Basic Elements of Public Speaking

Transcription

1 Basic Elements f Public Speaking Include these basic elements t make yur speech effective. Every speech is made up f basic elements f public speaking. Understanding and including each f thse elements can make a bad speech gd, r a gd speech great. Here's three f the mst basic elements and the cnsideratins that each ne shuld address. 1. Intrductin. Mst peple dn't pay enugh attentin t the intrductin f a speech. The intrductin is ne f the mst imprtant parts f the speech, because if yu lse yur audience at the beginning, getting them back can be next t impssible. Here's sme things that yu shuld have in yur intrductin. Attentin. Arguably the mst imprtant part f the intrductin, yu must get yur audience's attentin. A jke, a qute, a startling statistc, any number f things can serve the purpse well. Purpse. Why are yu speaking t them? What will make listening wrth their time? Yu might present yur purpse implicitly rather than explicitly, but yu must present it smehw. Credibility. Many speakers neglect this part f an intrductin, but depending n yur tpic, it culd be very imprtant. Why are yu qualified t talk n the things yu are talking abut? Dn't be arrgant, but be certain that yur audience trusts and believes in yu and yur knwledge. Orientatin. Is there any essential backgrund yur audience needs t knw befre yu get t the meat f yur speech? 2. Bdy. This is the main cntent prtin f yur speech. Exactly what yu need t include will depend n the purpse f yur speech, but here are a few essential elements. Organizatin. Yur audience needs t be able t fllw yu. Be certain that yu have sme srt f pattern. Transitins. Dn't just jump frm pint t pint, but smthly mve frm ne issue t the next. Transitins are the 'bridges' f yur speech. Withut them, yur audience will get disriented and yu might leave them behind.

2 Develpment. Yur pints shuld build n each ther, cmbining int ne grand whle. G frm simple t mre cmplex, ending with the mst pwerful. Climax. At sme pint, yur speech shuld cme t a head. Everything shuld cme tgether, yur audience's emtins shuld be peaked right alngside yu, and yu shuld largely fulfill yur purpse in giving the speech. Develping a climax is, in my pinin, the hardest part f speech writing (and the mst pwerful f the basic elements f public speaking). 3. Cnclusin. Here, yu shuld wrap up any lse ends. This is the final part f yur speech, and als the part yur audience is mst likely t remember. Be certain t include: A final clsing example. Drive yur pint hme with ne mre pwerful demnstratin. Call t actin. What shuld yur audience d nw? If yu weren't trying t persuade them t d smething, what is the mst imprtant pint that they shuld take away frm yur speech? Why it mattered. Briefly recap what yu said, reminding yur audience why it mattered. (Surce: Public Speaking 101 Yu didn't take "Public Speaking 101" in cllege? That's k, because here we have all the infrmatin yu wuld have learned there, and it's free! Public Speaking 101 is an verview f the basics f public speaking. That's yur first stp fr public speaking infrmatin. Once yu knw the basics, mve n t the rest f this website n the left-hand navigatin bar. We'll discuss fur areas f basic knwledge imprtant t develping public speaking skills: Backgrund, Basics, Preparatin, and Practicalities. Ready, set, g! The Backgrund f Public Speaking Here's a cuple things everybdy lking int public speaking shuld knw - these frm the backgrund fr Public Speaking 101. What is public speaking? Simply put, public speaking is talking t a grup f peple. The Oxfrd English Dictinary defines public speaking as: "The actin r practice f

3 addressing public gatherings; the making f speeches" (Oxfrd English Dictinary, 3rd Editin). Types f public speaking. Sme brad categries are: infrmative persuasive ceremnial extempraneus/imprmptu after dinner alng with debate, bradcasting, religius talks, etc. Histry f public speaking. Public speaking has existed since the dawn f human histry. The first knwn wrk cncerning public speaking was written ver 2500 years ag. Since then, public speaking has evlved t encmpass varius techniques and technlgies. Public speaking facts. The Bk f Lists lists fear f public speaking as the #1 fear, even abve death. Is this statistic crrect? Public Speaking Basics The First Principle f Public Speaking. Understand that "a persn is nly as effective as his cmmunicatin." Fundamentals f public speaking. T speak well, ne must understand and practice prnunciatin, articulatin, prjectin, inflectin, and (srry t break the 'tin' pattern) audience engagement. Basic elements f public speaking. A typical speech has a number f basic elements. Amng thse are the: intrductin bdy and cnclusin, each f which must fulfill specific functins t make the speech effective. Public Speaking Techniques. A number f techniques, including utilizing humr, gestures, and repeated phrases, can enhance a speaker's effectiveness. Guidelines fr public speaking. There are a few rules that ne wuld d well t keep in mind. (Remember, thugh, that nne f these rules are hard-and-fast, but rather are just guidelines.) Public Speaking Preparatin First and fremst, yu must settle n a public speaking tpic. Als, yu may want t cnsider sme public speaking qutes when preparing speeches. Public Speaking Practicalities Cnsidering a cuple f practical items can make a speech r presentatin g smthly. Sme f thse are: Public speaking and dress. What yu wear is imprtant. Yur dress frms part f the verall impressin yu give t yur audience.

