be neat and not fussy. A feather boa waving in the breeze would distract your audience from your subject matter. Jangling earrings are definitely not a good idea. 8. Animal vegetable or mineral? Is your speech for a social occasion, a business conference or a church gathering? Whatever the occasion make sure your speech is relevant to that particular gathering and that particular audience 9. Give honour where honour is due. You may be an authority on alternative medicine but at a wedding or a birthday party your subject should be the people concerned and why that day is important to them. 1. 10 Make your speech unique. If you are one of a group of speakers try to find out what the others will be saying and what angle they are taking on the subject. Any good speaker will agree with you that it is much more entertaining if speakers differ, even when speaking on the same topic.
20 things you must know about preparing and giving your speech 1. 2. Talk about your feelings and your own experiences. Mention what the people in question have meant in your life. Make your speech human. 3. Know your audience. If you are speaking about nuclear power to scientists your speech should obviously be technical. If you are speaking to a school group it would need to be easier to understand and relevant to the age of the children in question. 4. Mention love. If yours is a family occasion speak about love and why it matters. Most of us take family love for granted so a reminder is a happy thing to add to a speech. 5. Add a human touch. A story or incident always adds to a speech no matter how serious the subject. So if you are speaking against abortion talk about the physically handicapped person you know who has just written a best seller or started an organization to help the third world. 6. Know your limitations. If you don't know a sonnet from a stanza don't talk to the local literary group about poetry. Wow them with a talk about your favourite thriller instead. 7. Start well. Your beginning should be different if you want to catch your audience. So ask a question, tell a story or use a relevant quotation to attract their attention. 8. Relate to your audience. If they are gardeners tell them about the weeds that flourish in your garden while the grass you want just won't grow. They'll empathise with you. 9. Do your research. If you are giving statistics make sure that they are correct and up to date. Make sure too that you use the correct titles for any honoured guests. If you aren't sure, admit to being human and fallible because somebody else is sure to know it all. 10. Add a topical touch. If you are talking about travel mention the new highway that has just been opened in your area and say what a difference it makes. 11. Broaden your speech. If you are asked to speak about sales mention a play about a salesman or someone who won an award for selling something different. Show you have done your research. 12. Give examples. An example is a word picture and of course speaks better than a thousand other words. 13. Be appreciative. Find room in your speech to thank those who have asked you to speak or those who have made you welcome at the function. 14. Be gracious. If your speech is a social one some nice comments about the hosts, the venue or the guests will be very acceptable. 15. Keep it short. Don't bore your audience by going on and on. They should be sorry you've finished, not relieved. 16. Be careful about jokes. Kindly humour adds to a speech but remember that being a comedian is not the same as being a public speaker. 17. Be convincing. You cannot have strong feelings on every subject but you can speak sincerely and from a given angle on any subject. So if you hate fox hunting and find you have to speak about it sympathetically talk about the people who will be out of work because hunting jackets will no longer be worn. 18. Remember the importance of age. There's no point in talking about a well-known war song if everyone in the audience is too young to remember the war. 19. Disagree politely. You may disagree with other speakers or even your audience but be persuasive rather than aggressive. If you are aggressive, you will only antagonize your audience and it will be more difficult to convince them of your point of view. Say that you appreciate their feelings but that you feel differently and explain why. 20.End on a positive note. Your speech should end on an uplifting or challenging note. So try to involve your audience by saying something like 'Tonight then I ask you to remember that you too can make a difference. The question you must ask yourself is 'How?' 21. Give a suitable toast. If your speech has to end with a toast try to make is especially relevant to the people or person concerned. So if a teacher is retiring your toast might just be something about 'passing the retirement test'.
Best 11 ways to relax before giving a speech 1. 2. Discuss your speech with others. You'll find they'll have different ideas that might add substantially to your content. If you are talking about football to the woman beside you on the train she may, for instance, have washed the jersey after Pele's very first match 3. Get it written. You can't relax if you don't know what you are going to say. Don't assume you'll be able to speak off the cuff. The best speakers who appear to be speaking off the cuff have probably spent hours in front of the mirror. You should also try to anticipate any questions from the floor by preparing responses for them in advance as well. 4. Do your homework. Know exactly why, where and how you are going to deliver that speech. 5. Choose an appropriate outfit to wear. If you are uneasy about what you are going to wear it will affect your confidence. Always check with your hosts because if it's a black tie event and you are wearing a lounge suit you will feel foolish. 6. Practise makes perfect. Practise giving your speech by recording it on a tape/cd/video/dvd camera so that you can hear just where you should be pausing or speaking faster. 7. Use cue cards. Your speech should be on cards to enable you to move quickly from one paragraph to another. A long piece of paper is off- putting to an audience. 8. Do a trial run. Ask some family members or friends to listen to what you have to say. Ask them to be honest in their appraisal and be open and listen to what they say. 9. Practise breathing exercises. Bend over and let your hands hang down to relax your whole body. Take deep breaths before you actually speak. 10. Try to know your speech off by heart. In that way you barely need to glance at your cue cards and so can look out and communicate with your audience. Recording it and listening to it over and over is a very good way of learning it off by heart. 11. Practise with the microphone first so that you know you can be heard at the corners of the hall. 12. Find a friendly face. Find or plant someone in the audience who will support you through your ordeal. When someone is smiling encouragingly at you it all seems much easier.
