You've prepared your speech, you know what you want to say and how you will say it, but there's just one more task. Talking. Speaking in front of an audience is not like having a conversation with your friends. There are a number of areas that you have to concentrate on to present a confident appearance to the audience.

Listen to the following clip. Do you notice anything wrong with it?

In this clip, the speaker is talking extremely quickly. This is a common mistake, and is a natural consequence of speaking in front of an audience. The pace of a presentation is one of the most important factors in its success.

While it is vital not to speak to quickly, it is also important not to speak very slowly. However, a useful technique to use is the Significant Pause. The significant pause is mainly used for emphasis. Simply pause after you have said something of importance, to allow the audience to reflect on what you have just said. It is also a useful technique to use if you forget your place.

The next important attribute of a speech is pitch. Listen to the next clip.

You will notice that the speaker in this clip is very boring. He is speaking in a monotone, which is virtually guaranteed to put your audience to sleep. It is again vital to make your voice interesting, by varying the pitch. Compare the boring monotone above to the clip below.

The last element of your voice is the volume. While you should not try to shout down your audience, it is again important to be able to be heard at the back of the room, or area in which you are speaking. Another useful technique is to gradually lower your volume, and then suddenly raise it to emphasize a point, as demonstrated in the clip below.

You may also have noted the significant pause used by the speaker. A handy tip is to place a friend at the back of the room in which you are speaking, and ask them to subtly signal if your voice is too loud or soft.

Your voice is not the only element of your presentation that your audience will notice. It is also important to consider a number of other elements.

Posture - If you look confident, then people will believe you are confident and know what you are talking about. It is not only the appearance that dictates you should have good posture. Standing straight allows your diaphragm to fully contract and expand, and also allows your lungs to expand to their full capacity. This is important, as it allows you the fullest control over your voice.

Eye Contact - Whether you are using notes or not, it is vital for you to retain eye contact with your audience. By looking at various people during your presentation, you give them the impression that you are speaking for their benefit alone. It is also a useful tool to make sure that everyone is paying attention to you.

Gestures - The Italian people are particularly noted for talking with their hands. Personally, I find that I use my hands to diaphragm points whenever I am talking. However, I have also seen a number of people who have deliberately try to use hand gestures during presentations, and failed miserably. The best advice I can offer is this. Ignore your hands. If you find yourself making gestures, then let it happen. If you find that you do not make any movements, then let that happen as well. Any audience tends to be remarkably adept at spotting faked movements, so just let your body behave naturally.

A few more tips...

The following is a list of tips that do not really come into any of the categories mentioned above, but are still useful.

• Ask for a glass of water to have while you speak. It helps keep your mouth from drying out while also allowing you a break to collect your thoughts while you are speaking.
• When in a speaking situation where you have to debate with another view, do not make personal attacks. Feel free to attack the arguments all you like, eg "...to say the death penalty doesn't deter criminals is a purile load of rubbish...", but refrain from talking about your opponent.