You are standing in a hall packed with friends, family, colleagues and peers. You are about to walk onto the stage and address theme. You’re expected to say something meaningful and profound and everyone is hanging on your every word. You need to be clearly spoken, confident and calm, maybe even funny. How do you feel?
If you’re shaking, sweating and looking for the exit, you’re normal. Most of us are scared of public speaking and yet, as a society, we’re becoming more obsessed with hearing what people have to say: we watch endless TED talks, download podcasts and screen hours of YouTube clips. Being able to address a crowd is no longer the domain of the brave—if you want to get ahead in your career, you need to master it. I’ve done enough public speaking to have picked up some tips and tricks, and these are the ones I rely on most.
The most important thing is to prepare. You don’t have to write out your speech word by word but get the headline, three key points and the concluding sentence on paper and put bullet points under each. Then run through it and note which of your bullet points made it in and what you added. Adapt your notes and try again. Keep going until you have a structure.
Now it’s time to watch yourself—yes, get out your camera and film yourself. This is how you will see the points that need work and where you can polish it up.
Most of the information the audience will take away will be from your energy and your tone, a little from your words. Once you have sorted out the words, focus on how to exude(散发) the right energy—do you need confidence or humor? I go for confidence so, five minutes before a talk, I try to recall a success I’ve had. I focus on the details and aim to bring that feelings of competence to life.
Finally, breathe. We cannot speak without breath, yet it is the first thing we let go of when we are nervous. Settle your breathing before you start. If you lose control of your breath in the middle, say “Let’s take a moment to think about that last point.” That gives you a pause to collect your breath. The only way to get over a fear of public speaking is to do it, again and again. You will have good and bad experiences but, if you do it enough, you’ll realize that, occasionally, it’s fun.
1.According to the author, why is public speech important to the average?
A.Friendships can be established through it.
B.Public speeches can display our courage.
C.There are more occasions for pubic speeches.
D.It is beneficial to our way up the career ladder.
2.Which of the following tips is recommended by the author?
A.Preparing and writing down every detail.
B.Displaying right energy during the speech.
C.Watching famous films of public speeches.
D.Telling key points and bullet points apart.
3.What view does the author hold about public speaking?
A.It creates more and more fun if we stick to practice.
B.It is easier to practise at home than to perform outside.
C.Experiences of public speaking can delight us sometimes.
D.Attempts to give public speaking tend to fail in the end.
Twin Cities Campus · Office of Admissions
240 Williamson Hall · 231 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
Dear Blair Connie,
Congratulations! You have been admitted to the University of Minnesota (U of M) Twin Cities. Your college of admission is the College of Science and Engineering.
We believe your accomplishments have prepared you well to thrive here. When you step on campus as a Golden Gopher, you will be involved in our world-class academic programs and will shape your future in cutting-edge facilities.
Choose a community bursting with Gopher pride. By choosing the U of M, you choose to work with classmates and professors who are “Driven to Discover.” When you choose the U of M, you will...
■Discover exceptional academics. With thousands of courses to pick from each semester, you can engage with professors who are leaders in their fields and make meaningful connections with your fellow students in our technology-packed active learning classrooms.
■Discover unique opportunities. At the U of M, your college experience goes beyond the classroom. Your knowledge and talents can shine in one of our 900+ student organizations.
■Discover an ideal location. Campus is in the center of Minneapolis and St. Paul, where you can work as trainees at one of the 18 Fortune 500 companies or thousands of startups and nonprofits in the Twin Cities.
■Discover great value. The U of M is committed to four-year graduation, which lowers your costs and gets you an internationally recognized degree sooner. The University has been named “best value” by Forbes, Princeton Review, and Kiplinger’s.
On behalf of the U of M, we are honored to have you join our academic community. In the coming weeks you will receive additional information about your next steps to becoming a U of M student. Welcome to the Class of 2024!
Executive Director of Admissions
Sincerely
Heidi Meyer
1.What does the underlined phrase “a Golden Gopher” refer to?
A.A freshman. B.A professor. C.An amateur. D.An inspector.
2.Which of the following is the benefit of choosing the U of M?
A.The university invites leaders in different fields to teach on campus.
B.There are numerous clubs which offer students various activities.
C.It is so ideally located that you have easy access to famous top brands.
D.Many magazines rank it among the top universities with high tuition.
When I was a child my father taught me five words that I’ve used all my life—in my acting career, as a mother, in my business activities. If I _______ that I was afraid of the dark, or if I seemed worried about meeting new people, Dad would say, “Stand porter to your _______.”
A porter is a gatekeeper, who stands at a door _______ people in or out. Dad would get me to _______ myself stopping destructive things—such as fear—at the door, _______ saying “Come in” to faith, love and self-assurance.
As a(n) _______, before I went on camera, I’d make sure anxiety stayed out and confidence in my ability came in. As a mother, when I was _______ about my children, I would try not to let worry in but would _______ my mind with trust in them.
Of course, there were always times I’d _______ those words.
In 1972 my husband, Fillmore Crank, and I opened the doors to our own __________ in North Hollywood. This was a new business venture for us, and it was a lot more __________ and complicated than we had __________.
We were on call 24 hours a day. Something was always going __________. Electricity went on the blink, food wasn’t delivered, employees called in sick. Once, a flu epidemic __________ left us with no maids. Fillmore gave me a __________: scrub floors or do the laundry. For 10 days I folded enough king-size sheets to __________ the whole state of California.
Then there was the __________ crisis. The price of gasoline doubled, and tourism in California __________. How could we fill our beds? What if we kept losing money? What if we failed? Fear and worry were sneaking in. But I caught them just __________. I stood porter.
I stood in the door of my mind and sent fear packing.
These days at the hotel, whenever fear tries to __________, I just smile and point to the sign that reads No Vacancy.
1.A.complained B.announced C.recalled D.decided
2.A.future B.find C.family D.studio
3.A.letting B.urging C.inviting D.observing
4.A.busy B.involve C.send D.picture
5.A.so B.and C.but D.or
6.A.official B.actress C.maid D.manager
7.A.serious B.curious C.anxious D.cautious
8.A.fill B.change C.read D.ease
9.A.eat B.twist C.exchange D.forget
10.A.clinic B.hotel C.laundry D.restaurant
11.A.promising B.demanding C.convincing D.boring
12.A.figured B.confirmed C.deduced D.suggested
13.A.sour B.missing C.wrong D.pale
14.A.hardly B.regularly C.specially D.suddenly
15.A.warning B.command C.choice D.solution
16.A.serve B.touch C.decorate D.blanket
17.A.credit B.energy C.identity D.family
18.A.ceased B.recovered C.dropped D.boomed
19.A.in time B.on purpose C.at random D.by chance
20.A.split B.shelter C.withdraw D.register
--Do you think it’s possible for the team to hit their target for fourth quarter?
--_____! The majority of them are not that enterprising.
A.No doubt B.No problem C.Not a little D.Not a chance
We have been informed of the strict rules _____ for garbage sorting in the near future.
A.adopted B.to adopt C.to be adopted D.having adopted
The project ______ possible had the relations of the two countries not reached their current level.
A.weren’t B.weren’t to be C.shouldn’t be D.wouldn’t have been