Top 10 ways to avoid looking like a fool while delivering your speech.
1. Be sure you are tidy. If your shirt tail is hanging down your audience may be looking and laughing at that rather than listening to your words of wisdom. 2. Don't arrive flat on your face. Remember that sometimes the steps to a stage are slippery. If your heels are high, your shoes leather or your skirt is too tight you might make a less than graceful entry. 3. Know your topic. You'll sound foolish if you haven't got the facts and figures right. 4. Don't fiddle. Your audience will sense your discomfort if you drum your fingers on the rostrum, tap your feet on the ground or fiddle with your coat buttons. 5. Don't drink. Never ever drink alcohol before you give a speech. You may think it will relax you but your audience doesn't want to hear a slurred speech. 6. Respect your audience. Never be offensive in any way. Some of your audience may laugh at a blue joke. Your boss or your mother-in-law may not be amused. 7. Never ever end by saying thank you. The ending of your speech should be so riveting that your audience is absolutely enthralled and they should be left wanting to discuss what you have said. Only amateurs end by saying thank you 8. Bring your spectacles. Bring a spare pair too just in case of accidents. It would be too bad if somebody else had to read your speech because you couldn't see it yourself! 9. Watch your diet. Don't eat anything beforehand that disagrees with you or that will give you wind. Having the hiccups during a speech will be embarrassing both for you and for your audience. 10. Make sure you get the titles right. An army colonel will not be amused if you call him sergeant.
So if you want to give a speech that will be remembered just think of the three R's Reconnoitre, Research and then you can really Relax 5 secrets to overcomimg shyness. 1. 2. Remember you're not alone. Most people are shy and public speaking ranks with divorce and death as their worst fear. 3. Start small. Don't start your public speaking career by addressing the members of International monetary fund. Talk to a few neighbours about local vandalism instead. 4. Be passionate. It's easier to speak in public if you feel strongly about something. So if your under ten football team needs a playing field go pitch for it. 5. Nobody cares. Shy people often think that others are looking down on them or being critical of them. The truth is most people are far too concerned about their own affairs to bother about others. As a public speaker you have to make them care. You should also try to remember that the audience is willing you to do well as it will be more entertaining for them. 6. Join a public speaking class or a group such as Toastmasters. There you will get professional help and lots of encouragement to help you speak. You may still be shy but your audience will never guess.
Lying in the morgue or a hospital bed is no fun. Why then do so many travelers refuse to use safety belts when traveling by car' It's time we made many more people belt up. Every 14 seconds someone is injured in a traffic accident in the USA. On average someone dies every thirteen minutes. In fact car crashes are the leading killer of Americans between the ages of 3 and 33. If those statistics had been buckled up, if they had been wearing their seat belts, the chances are they would have escaped serious injury or death. Wearing a seat belt drastically increases your chance of surviving a car crash. Seat belts are the single most effective way of protecting yourself in a motor vehicle. Yet despite the overwhelming evidence 25% of us and perhaps 75% of teens do not. It is time we …show more content…
enforced the wearing of seat belts as an urgent priority. We have come a long way in road safety in a short period of time. In 1983 only 14% of us used our seat belts. By the end of 2002 that figure stood at 75%. Still there is a hardcore of drivers who think that they are somehow invincible or beyond the law. In some countries where penalties are harsher seat belt use is up at 90%. This means that there are literally thousands of Americans who are taking their lives in their hands each day. Their behaviour and disregard for their own safety is costing us all. Even a small percentage increase on our safety belt levels means thousands of needless deaths and horrific injuries prevented. It also means hundreds of thousands of dollars saved in medical expenses. When we look at the arguments put forward by those who insist that they have the right not to wear a seat belt, those arguments fall down one by one. The experience of other countries and by some states is that the only way we will bring down fatalities is by being harsher on those who refuse to listen. At the top of the list against wearing a seat belt stand those who say 'If I choose not to wear my seat belt, that is my affair.' The fact is your choice not to wear a seat belt has an effect on us all. Your decision hits us right in the pocket. Those of us who do the right thing are subsidizing those who don't. Americans are paying $143 billion per year in injury related costs for people who don't wear seat belts. This is made up by emergency medical services, medical treatment and rehabilitation. Choosing not to wear a seat belt means higher health care costs and higher car insurance all round. If more of us wore our seat belts hundreds of millions would be saved in medical and insurance costs. It is a fact that the hospital costs to treat an unbelted crash victim are 50% higher than for those who belted up. Society pays those costs. So those complaining that belt law infringes their personal freedom are, in fact, infringing on the freedom of others. Besides which are our laws on the wearing of seat belts really that more intrusive than many other laws? If you are not wearing a belt you are hurting other people. You are financially harming everyone and in fact may be teaching your children a potentially dangerous lesson. