www.stma.org July 2015 | SportsTurf 33
life. Relive the event in your mind. It will
start to bring you thoughts of joy, laugh-
ter, etc. Laughing reduces stress.
Oxygenate; breathe deep. The
more oxygen you getting into your sys-
tem the more calming effect it has. Deep
breathing slows the heart rate and lowers
tension. One researcher found that using
deep breathing can lower our feelings of
anxiety by up to 15%.
Go to the room earlier to see the
lay of the land. Get familiar with the sur-
roundings.
Test and be sure all AV is working
properly.
Listen to music especially soothing
music places you in a more relaxed state.
Avoid alcohol and caffeine as they tend
to increase blood pressure causing ten-
sion.
Secure a glass or bottled water. One
never knows when dry mouth may occur,
so you will be prepared if it does.
Check your appearance in the rest-
room prior to going "on stage".
Greet people as they come in the
room. This keeps you active and you start
to meet new friends and learn names and
faces.
Visualize a person you admire (not
an immediate family member). Chances
are you admire them, in part, because
they are a good communicator. Think
about how they communicate. What
level of confidence and poise they project.
Dwell a few minutes on their style.
Positive imagery, also called visual-
ization or mental imagery consists of you
imagining yourself speaking confidently.
You become more confident, just as you
would if you had actually given a suc-
cessful speech. Researchers have found
positive imagery to be an easy to use and
to have a long-term effect.
SPEECH PREPARATION
Recall there are five (5) various types of
speeches: Thinking of your topic (con-
tent) of your speech, choose the speech
type you believe best fits your content.
Knowing your speech type will help shape
how you prepare your speech. Also ask
yourself: "What do you hope to accom-
plish as a result of your speech?" Do I
want to teach something, praise someone
or something, share personal experiences,
make people laugh, or rally support, for
example?
Knowing your intended outcome of
the speech can also be a great way to help
you organize your thoughts and content
for the speech.
Research the facts surrounding your
topic. Your speech should be relevant and
your understanding of the topic should
seem natural. Before you write the speech,
become comfortable with the informa-
tion. Find out what other people are
saying about your subject matter.
Not all presentations will or should
