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hiding hands. But they also say “I couldn’t care less". Do use your hands to emphasize Your words but remember crossed arms mean a rejec- tion of your pbulicl Gestures are good to emphasize points but be con- scious of yours. Don't overdo them. You can prepare for public speak- ing by becoming familiar with your audience, working on good vocal tone, using good hand gestures and practicing eye contact. What more can you do? Physical conditions of the area where you will be make or break your presentation. Imagine public speaking outdoors in an open field and then picture yourself doing the same talk in a small room without windows. Which environment would give you the most attractive auâ€" dience? Darkness and heat induce sleep and discomfort. Keep the room :00], well lit and ventilated. Stand on a platform or in an area of the room where everyone can see you and you :an see them. Small groups are dif- ficult to speak to. A solution to this problem is to group people together. Your audience will be more respon- sive if they share a physical as well as mental closeness! Be punctual! Arrive early and ad- iust the set up of the room before your audience arrives. Test your audio visual equipment. You will feel in control of the room and your public. Nothing looks as unprofesâ€" sional as someone who takes 15 minutes to adjust a slide projector in the middle of a presentation. We envy other public speakers for their cairn, relaxed manners. Have you ever asked these Speakers if they really feel cool, calm and relaxed? Most will say they don’t, especially in the few minutes that precede their presentation. Accept the fact that it’s o.k. to be nervous before delivering a speech! Once you accept this you can live with it. After being introduced, slowly walk up to the front, concenâ€" trate on taking deep slow breaths of air. You will be amazed at how soothing this can be. Take your time. Don’t start to talk until you are well at the front of your audience. What seems like an eternity to you is only seconds to the audience. Once you start to talk, concentrate on talking slowly, you'll be more relaxed and your audience will also feel relaxed. Remember to use good gestures, vary your vocal tone and keep good eye contact. You don’t want your an- dience to relax to the point of falling asleep. Good public speakers do not use notes! You are speaking to the public, not reading to them. People wonder how well you know your speech when you must read it. How often have you seen someone with their head down, read a report from start to finish? No eye contact, no variation of vocal tone, it's boring! Know your topic, face the audience and stay with them! If you must use notes, scribble the few important points on a series of no more than five cards! You can't read and devote your full attention to the public at the same time. Nothing should come bet- ween you and your audience. No Use this rule cards, no papers, no table and no lectern. Do not erect barriers â€" you’ll look like you’re hiding from the enemy, not doing a public speech. There is much more to public speaking than writing a speech. No two individuals can present the same talk and the very same way. Why? Because your personality plays a great part in public speaking. Audiâ€" ences will love you only if you are yOurself, Once you know your subâ€" ject matter, work on your body's part in presenting the speech. Be punctual and mold your environment to suit your needs. Don’t be discouraged. Practice makes perfect. to remember names We have all heard the question, “What’s in a name?” A name is something that is individual and uni- que to each one of us. It is probably the favourite thing that anyone can hear spoken by others. The use of proper names breaks barriers when people are meeting. It shows that others are interested and care and use of a person’s name really makes peoâ€" ple feel good. The ability to learn and remember names is a most useful and desirable quality in our mobile lives. The task can be made easier by following the steps of the FIRM rule for remembering names. I) F Findoutâ€"besure you know the correct and exact name. If you don‘t have it clearly when you are introduced, ask again. If you forget quickly, ask again. No one minds repeating their name. 2) l Instill it in your mind. Con- centrate on it for a few seconds and associate the name with the face. Simple names often are most difâ€" ficult because they seem easily remembered. Don't attempt to associate a name with physical quantities, i.e., Brown with brown hair â€" this gets even more con- fusing and complicates your task. Repeat it. Use it often in your conversation with a person. For example, “What do you work at, Marie?” Don’t overwork it, however, by using it too 3)R often and don’t mumble a name when you are talking. 4) M Memorize it for future use. Check your memory bank of names at a quiet time at the end of the day and be sure that you have memor- ized all that you wanted to. Testing your Success â€" When the opportunity confronts you, i.e., se- cond meeting of the person and you must remember their name, try to associate the face with the time, loca- tion, or group of people by looking for clues both from the person and in your conversation. Don't be afraid to say “Alice Cooper, right?” or "Joe Blow, isn’t it?” They'll gladly conâ€" firm or correct you if you are wrong. When you get a firm grasp on name-remembering, you may get into the situation where you know or remember a person's name and they do not remember yours. Freely offer your name when meeting someone. This makes it easier on them and it is definitely to your advantage. It gives them the benefit of the doubt that they had remembered your name but just hadn't used it yet. When the name is written, the corâ€" rect spelling is something important to many people. This is more impor- tant when you are using the name freâ€" quently or the person becomes quite well known to you. Conclusion: Anyone can learn and remember names. Some may find it easier than others but just remember to make a FIRM effort and you should succeed.