Tips to Be a Confident Public Speaker by Emma Ahrendsen, JRA Board Mark Twain once said, “There are only two types of speakers in the world, nervous and liars.” As we come into this season of contests, it is important to remember that nerves are inevitable, but you can be prepared to deal with them. Here are three tips to help you prepare for your upcoming public speaking contests. 1. Know Your Audience Whether you are preparing for a contest, a school project or your local 4-H club meeting, your audience can make a huge impact on how you go about giving your presentation. Some important things to think about are the age and background knowledge of your audience. If you are talking to children, you will go about your presentation differently than if you are presenting to a group of adult cattlemen or your peers. When you know your audience, you can give a presentation that accurately conveys your points.
2. Do Your Research It is important to be knowledgeable on your subject, so much so that you feel like an expert. When you are researching your topic, you want to be thorough, which means you will want to think about all the questions a person might ask. This method forces you to think beyond your presentation and makes you prepared for any questions that may arise from your audience or the judges. Another important thing to remember during research is to find trustworthy sources. These sources should be credible and verifiable, to ensure you are sharing facts with your audience. 3. Practice, Practice, Practice The most important thing to do before a presentation is to practice. The more you practice, the greater your confidence will be, and consequently, if you get nervous, you know that you have been through it before, and everything worked out okay last time. First, start with practicing in the shower, the mir-
Three tips to prepare you for public speaking contests are to know your audience, do your research and practice. ror or your bedroom to get comfortable with the order and information you are talking about. Then, move on to smaller groups of people, working with teachers or other leaders. Lastly, depending on the audience you plan to perform in front of, create an environment as close to identical as you possibly can. This can serve as a trial run for your actual presentation, and you can finish ironing out all the wrinkles. Overall, public speaking can be a piece of cake. At the end of the day, you are the only person with your script, and no one can tell if you missed a point or messed up. Remember these three tips and you will rock your speech! //
Engage with JRA!
Emma Ahrendsen, Iowa • jraemma@gmail.com Peri Andras, Illinois • jraperi17@gmail.com Leah Evans, Iowa • jraleah1@gmail.com Natalie Evans, Illinois • jranatalie@gmail.com Cameron Ison, Kentucky • jracameron1@gmail.com Mitchell VanderWal, South Dakota • jramitchell1@gmail.com Kim Heller, Junior Program Coordinator • juniors@redangus.org
Save the Dates:
May 1 – JRA Board of Director Applications Due July 10-15 – Junior Red Angus Round-Up, Florida
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RED ANGUS Magazine | May/June 2023
2022-2023 JRA Board of Directors Common Hashtags: Website: redangus.org/jra #jra #redangus Facebook: juniorredangus Instagram: juniorredangus Snapchat: juniorredangus