Common public speaking problems

    The use of "I feel", "I think" and "maybe"

    In the question-and-answer session of the speaking competition, many contestants began their answers with uncertain expressions like "I feel", "I guess", "I hear", "maybe" and "perhaps".

    These words show that the person is only speaking from his or her point of view. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} 

    Work on keeping your answers brief and to the point, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} . Instead of the empty-sounding "I guess", using facts, together with a clear conclusion based on those facts, is far more likely to be popular with an audience.

    Using only one speaking style

    Don't stick to the same tone. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    For example, when they spoke about their dreams, some sounded romantic. Others used humor. Very few used several different styles together. Try mixing more than one style, rather than just sticking with the same one.

    Irresponsible answers

    Public speaking is different from personal conversations. You're responsible for your words. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So you should think twice before you talk. Don't be like the student who, when asked about his opinion on book piracy（盗版）, started by saying he supported it.

    Talking around the topic rather than directly answering it

    You should focus on one point and give a clear solution. The key is to work out what question is being asked. Is it asking you to discuss a certain topic or to present your own point of view?

    Use one or two arguments together and give a strong conclusion. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

A. It can be boring. Try to mix it up.

B. Even though you want to answer quickly, you don't want to sound foolish.

C. Also work on delivering them with calmness and confidence.

D. Deliberate gestures and affected（做作的）expressions of feelings are improper in a successful speech.

E. Remember that judges are not judging you on whether they agree, but on your ability to say what you think clearly.

F. This lacks the support of facts and seems not to be reliable for the judges and audience.

G. Confidence is extremely important in public speaking as it lets a speaker sound more convincing.

    Happiness is for everyone. You don't need to care about those people who have beautiful houses with large gardens and swimming pools or{#blank#}1{#/blank#} and so on. Why? Because those who have big houses may often feel lonely and those who have cars may want to walk on the country roads at their free time.

    In fact, happiness is always around you if you put your heart into it. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When you study hard at your lessons, your parents are always taking good care of your life and your health. When you get success, your friends will say congratulations to you. When you do something wrong, people around you will help you to correct it. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} All these are your happiness. If you notice a bit of them, you can see that happiness is always around you.

    Happiness is not the same as money. It is a feeling of your heart. When you are poor, you can also say you are very happy, because you have something else that can't be bought with money. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, because you have more chances to challenge yourself. So you cannot always say you are poor and you have bad luck. As the saying goes, life is like a revolving(旋转的)door. When it closes, it also opens. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. When you are in trouble at school, your friends will help you

B. If you take every chance you get, you can be a happy and lucky person

C. those who have nice cars and a lot of money

D. And when you do something good to others, you will feel happy, too

E. those who have no houses

F. When you meet with difficulties, you can give them up and be happy

G. When you meet with difficulties, you can say loudly you are very happy

The Winner's Guide to Success

    Do you know what makes people successful? To find out the answers, an American scholar recently visited some of the most successful people around the world. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Be responsible for yourself

    Sometimes you may want to blame others for your failure to get ahead. In fact, when you say someone or something outside of yourself is stopping you from making success, you're giving away your own power. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Write a plan

    It is very difficult to try to get what you want without a good plan. It is just like trying to drive through strange roads to a city far away.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Without this "map", you may waste your time, money and also your energy; while with the "map" you'll enjoy the "trip" and get what you want in the shortest possible time.

    Be willing to pay the price

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So you must be ready to work hard — even harder than you have ever done. If you are not willing to pay the price, you won't get anything valuable.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}     

    It seems to us that everyone knows this. But it is easier said than done. When you are doing something, you must tell yourself again and again: Giving up is worse than failure because failure can be the mother of success, but giving up means the death of hope.

A. Never give up.

B. Nothing is easy to get.

C. A good plan is like a map to you.

D. Here are some keys to success that they give.

E. Some people achieve success much later in life.

F. You're saying, "You have more control over my life than I do."

G. Someone else's opinion of you doesn't have to become your reality.

How to Build Team Spirit

    An important part of being on a team is team spirit, the sense of oneness and support gained from working together. How can you build team spirit in this everyone-for-himself world and expand the concept to include school loyalty and pride?

