help in writing and saying a valedictorian speech?

Question

i'm in 8th grade, and i want to keep it as short as possible but still good. i don't want to say much since i'm a little shy at speaking to a whole audience. also, i might get nervous. tips on staying calm while saying the speech will be nice.

i need to have it done by tomorrow

Answer 1

I've done public speaking since I was your age and ended up a speech major. I can't help with the speech since you have to say what you want to say. However.

Stand up straight and walk tall. Don't let the audience intimidate you. They're there to hear you, not make fun of you. They don't want to see your nerves, they want the speech. When you print out your speech, make it double spaced in a larger font than normal so it's easy to glance down at it. Use a pen to make markings where you want to take a pause. Try to keep your head up as much as possible and not glued on your speech. Look at the tops of peoples' heads instead of their eyes. Keep the pace slower than your usual speaking voice and speak up a couple tones. And smile because this is your proud moment!

Practice all this in front of a mirror...out loud. What you see in the mirror is what the audience will see. When you get on stage, smile, take a deep breath, and just start.

And if you screw up, do not let it rattle you. Think about radio DJs and newsanchors. They screw up too and just gloss it over and just keep going like nothing happened. No apologies needed.

Best of luck, and congrats on being a valedictorian! Keep up the good work!