Public Speaking
Have you ever had to get up in front of a crowd or a classroom to do a speech and just froze? I sure have. Public speaking is an important task in many businesses. You have to know how to gain and keep your audiences attention. If you do not, you have already lost. Public speaking is not easy and it takes skills that not everyone has, but the most important of all of these, is knowing how to read a room. You may have the perfect speech written, and know every line of it. Great. But what happens when your crowd or class becomes bored to death and half of them nod off? Do you think you did your job well?
A speech given in public always requires clear delivery. You need to know when to use proper pauses and when to express things of special importance. Using proper tone and pitch of our voices is just as important. I have found that giving an oral presentation in person is much different than doing a zoom call. I can talk your ears off in a zoom call but can feel anxious in person. Some people are fantastic at giving speeches or presentations while others won’t even get up and try.
It takes time to get the hang of public speaking. Practicing your speech to a family member or friend can help. Ask a few friends online to listen to your speech through FB calls or Duo or whatever it is you use for live chats. Get their opinions. Be ready for harsh criticism and don’t expect them to sugar coat anything. Do some research on the topic so when you get up to talk, you are confident in the information you are providing. Don’t guess. You’ll only look like an idiot. Make sure that your speech is combined with the right methods and persistence. Be sure it is structured and purposeful. Don’t jump all over the place. If your presentation is long, allow time half way through for questions.
What are the intentions of your speech or presentation? Entertainment? Influencing or persuasion? Or just simply informative? Knowing this ahead of time will help the speaker to organize their thoughts, know what emotions to expect, an the amount of information you want to give. Below you will read the Four Elements of Public Speaking.
Four Elements of Public Speaking
Have you ever known anyone who acts different around certain people or in different places? Like the person totally changed to try to impress someone or is expected to behave in a certain way? Public speaking can be similar. We all wear different masks for different occasions. We change our mannerisms when we are in different environments and over half of us don’t even realize we are doing it. We need to be aware of the considerations we are expected to make once we know who our audience is.
- Public Speaker – The person delivering the presentation needs to know exactly how he/she wants to be perceived by the audience. Create the person you want to be before the presentation and get use to this new you before you show us. You have to maintain that persona during the entire speech. If you can’t pull it off outside of the presentation room, you are not going to do this inside it either.
- The Message – Make sure your message is clear and factual. Make sure your content is valuable and moral. Make sure your speech is well organized.
- Method – Where will the speech be delivered? Will it be given in an office setting, a hall, or an entertainment venue? If you are a comedian, you will be in an entertainment venue of some sort. Will there be enough sound to reach to the back so everyone can hear you?
- Purpose – What is the purpose of your presentation? Do you intend to inform others? Are you going to entertain them? What about doing both? Will you be trying to motivate others to follow your lead? Knowing the answers to these questions is going to help you to write and present your speech in the best way possible.
To sum it up: PRESENTATION is everything when Public Speaking.