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among children. Children see what you do; they mimic it too. By not wearing a seat belt you may well be about to kill the child with whom you are traveling. Research has shown that a restrained driver is three times more likely to restrain a child. If a driver is unbuckled there is only a 24% chance that a child will be restrained in that car. It is a fact too that children mirror adult behaviour. Those who refuse to buckle up are sending out a deadly message to their children. Would you leave a carton of eggs sitting loosely on the front seat of a car? You wouldn't if you didn't want to risk scrambled eggs on your front window. Can you imagine what would happen to a light child if you suddenly braked' Yet parents continue to risk their children's death not to mention horrific facial injuries by not belting up. Think too of the effect killing someone has on a driver. Accidents will always happen and if a careful driver skids, for instance, and kills an unbelted driver he or she will have to live with that for the rest of their lives. Some think that seat belt laws are just another excuse to pull over and harass minorities. Well the fact is there are many existing laws that already exist to pull over motorists. You could say there would be no need for another. The plain truth is the statistics of death are colour blind. They make no distinction between colour, race or creed. All races and religions are thrown from cars during crashes. It is a sad fact that African American and Hispanic youth are 50% less likely to buckle up than their white counterparts. Those who are against any stiffening of our present laws point out that we already have laws requiring motorists to wear seat belts. Of course we do but we need to ensure those laws are a sufficient deterrent and that they are enforced properly. Others claim that people do not want safety belt laws at all. Yet anyone with any common sense can see that it is time we all belted up.
Seat belts though are uncomfortable aren't they and don't they some times mess up your clothes' Firstly if this applies to you, check that you have your seat belt adjusted properly. Secondly, while belts can be adjusted and clothes straightened out, broken bones take a long time to heal and scars may be there forever. Now and again it's tempting to get in the car for a short journey and not bother with the hassle of wearing a seat belt. It does not matter about the length of the journey; the risk is just as great. Three quarters of all serious motor vehicle crashes occur within a few miles of home. Is it better to be thrown from a car than trapped inside? You have a four times greater chance of being killed if you are ejected from a car. There are only one or two ways to be ejected from most cars. All are painful, severely damaging and highly dangerous. Some people it seems will not be persuaded to get into the simple habit of belting up. Some people seem to be thinking they are invincible and it will not happen to them. The threat of serious injury, disablement or death is not a deterrent enough. Many of these people are the young and inexperienced road users. Teens have by far the highest fatality rates of motor vehicle crashes, more than any other age group. While learning and coming to terms with the skills needed for driving, they often engage in high risk behaviour such as speeding or driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It may be that the young are more easily distracted while driving. It may be that they have not the experience in coping with some situations. They may be more likely to underestimate the dangers involved in hazardous driving. Teen fatalities are so high because of all groups they are the hardest to persuade to buckle up. Yet sensible teens should get the message across to the friends that it isn't cool to be cold stone dead. Those who do buckle up cut the risk of their death roughly by half. Belting up saves lives, reduces injury and saves us all money. Experience at home and abroad shows that telling people about the dangers of not wearing seat belts has little effect. That same experience shows that where penalties are tougher, where primary laws are seen to be enforced means that those high percentages can be achieved. It should be obvious to everyone who travels in a vehicle that there is simply no excuse not to buckle up. There is no sound argument against this sane and humane policy that will benefit us all. The fact is that wearing a seat belt soon becomes a habit. With practice you will not even notice you are doing it. It is a habit, for once, that is definitely worth forming.
