The Art of Public Speaking

1. The Art of Public Speaking Everything you need to know about becoming a powerful public speaker. Impress your friends! Amaze your family! Get that promotion! Make others believe you’re smarter than you actually are!

2. Powerful Speaking - Intro List 6 famous speeches you may know. Who are some good speakers? What makes them good?

3. Becoming a Powerful Speaker Public Speaking and Conversation Similarities Q: What percentage of time do we spend talking to others in a day? A: 30% of waking time or about 3 ½ to 4 hours a day. When we speak we: 1. We organize our thoughts. 2. We fit our message and delivery to our audience. Ex. Where do babies come from? Child, pre-teen, teen, college age, professor, etc. 3. We tell our story for Maximum Impact. 4. We adapt our speaking as our audience reacts to what we are saying. (We respond to the audience’s feedback.)

4. Powerful Speaking…Page 2 Public Speaking and Conversation Differences 1. Public speaking is more structured than conversation. A. There are time limits involved in public speaking. B. Listeners don’t usually interrupt your speech; they do in conversation. C. The speaker must accomplish their purpose during the speech. D. The speaker must anticipate the Listener’s questions and answer those questions. E. Public Speaking needs more planning and preparation. 2. Public Speaking requires more formal language. -Using normal speech, slang, or “non-standard” wording hurts your speech. 3. Public speaking requires a better delivery than conversation. Avoid: Ya know I mean gonna, kinda, wanna, gotta, etc. walkin’ ain’t um, err, ahh, y’ins or y’uns

5. Powerful Speaking…Page 3 Fear and Nervousness The Average American’s Greatest Fears (USA Today) A party with strangers: 74% Giving a speech: 70% Being asked personal questions in public 65% Meeting a date’s parents: 59% Talking with someone in authority: 53% Blind date: 42% Dying: 40% Nervousness is Normal even with very accomplished public speakers. Adrenaline causes nervousness. Adrenaline is activated by our primitive “fight or flight” instinct. When faced with a terrifying situation, our bodies produce adrenaline to give us the extra energy to fight for our life or run away for our life.

6. Powerful Speaking…Page 4 Dealing with Nervousness 1. Think positively. Visualize yourself giving a good speech. 2. Be at your best physically and mentally. Get sleep and food. 3. Concentrate on getting your idea across, and not on your nervousness. 4. Take a couple of deep breaths right before you speak (oxygen counteracts the affects of adrenaline). 5. Work hard on writing a Good or Great Introduction. 6. Make eye contact with the audience. 7. Use visual aids like charts, props, or computer graphics. They help draw attention away from you. 8. Practice! Practice! Practice!

7. Powerful Speaking…Page 5 The Speech Process and Its Parts • Speaker – Person delivering a message. • Message – Subject, idea, and purpose delivered by the speaker. • Channel – The way a message is communicated (in person, on tv, written, etc.) • Listener – Person who receives the message. • Feedback – The verbal AND non-verbal reactions a listener gives the speaker (including facial expressions and body language). • Interference – Anything that causes distraction during delivery of the message. • Situation – time and place in which a speech occurs.

8. Powerful Speaking…Page 6 Speakers should always speak ethically and honestly. Good speakers are powerful people. This power demands responsibility. “With great Power comes great responsibility.” The goal of any speech is to gain a desired response from the audience—but NOT at any cost. Honest speaking is our responsibility. 1. It is your job to be well informed on your subject. 2. Be honest in what you say. 3. Use good honest evidence in your speech. 4. Use honest arguments not meant to mislead your audience.

9. Powerful Speaking…Page 7 Delivery of the Speech There are 4 ways to Deliver a Speech. 1. Read it word for word from notes. 2. Reciting a memorized speech (Gettysburg Address) 3. Speaking Impromptu – No preparation, off the top of your head. 4. Speaking Extemporaneously – A carefully prepared and practiced speech which you deliver while only briefly looking at your notes.

10. Powerful Speaking…Page 8 The Speaker’s Voice There are 7 aspects of our voices which we can control. 1. Volume – Loud enough for the person at the back of the room to hear clearly. 2. Pitch – The highness and lowness of your voice. A. Changing pitch is called Voice Inflection or Intonation. B. Not changing pitch is called MONOTONE. This is poor speaking. 3. Rate – The speed at which you speak. (Slowly is normally better.) 4. Pauses – Stopping our talking with silence is powerful when done at the right time. Using a vocal pause like “uh,” “er,” “um,” or “like,” is bad. 5. Vocal Variety – Add variety to your voice. Don’t speak in one continuous volume, pitch, and rate. Change them to make your voice more interesting. 6. Pronunciation – in a formal speech, words should be pronounced correctly. If you don’t know how to pronounce a word, find out and do it right. Slang words are not acceptable. WordErrorCorrect Arctic ar-tic arc-tic Nuclear nu-cu-lar nu-cle-ar February Feb-u-ary Feb-ru-ary 7. Articulation – Saying each word clearly and sharply.  Good Sayin’ ichwor’ clearly ‘n sharply.  Bad

11. Powerful Speaking…Page 10 Be careful of the following: Dropping the ‘g’ off of –ing words. Don’t use an’ or ‘n for the word “and” Running words together: wanna (want to), gonna (going to), hafta (have to), kinda (kind of), oughta (ought to). Don’t use: ‘er and fer Instead use: or and for Don’t use: should of, would of, could of Instead use: should have, would have, could have, or should’ve Avoid the general laziness of not pronouncing the small words like: to, of, and if, it, at, in, with, as, etc. Y’uns and y’ins are not words. However, “you” is acceptable. Gum chewing reduces your ability to Articulate your words properly.

12. Powerful Speaking…Page 11 The Speaker’s Non-Verbal Cues • Personal Appearance – The way you look should be appropriate for the speech and the audience. Your appearance IS important in many situations! • Body Language – Stand tall, but relaxed. Be comfortable, but don’t rest. Your body language can give away your true feelings even if your voice sounds good. • Gestures – What do you do with your hands? Use hand motions that aren’t distracting to your speech but help to emphasize certain ideas. • Eye Contact – Your eyes and eyelids are powerful message senders. Your audience should feel you are talking to them, not to yourself. Look at the faces in every area of your audience. • Facial Expressions - Appropriate to the setting. Be careful not to look like you are in pain, and doing a big jobby on the toilet. Yuck!

13. Powerful Speaking…Page 12 Thinking About your Audience