The King's Speech: Speaking in Public

This movie is a classic. Outstanding acting makes it an unforgettable experience.

I. Talk to a partner:

1. How do you feel when you have to speak in public?

2. How do your feelings change according to the audience you have?

3. How/When/In which situations do you feel most comfortable when speaking in public?

4. How/When/In which situations do you feel most embarrassed when speaking in public?

5. When was the last time you had to speak in public? How was it?

6. What do you do/ How do you prepare yourself when you have to speak in public?

7. What tips would you give someone who wants to be a successful speaker/presenter?

II. Read the tips given by the awesome site http://www.wikihow.com/Overcome-Your-Fear-of-Public-Speaking.

Don't fail visiting it. Their tips are priceless.

Decide which steps you usually take before speaking in public, which ones are helpful, and which ones you would not follow. Justify your answers.

Steps to overcome the fear of speaking in public

Realize the source. 

The source of your fear is this: not knowing what will happen when you are in front of people, giving your speech or presentation. Your fear is not that you don't know your topic. It is that you don't know what will happen when you step to the podium or table.

Face Down Your Fears. 

If you feel your knees turning to jelly out of fear, remind yourself that fear stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. Almost certainly, whatever it is that you're frightened of won't happen.

Breathe Deeply. 

Practicing a breathing exercise before you go on will relax your body and mind.

Relax. 

Relaxing is the art of letting go.

Recognize that people can't see your nervousness. 

When you're walking out onto the stage toward the podium, no one knows you're nervous.

Practice.  

Speaking on a topic that you are not familiar with will increase your stress, and impede on your performance.

Buy some recording software, and record everything on your laptop. 

Review it to see where you can improve.

Prepare. 

Make sure you know the material that you're going to cover. 

Keep it simple.

Avoid putting pressure on yourself by trying to communicate too many ideas or too much information. 

Think of it as a conversation.

Think of your ‘talk’ as just that, a conversation with more than person.

III. Watch the movie segment and discuss the questions that follow:

1. How did he feel before the speech?

2. How confident was he?

3. Which of the steps in exercise II did he take?

4. What can he do to improve the quality of his speeches?

5. How would you feel if you were in his shoes?

6. Have you ever felt the way he did when speaking in public?

7. What's your opinion about the technique that he tried after the speech?

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE KING'S SPEECH