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}When students and fans see enjoyment and a good attitude, they will be eager to show their team spirit, too.

    Encourage common cooperation among team members even in individual sports such as tennis or gymnastics. Break the team into pairs or small groups. It will help each other during practice. Assign each new player an experienced member of the team to be his mentor(辅导教师).

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Disagreement is unavoidable, but complaints affect team performance.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Don't just suggest, set goals such as mentioning the team to three people a day, covering all books in school colors and logos or inviting five friends to the next game.

    Support a very noticeable non-sports activity such as a blood drive, Toys for Tots, fundraising for new science equipment of whatever the team decides. Wear school colors, logo and name tags when promoting the project.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}On the day, make an effort to find a job or activity for everyone as you encourage students and staff to dress in school colors, make signs (“Jefferson School rocks!”), display notebook stickers and so on. If school rules permit, consider a face-painting booth.

    Put on an assembly（集会） with banners, music, cheerleading, introductions and applause for team members.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}You'll also want to display the statistics of various teams' achievements, whether it be a district prize, a personal best or simply winning their last game.

A．Get disagreements out in the open quickly and mediate （调解）if necessary.

B．Plan a monthly “school spirit” day.

C．There are ways to build team spirits .

D．Begin with energetic promotion.

E．Divide students into small groups.

F．Prove ways to build up the team around school.

G．Teach everyone cheers and the school song there.

    Whether you've been in college or you're looking forward to going to university in the future, you and your family likely spend some time worrying about the cost of your college education.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, that will pay off for years to come. Earning scholarships is a great way to help you. The Financial Aid Office at Illinois State helps students identify scholarship opportunities every day. Here is some advice to help you.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Have you asked your high school or community college financial aid office about scholarships at your school? Many schools have a list of several scholarships right there.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Check with community organizations, banks and credit unions, and large employers who may offer scholarship opportunities in your area.

    Find your “hook”

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Your unique characteristics can help your scholarship applications stand out. Pay special attention to awards that mention your best qualities, whether that's academic achievements, leadership, community service, or something less common. Think about why a donor wants to assist you in paying for your education. Most scholarship providers want to encourage a particular behavior. Companies may want to attract future employees.

    Develop a routine

    Every scholarship is different in terms of when you can apply, what you need to turn in, when the winner is announced, and how the money is given to you.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} There isn't a single application or search engine that allows you to find and apply for everything. Visit the website for the Office of Student Financial Aid for lists of scholarship opportunities. Go through the lists to find the ones that match you best and keep track of when you can apply for them.

A. While you're searching, consider what makes you special as a student.

B. Typically, scholarship applications open in the late fall or early spring for the next school year's awards, but that also varies depending on the donors.

C. There is no doubt that college education is a necessary step to get yourselves prepared for the future.

D. Local awards can often be easier to get as the application pools are smaller and less competitive.

E. Begin in your own backyard

F. It's no secret that college is one of the biggest investments.

G. Believe in yourselves

    Multitasking-doing several things at a time-was once applauded as the best way to work. But does it actually help you get things done, or does it make you less effective?

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}If you can actually do two or more things at one time, that clearly saves time.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}And it can fill time that would otherwise he spent poorly.

    However, a growing body of research shows that multitasking is not as productive as it appears. It turns out that when most people multitask, they don't actually focus on more than one thing at a time.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}But changing your focus constantly uses mental energy that could he spent working. It also causes you to take longer and make more mistakes. In addition, it creates stress. People who try to multitask often end up feeling more anxious and less peaceful than people who don't.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}A very small group of people-about two percent of the population-excel at multitasking. These people, called supertaskers, are able to work on several things at once without their performance suffering. But experts caution: supertaskers are very rare. The majority of people who think multitasking makes them more productive are fooling themselves.

    If you do want to multitask, productivity experts recommend doing it carefully.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. There are some exceptions to the no-multitasking vile.

B. Instead they switch back and forth between concentrating on two or more tasks.

C. Doing things one at a time usually helps people produce better work.

D. To some people, the advantages of multitasking seem obvious.

E. Multitasking actually works against the goal of getting things done.

F. It might also make you feel productive, which can in turn make you happy.

G. Pair a mentally challenging task with a physical task you don't have to think about.