Tips On Improving Your Elocution Skills

Elocution is essentially the art of speaking clearly and confidently. Remember an elocution is not a fight or an argument, it is not a debate either. When you participate in an elocution event, you are judged on knowledge of the topic, how you represent your thoughts, vocabulary, diction, your gestures and body language and above all, the confidence with which you win the audience to hear your speech.

Your school teachers must have often pressed you to take part in such competitions and you must. As Soma Bhattacharya, English teacher at St Stephen’s, Kolkata says, “Students should take part in elocution competitions as this helps them to develop confidence, speech-related skills, and encourages them to express their thoughts in a more coherent manner.” Such competitions help them become better speakers and also affect their fluency in the language.

Children often find it difficult to speak freely but it is the responsibility of those around them to encourage their eagerness and help remove self-doubt and lack of confidence. Let us take a look at how one can work through their fears and emerge a winner.

Speak Slowly

Speaking slowly and emphasising main points of your speech allows the audience to absorb what you are saying. It also helps in creating an impact of each word in a better manner. Enunciating each and every word may not be the right thing to do as it could look forced. So, make sure to do it only when required. Avoid fillers altogether – it may sound very cool to fit in a clique but not in competitions, or on stage.

Mind The Phonetics

Yes, phonetics is taught since kindergarten, but even then, some of us speak with accents or wrong phonetic pronunciation. To tackle this, take phonetics classes where they will train you not just in the technicalities of speaking but also suggest exercises to make your voice stronger and well-defined.

Improve Your Memory

Memorising is an important part of giving a speech in an elocution competition, so make sure that you know your points well. Making mind maps will help so put all those quick tips of learning and remembering to good use.

Research On Various Topics

Do not assume that you know everything, being well-read is a quality that all students need to inculcate. For your elocution competition, research well on a variety of subjects. Yes, Google has made research easier, but avoid saying “I read this on the internet”, Google or any other random website. It sounds great on the TED Talks, but those people are achievers, in your competition, you will be marked on your knowledge in and beyond the subject of the elocution.

Conclusion Is Important

Remember that at elocution competitions, every speaker is allotted time. Depending on the topic and your interest in it, you may go beyond the minutes assigned to you, however, even then do not forget to conclude. It’s very important that you give a proper conclusion to your speech. So in a short and effective way, summarise the speech and end it by thanking the audience and the judges.

If You’re Nervous

You signed up for the competition and have prepared well. Now you’re about to go on the stage but are full of nerves, feel like throwing up and what can one do about those sweaty palms? Well firstly, do anything to calm yourself down, deep breathing, sipping cool water, going through your notes, even saying a prayer if you will. Nerves are good, but don’t let it overwhelm you. You’ve got this!