Sources used in this speech and related information
Safety Belt use in the US and elsewhere http://www.actsinc.org/safetybelts-4.cfm Ideas to Promote the Buckle-Up message http://www.actsinc.org/safetybelts-4.cfm National Safety Council http://www.nsc.org/partners/statersch.htm
Seat Belts
Wearing a seat belt it isn't cool That's what some believe so it seems Isn't it time they thought more about Shattered lives and those broken dreams? What is the future for a young girl Whose face has a hundred stitches? Or for the man with a broken back Whose life has no meaning or riches? What about those left dead or lame Could you live with the awful shame Of killing a dad or a mom or your friend?
Slow down, be careful don't make it the end And wear your seat belt, the life that you save Might be your own, without it the grave!
Top 10 ways to prepare for your speech
Don't be scared, just be prepared. That's the simple answer to all those worries you may have about giving a speech. 1. Accept the invitation. If someone has sent you a written invitation to speak they deserve the courtesy of a written reply. That is, of course, unless they have asked you to telephone them. In a family situation you may, of course, simply prefer to discuss it with other members of the clan. 2. Check the date. It's no good preparing a wonderful speech if you arrive to give it on the wrong date. 3. Know your venue. How long does it take to get there? Is it easy to get parking? Have you an umbrella in case it rains as you run from the car to the hall during a thunderstorm? 4. Synchronize watches. Know exactly when you are expected to speak and for how long. Arrange this beforehand with the M.C. or perhaps the best man at a wedding. 5. Case the joint. Will you be speaking on a stage or from the top
table? Do you approach from the floor or from the wings of the stage? Is the light shining in your eyes as you try to read? 6. Sample the sound. Check that the microphones work. Check too if there will be any sound with which to contend such as waiters serving or a tap dancing class in the next room. 7. Dress for the occasion. Clothes should be neat and not fussy. A feather boa waving in the breeze would distract your audience from your subject matter. Jangling earrings are definitely not a good idea. 8. Animal vegetable or mineral? Is your speech for a social occasion, a business conference or a church gathering? Whatever the occasion make sure your speech is relevant to that particular gathering and that particular audience 9. Give honour where honour is due. You may be an authority on alternative medicine but at a wedding or a birthday party your subject should be the people concerned and why that day is important to them. 1. 10 Make your speech unique. If you are one of a group of speakers try to find out what the others will be saying and what angle they are taking on the subject. Any good speaker will agree with you that it is much more entertaining if speakers differ, even when speaking on the same topic.
20 things you must know about preparing and giving your speech 1. 2. Talk about your feelings and your own experiences. Mention what the people in question have meant in your life. Make your speech human. 3. Know your audience. If you are speaking about nuclear power to scientists your speech should obviously be technical. If you are speaking to a school group it would need to be easier to understand and relevant to the age of the children in question. 4. Mention love. If yours is a family occasion speak about love and why it matters. Most of us take family love for granted so a reminder is a happy thing to add to a speech. 5. Add a human touch. A story or incident always adds to a speech no matter how serious the subject. So if you are speaking against abortion talk about the physically handicapped person you know who has just written a best seller or started an organization to help the third world. 6. Know your limitations. If you don't know a sonnet from a stanza don't talk to the local literary group about poetry. Wow them with a talk about your favourite thriller instead. 7. Start well. Your beginning should be different if you want to catch your audience. So ask a question, tell a story or use a relevant quotation to attract their attention. 8. Relate to your audience. If they are gardeners tell them about the weeds that flourish in your garden while the grass you want just won't grow. They'll empathise with you. 9. Do your research. If you are giving statistics make sure that they are correct and up to date. Make sure too that you use the correct titles for any honoured guests. If you aren't sure, admit to being human and fallible because somebody else is sure to know it all. 10. Add a topical touch. If you are talking about travel mention the new highway that has just been opened in your area and say what a difference it makes. 11. Broaden your speech. If you are asked to speak about sales mention a play about a salesman or someone who won an award for selling something different. Show you have done your research. 12. Give examples. An example is a word picture and of course speaks better than a thousand other words. 13. Be appreciative. Find room in your speech to thank those who have asked you to speak or those who have made you welcome at the function. 14. Be gracious. If your speech is a social one some nice comments about the hosts, the venue or the guests will be very acceptable. 15. Keep it short. Don't bore your audience by going on and on. They should be sorry you've finished, not relieved. 16. Be careful about jokes. Kindly humour adds to a speech but remember that being a comedian is not the same as being a public speaker. 17. Be convincing. You cannot have strong feelings on every subject but you can speak sincerely and from a given angle on any subject. So if you hate fox hunting and find you have to speak about it sympathetically talk about the people who will be out of work because hunting jackets will no longer be worn. 18. Remember the importance of age. There's no point in talking about a well-known war song if everyone in the audience is too young to remember the war. 19. Disagree politely. You may disagree with other speakers or even your audience but be persuasive rather than aggressive. If you are aggressive, you will only antagonize your audience and it will be more difficult to convince them of your point of view. Say that you appreciate their feelings but that you feel differently and explain why. 20.End on a positive note. Your speech should end on an uplifting or challenging note. So try to involve your audience by saying something like 'Tonight then I ask you to remember that you too can make a difference. The question you must ask yourself is 'How?' 21. Give a suitable toast. If your speech has to end with a toast try to make is especially relevant to the people or person concerned. So if a teacher is retiring your toast might just be something about 'passing the retirement test'.
