College public speaking classes are not as difficult as many students fear. If you follow instructions and put effort into the class, you're bound to do pretty well. Instructors understand that most people have a fear of public speaking, and tend to show students sympathy by grading with some leniency. If you're going to do well in your public speaking class, however, you're going to need to avoid some common pitfalls. Here are some public speaking class mistakes to avoid.
Failure to Follow Instructions
Read directions. Listen to the instructor. The instructor is probably looking for very specific things in your speech, and if you leave them out, you'll lose points. If you're confused about an assignment, ask questions.
Failure to Practice
Don't try to wing it. Be sure to practice at least once, and preferably two or three times. For one thing, you'll need to practice (with a timer) to make sure the speech meets the time requirements of the assignment. In addition, if you practice, you'll probably be much less nervous when it's time to speak for a grade.
Poor Outlining
Public speaking teachers almost always require students to outline their speeches ahead of time. Some students blow this off, and this is a big mistake. Even if you're not getting graded on your speech outline, it's important because it helps you organize your speech. Part of your job as a speaker is to write a speech that's easy for the audience to understand, and if your speech is disorganized, you'll lose your audience.
Poor Visual Aids
Visual aids can enhance a speech quite a bit, but many students use them incorrectly. Here are some tips for using visual aids in a speech.
Poor Speech Topics
When choosing a speech, make sure you choose a topic that is appropriate for the assignment. If you're unsure, ask the instructor. In addition, choose something you can get excited about, because otherwise, it will be difficult to excite the audience. If you're giving a persuasive speech, here are some tired persuasive speaking topics to avoid.
Poor Use of Source Citations
Most speech assignments require the student to cite at least two sources, both during the speech and in his or her speech outline. Unfortunately, many students underestimate the importance of this part of the assignment, and lose points for not citing sources correctly. Be sure to follow the instructor's guidelines for citing sources. Remember, citing sources is important if you use any words or ideas that are not your own. They are also important to bolster your credibility.
Plagiarism
Most students know better than to use someone else's speech. If a sense of ethics doesn't prevent you from such nonsense, keep in mind that instructors are smarter than you think.
Poor Communication With the Audience
In order for a speech to be effective, the audience needs to feel that you are actively trying to communicate with them, as opposed to simply reciting words into thin air. In terms of delivery, you can achieve this through good eye contact, by speaking slowly and clearly, and by not reading your speech word for word (unless the assignment calls for this).
In terms of content, you can achieve this by making the speech as relevant to your audience as possible. Do this by using relevant examples in your speech, and by explaining clearly to the audience why this topic is truly important to them. In addition, avoid using terms the audience may not understand. If you discuss complicated topics, be sure to explain them very clearly.
Best of luck with your speech class! Here are some more public speaking class tips to help you out.
