A Great Speech

Whether you like it or not, in most schools, students are going to make up their minds about who to vote for based almost entirely on the campaign speeches.

Your speech is totally under your control. You can make it long or short (make it short!). You can make it overly-serious or lighthearted (make it funny!). You can be stuffy and formal or you can talk like a normal person (be normal!). You can be scared stiff or you can be confident and relaxed (be in control!).

This is your opportunity to make a statement, to have it heard by a captive audience, and to deliver it with a big punch. This is your best chance to be funny, to be charming, to be confident, to be passionate, and to be sincere.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to make an often intimidating endeavor (speaking before an audience) FUN.

Whatever you do, DON'T drone on and on. Keep it short. This is difficult to do, because there's a lot you want to say, and it's natural to want to repeat your important points again and again. Be aware that your peers have short attention spans and will tune-out if your speech gets boring or repetitive. The key is to get in, get out, and sit down. Voters appreciate it when you can say what you have to say confidently and succinctly and not waste their time.

Do NOT plan to just get up and improvise. Prepare! It may feel stupid to practice your speech beforehand, but preparation is the key to conquering nerves. Having gone through your speech several times -- out loud, in front of people -- will make you much more confident and less nervous in front of your classmates.

Public speaking is the number one fear admitted by most people. If you think about it too much, you can easily psyche yourself out and think everyone's looking at you, they're going to laugh at you, you're going to be put on the spot, etc.

You can't let it get you! Take control! You talk to your classmates all the time, in lunch, in class, after school, etc. The only difference here is that they're actually captive and quiet. This is your big chance to make an impression.

You can totally surprise and disarm them by not being nervous. Talk to them like you always do, with sincerity, strength and ease, and you'll give off the sense that you're a natural born leader.

Getting started is the hardest part. If you're nervous, you have to think about what you're trying to say and pretend you're sure of yourself. Once you get going, you won't have to pretend anymore, because the momentum will give you real confidence.

If you're not nervous, something's wrong. Everybody naturally gets the adrenaline pumping when they're about to do something they care about.

But don't let fear debilitate you! After all, what's fear? It's all in your head. You can use the excitement to focus your energy on being down-to-earth and cutting through the usual formality of campaign speeches in order to communicate, or you can let your knees shake and worry about how your hair looks.

If you look at the speech as your big chance (probably your only chance) to show everyone your fun, lighthearted attitude and persuade them that you want to work hard for the class, then you can, in a short and simple speech, right then and there, get all the votes you need to win the election.

Go for broke. Make it or break it.

Your peers do NOT want you to mess up. Really, most of them don't even care. Half of them will be either sleeping, staring at the clock, or thinking about the weekend.

Even if you see them all sitting there facing you, it's pretty safe to assume that most of their minds are elsewhere. You've got to capture their attention and get your point across in a way that they'll want to respond to.

Making a campaign speech is a lot like telling a joke. Nobody's hanging on your every word. You have to make it interesting. It can't be too long, it can't be dull like a weather report, and it can't be too serious. You can't force them to pay attention; you have to make them want to listen.

Usually, that means that funny speeches win elections.

Don't start your speech with a standard "insert joke here" joke, say or do something funny that is you, something that implies "I'm here because I want to be here, I voluntarily choose to be here doing this, and I'm going to try to make this fun."

Don't read your speech like a book report. It's not being graded. Just talk to your peers about something you're asking them to do -- vote. Tell them why. Use your passion to persuade them, from one student to another, that you would be a great candidate to elect.

You have to ask them to vote for you. Not tell them -- ask them.

You already know there's a tremendous difference between talking "at" someone (lecturing) and talking "with" them (discussing). When you're in front of an audience, of course, they're not talking back (we hope), so you can't actually talk "with" them. However, your tone of voice, your manner, and your ATTITUDE should indicate that you're just a normal student who has something valuable to say.

Try to make the listeners feel comfortable. Make them laugh. Don't get all formal. Don't act above them or talk down to them. Just be "one of them," saying why you want to volunteer for the job of working hard for them. Tell them why winning the election is important to you and why representing them is something you'll be proud to do.

If you honestly mean it, it will show.

You can't let a school election be life-or-death to you, but you can still be passionate about it. If you're going to bother doing it at all, do it with zest. You want to come across in your speech as prepared and confident, but also as easy-going and fun.

Remember, the most important thing is your attitude. Be confident and humble and friendly and genuine. Whatever you do, BE YOURSELF.

Have the mindset that you're there to share, not lecture. Do you remember doing "show-and-tell" in first grade? Were you nervous? Of course not, you were too busy concentrating on the frog you brought in, and what you wanted to share about it. You were talking enthusiastically about something you were excited about, and you were trying to make everyone else as interested in it as you were. Try to recapture that informal, non-presentational feeling of "show-and-tell."

Your speech does not have to conform to the mood set by the others that come before and after it. Just because everyone else is scared and straight-laced doesn't mean you have to be. Let them do their thing. Do your own.

The one that stands out is usually the only one remembered.

Your opponents will probably get up and go on and on about why they're so wonderful. They'll list everything impressive they've ever done, implying that the audience should add it all up and see how terrific they are. Well, guess what -- nobody cares! Don't make your whole speech about me, make it about we. Make it about next year and what you want to do for the class. Be specific.

Anybody with enthusiasm for the job can be a great class officer. What you plan to do is far more important than what you have done.

Get people to help you prepare your speech. If, as a class officer, you're really going to get the class involved and be a great leader, why not start now and get a few of your friends to help you make a great speech? It's not cheating, it's being smart!

If your school allows it, you could even get someone popular or funny to say a few words about you and introduce you. There's no reason you can't have other students endorsing you as a candidate, holding signs or other visual aids for you, rapping behind you as your "boom-box," or even escorting you up to the podium and cheering for you. Get creative.

Don't let the prospect of giving a speech scare you. It's something you should get excited about! Don't think of it as a dead-serious plea for votes (like a PBS pledge-drive), think of it more as a skit, a chance to have some fun, to cause a few laughs, and to share your enthusiasm.

You can make it a drag, or you can make it fun and clever and mischievous and dynamic. You can make it long and boring, or you can make it exciting and cool. You can make it blend in with all the others, or you can make it surprising and funny and memorable.

Again: funny speeches usually win high school elections.