20101208 Speak Up With Confidence (1)

Speak Up With Confidence

Giving a speech doesn't have to be scary

You've prepared for this moment for months. You've written, memorized and practiced your speech. All that's left now is delivering it. But as you walk to the front of the room, you suddenly become very nervous. The audience is staring at you in silence. Your hands begin to sweat. Your eyes start to twitch. Your breathing becomes more rapid. And worst of all, your mind goes blank. Sound familiar?

Giving a speech can be scary. But it doesn't have to be a miserable experience. You can give a speech with confidence by following a few easy tips:

Step one: Focus on your content

The content of your speech is important because it expresses your ideas and opinions. Begin by creating a memorable introduction. Do this by asking a question, telling a brief story, stating a fact or repeating a famous quote. This will grab your audience's attention right at the beginning. Next, focus on writing the body of the speech.

twitch v. 抽動/抽搐/痙攣

eg: His face twitched when he got nervous.

=> 當他緊張時整個臉會抽搐起來

eg: The corner of Jay's mouth started to twitch because he smiles too long.

=> Jay因為微笑得太久了，嘴角開始抽動了。

eg: The actor twitched his nose like a mouse sniffing a piece of cheese.

=> 這位演員抽動他的鼻子好像老鼠在聞奶酪的樣子

introduction n. 引言/序言/序曲

eg: In the introduction, the author talks about what motivates him to write continuously.

=> 在序言中，作者寫出鼓勵自己持續寫作的理由。

eg: The speaker loves to tell jokes in the introduction of his speech.

=> 這位演講者喜歡在他演講的序言中講一些笑話

body n. 文章或著作的主要部分

eg: He finished the body of his thesis in 6 months, but the collection of data took him over a year.

=> 他花了六個月就完成了這篇論文的主要部分，但是資料的收集卻花了一年多的時間。

eg: The main body of the autobiography talks about the author's childhood memories.

=> 這本自傳的主要部分談及作者童年的回憶

//== Chat room ==//

blank adj. 空白的

go blank 腦筋一片空白、完全想不出任何事情

blank out something 刻意將某件事情忘記、不去想它

=> 使一樣東西成為空白，往往是在逃避現實。

//== Grammar on the Go ==//

And worst of all, your mind goes blank.

to go blank (比較不正式的說法)

=> to become unable to think

eg: Sabrina's mind went blank when the man of her dreams asked her to go out with him.

eg: Brian prepared for his job interview, but his mind went blank when he sat down in front of his interviewer.