Best 11 ways to relax before giving a speech 1. 2. Discuss your speech with others. You'll find they'll have different ideas that might add substantially to your content. If you are talking about football to the woman beside you on the train she may, for instance, have washed the jersey after Pele's very first match 3. Get it written. You can't relax if you don't know what you are going to say. Don't assume you'll be able to speak off the cuff. The best speakers who appear to be speaking off the cuff have probably spent hours in front of the mirror. You should also try to anticipate any questions from the floor by preparing responses for them in advance as well. 4. Do your homework. Know exactly why, where and how you are going to deliver that speech. 5. Choose an appropriate outfit to wear. If you are uneasy about what you are going to wear it will affect your confidence. Always check with your hosts because if it's a black tie event and you are wearing a lounge suit you will feel foolish. 6. Practise makes perfect. Practise giving your speech by recording it on a tape/cd/video/dvd camera so that you can hear just where you should be pausing or speaking faster. 7. Use cue cards. Your speech should be on cards to enable you to move quickly from one paragraph to another. A long piece of paper is off- putting to an audience. 8. Do a trial run. Ask some family members or friends to listen to what you have to say. Ask them to be honest in their appraisal and be open and listen to what they say. 9. Practise breathing exercises. Bend over and let your hands hang down to relax your whole body. Take deep breaths before you actually speak. 10. Try to know your speech off by heart. In that way you barely need to glance at your cue cards and so can look out and communicate with your audience. Recording it and listening to it over and over is a very good way of learning it off by heart. 11. Practise with the microphone first so that you know you can be heard at the corners of the hall. 12. Find a friendly face. Find or plant someone in the audience who will support you through your ordeal. When someone is smiling encouragingly at you it all seems much easier.
Top 10 ways to avoid looking like a fool while delivering your speech.
1. Be sure you are tidy. If your shirt tail is hanging down your audience may be looking and laughing at that rather than listening to your words of wisdom. 2. Don't arrive flat on your face. Remember that sometimes the steps to a stage are slippery. If your heels are high, your shoes leather or your skirt is too tight you might make a less than graceful entry. 3. Know your topic. You'll sound foolish if you haven't got the facts and figures right. 4. Don't fiddle. Your audience will sense your discomfort if you drum your fingers on the rostrum, tap your feet on the ground or fiddle with your coat buttons. 5. Don't drink. Never ever drink alcohol before you give a speech. You may think it will relax you but your audience doesn't want to hear a slurred speech. 6. Respect your audience. Never be offensive in any way. Some of your audience may laugh at a blue joke. Your boss or your mother-in-law may not be amused. 7. Never ever end by saying thank you. The ending of your speech should be so riveting that your audience is absolutely enthralled and they should be left wanting to discuss what you have said. Only amateurs end by saying thank you 8. Bring your spectacles. Bring a spare pair too just in case of accidents. It would be too bad if somebody else had to read your speech because you couldn't see it yourself! 9. Watch your diet. Don't eat anything beforehand that disagrees with you or that will give you wind. Having the hiccups during a speech will be embarrassing both for you and for your audience. 10. Make sure you get the titles right. An army colonel will not be amused if you call him sergeant.
So if you want to give a speech that will be remembered just think of the three R's Reconnoitre, Research and then you can really Relax 5 secrets to overcomimg shyness. 1. 2. Remember you're not alone. Most people are shy and public speaking ranks with divorce and death as their worst fear. 3. Start small. Don't start your public speaking career by addressing the members of International monetary fund. Talk to a few neighbours about local vandalism instead. 4. Be passionate. It's easier to speak in public if you feel strongly about something. So if your under ten football team needs a playing field go pitch for it. 5. Nobody cares. Shy people often think that others are looking down on them or being critical of them. The truth is most people are far too concerned about their own affairs to bother about others. As a public speaker you have to make them care. You should also try to remember that the audience is willing you to do well as it will be more entertaining for them. 6. Join a public speaking class or a group such as Toastmasters. There you will get professional help and lots of encouragement to help you speak. You may still be shy but your audience will never guess.