Advice on doing a presentation.

Advice with public speaking for my presentation?

• I have a presentation to give on wednesday. Its only for a small group of 4 or 5 people but I need help. I tend to get really shy, I don't really speak much anyway so having to speak in this little group is still going to be hard. I have planned what I want to say and have que cards ready. The problem is I tend to mumble and my voice goes a bit croakey. If anyone has any advice such as vocal exercises or ways to get over my nerves PLEASE post them because I am worried I'll make a fool of myself and will be marked down.

• Answer:

  Picture your voice as a stream of water; aim it OVER The heads of the audience. Look just over the heads of your listeners as you aim that "water stream" at the back wall. At the end of each sentence, be sure to slightly RAISE your voice in both pitch and volume. Most untrained speakers drop their voices at the end of sentences, which makes the words get lost. Finally, don't rush. Make sure to slightly elongate the length of each vowel as you speak; this will give your listeners enough time to really hear and understand your words. Good luck!