4 Ethics in public speaking. When preparing and delivering yur speech, yu'll want t cnsider a cuple f ethical issues. Fr example, what is the prper use f statistics and surces? There's a lt f infrmatin n this page. Need mre? My friend Eric Feng is als a prfessinal public speaker, and he's tapped the minds f sme f the best speakers in the wrld t create a killer curse that yu can dwnlad. Check it ut: The FAQ Bk n Public Speaking. Cngratulatins, yu've just graduated frm Public Speaking 101! Hw t speak t the media Getting yur issue, rganisatin r event int the headlines. SUBMITTED 10/04/2006 BY THEA VIEWS COMMENTS 1 UPDATED 2/07/2008 If yu want yur rganisatin, issue r event t make headlines, there are three things yu shuld knw: 1. types f media that will be interested 2. wh t speak t 3. what yu want t say This page can help with yu numbers 2) and 3). See the 'Tips fr getting media cverage page' fr ideas n number 1). Yur audience

5 Ever seen a stand-up cmic wh just can't seem t get a laugh? They dn't knw their audience and s the audience wn't respnd t their jkes. Wh are yu trying t speak t? Wh will be interested in what yu have t say? Fr example, if yu want t annunce the results f a study n the envirnmental impact f lgging in ldgrwth frests, dn't d it at a meeting f a wdchppers assciatin. Think abut wh yur audience is and talk t them. Cntact the types f media that they wuld read r watch. Fr example, the internet is great fr yung peple, but lts f lder peple dn't knw hw t use a cmputer, let alne surf the web. Yur message What d yu really want peple t knw abut yur rganisatin, issue r event? Sunds simple, but yu have t get yur message clear befre trying t publicise it. Yu shuld never try t tell peple mre than three things at nce. Chse the three things that yu abslutely have t say and build yur message n these: Fr example: 1. Melburne's C-Op Shp celebrates its fifth birthday this Sunday 26th March. 2. the C-Op Shp sells ready-t-eat fd and ingredients t make yur day healthy. 3. the C-Op Shp prfits are used t fund cmmunity prjects. It is imprtant that peple knw the C-Op Shp prfits are put back int the cmmunity, this is a unique quality f the shp and a majr selling pint that will attract custmers. Other infrmatin such as hw many peple wrk at the C-Op Shp, hw the C-Op was started, r the clur f the C-Op shp's frnt dr may be nice fr peple t knw but nt essential. Yur angle In the abve C-Shp example the 5th birthday bit is the angle f the stry. It's like the bait that the media fish will bite and then yu can reel them in with the rest f the inf. But if the angle isn't there, yu're nt ging t catch anything. They say that if dg bites man, it's nt news. But if man bites dg, yu've gt yurself a stry. S yu've gt t think f smething that makes yur stry newswrthy. What usually wrks is:

6 if it's timely, if it's happening nw the 'first' f smething, r the 'biggest' r 'best' f smething, e.g. the mst peple invlved in smething an anniversary celebratin r annual memrial smething invlving a lcal persn r place (if yu're cntacting their relevant lcal newspaper r radi) the release f the results f a survey r study that prve smething new r have majr implicatins fr lts f peple if yu are launching a fundraising campaign and annuncing a target yu want t reach if it invlves a celebrity if there's a great pht pprtunity at an upcming event r a great pht f smething that's just happened (nt relevant t radi!) anything that adds depth t r is part f the debate f any f the abve. Thea is cmpleting a Bachelr f Cmmunicatins (Public Relatins) at RMIT University, Melburne. She was part f the first ActNw Incubatr team. (surce: (british accent) (media training - gd) (cartnish media prep training) (Ben Rethlisberger interview hw t nt answer the questin)