How to Teach Public Speaking

The following information is used for educational purposes only.

How to Teach Public Speaking

By:Tara Hornor



Public speaking is one of the subjects in high school that has an affirmative answer to the often-asked question, “Will I ever use this subject after I graduate?” Almost everyone will encounter a time when public speaking will be necessary, even if only to announce church activities or to introduce a main speaker, which is why teaching public speaking is so critical. Although teaching styles will differ, several important aspects of public speaking should be included in a speech curriculum.
Address audience etiquette. Create a poster to hang in the front of the class to remind students of proper audience conduct, such as to listen carefully, focus on the speaker, no talking and asking relevant questions when appropriate.

Emphasize gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice. Give students plenty of practice perfecting these facets of speech. Use shorter speaking assignments with immediate feedback. Allow the audience to give commentary. Just be sure to remind students to use constructive criticism.

Give a lesson on the importance of knowing the audience when writing a speech. Tell students that crafting a speech for the audience’s level of conservatism, religious views, political views, age and even class will enhance response. Place students in groups and distribute mock demographics to each group. Give the same speech topic for all of the groups and ask each one to write a short speech (2 to 5 minutes long, depending on the length of class) based on the demographics. Afterward, discuss the differences in the presentation.

Teach different delivery methods. For practice giving an impromptu speech, have students pick a topic from a hat. Give them a minute in the hall to gather their thoughts before giving the speech. Make sure the topics do not require any research. Be sure to ask for a copy of the speech to read while the student is speaking. When practicing manuscript speaking (reading aloud), be sure that students maintain eye contact throughout most of the speech. Give students the most practice with extemporaneous, or planned, speaking, as this will be the style they will use the most.

Allow students to practice with as many different types of speeches as possible. Include not only the four main types--demonstrative, persuasive, expository and commemorative--but also various tones within these categories. Examples of different tones are humorous and serious.

Grade speeches is by using a speech rubric. Different speech types will require slight variations, but all rubrics should include points for gestures (hand and body movement), facial expressions (eye contact, eyebrow movement, smiling), tone of voice (adequate volume for the room), audience consideration and thorough coverage of the topic. If students are required to ask questions, keep track and add points for appropriate questions.


****************************************************************************


How to Become a Good Public Speaker


By:Cate Rushton



Everyone finds themselves in the position of having to speak in public at one time or another. You may have to give a presentation at work or school, or propose a toast at the wedding of your best friend. Whatever the occasion, you will want to feel confident and comfortable. Increasing your skills as a public speaker will be beneficial to both you and the people to whom you are speaking.

Before Your Speaking Event

Prepare in advance. Be familiar with the material your are preparing, or jot down a quick speech beforehand. Make thorough notes or an outline and memorize everything.

Check out the room in which you will deliver your speech. Make sure that sound equipment is working properly and that any visual aid equipment such as a projector and screen are functional.

Practice speaking. Practice your speech or presentation in front of a mirror, or with family members or friends. Say your speech aloud while driving in the car, or in the shower.

Time yourself. Read your speech through, at a slow, steady pace while recording. Play it back and listen for areas of improvement. Make adjustments to the length of the speech if necessary.

Pay attention to your appearance. You will be the main visual effect, so groom your hair and wear nice clothing that is clean and presentable.

Visualize yourself speaking. Think about how your voice will sound and how the audience will respond.

Familiarize yourself with the audience. Think about who you are speaking to and what they will expect to get out of your presentation. Try to greet them as they walk in so that you have already had some personal contact.

During the Speaking Event

Control your breathing. Take deep, steady breaths and relax your muscles as much as possible.

Keep it simple. Minimize distracting details in PowerPoint presentations. Do not go off on tangents; stick to your outline.

Stand up straight; do not slouch. Standing straight elongates your diaphragm and makes it easier to breathe properly and project your voice.

Vocalize properly. Focus on projecting your voice in a strong, firm manner and work on pitch and tone that are in a normal range.

Relax and be as calm as possible. Your audience will enjoy the speech if you are not visibly nervous


****************************************************************************

Overcoming a Fear of Public Speaking

By:Bird Neshama Gelman



Fear of public speaking is one of the most common phobias in the world. When some people think about getting up and speaking in front of an audience, they feel an acute sense that they will be judged negatively. One way for you to overcome this fear is to develop an attitude of generosity toward your audience. Stop thinking about getting your audience's approval and start thinking about giving your audience a gift.
Realize that you have information that the audience wants; you have something to offer. That switches the locus of control away from the audience and on to you. You are the person in charge, because you are the one in the know. The audience is not in charge; therefore, why be afraid of them?

Think back to when you were a child and remember how you used to love to perform for your parents, teachers, even sometimes strangers on the street. Getting up in front of a group is a great way to get attention. You wanted that as a child, so why not be honest and admit it to yourself that you still want it now. Instead of shying away from it in your mind, go towards it. Try fantasizing about how great it will be when everyone is paying attention to you. Imagine how you will feel when everyone claps.

Think "I am offering a gift" rather than "I am being scrutinized." Realize that you are a unique human being; there is no one else in the world exactly like you and nobody else has a mind which is exactly like yours. Therefore, when you share your thoughts with others, you are truly giving them a gift they can get nowhere else. Be generous and open up and share your intellectual wealth.

When you get up to speak, if you feel frightened, realize that so many other people in your audience would feel frightened too, because this is such a common phobia. Therefore, if there is a little tremor in your voice or you don't appear one hundred percent cool, calm, and collected, your audience will empathize with you rather than punish or shame you. Because they will recognize that you are doing something challenging, their respect for you will increase. Therefore, don't become frightened about feeling frightened. Accept how you are today. Acceptance is the way to make things better.

Realize how much you are helping others, and feel good about yourself. When you get up to speak, others will say to themselves, "They did it and so can I!" Your courage will inspire others. Taking a moment or two to think about that will make you feel proud and therefore less afraid.



****************************************************************************


What Is Effective Public Speaking?

By:Sujata Srinivasan



"There is no such animal, in or out of captivity, as a born public speaker," wrote Dale Carnegie in "The Quick & Easy Way to Effective Speaking."
Indeed, public speaking is an acquired art that is refined by practice and experience. Solid content, effective communication and self-confidence are the foundations of effective public speaking.

Content
First, find something you really want to talk about. You need to believe in your message before your audience can believe in it. That's why more than anything, you've got to have passion before you step up to the podium. Be enthusiastic and excited about sharing your ideas, thoughts and impressions with other people. There really aren't any strangers---we are all strung together on the thread of human experiences. Just everyday happenings, narrated with humor and insight, will help you to connect with your audience.
"When speakers have a real message in their head and heart---an inner urge to speak---they are almost sure to do themselves credit, Carnegie wrote in his book "Public Speaking for Success."

Confidence
Believe not just in your message but also in yourself. You're not the only speaker in history to have a butterfly garden in your stomach before a speech.
Toastmasters International offers some tips (see Reference). First, visualize yourself giving a successful speech. Imagine that you are standing in front of an appreciative audience, listening intently to your interesting talk, which you deliver with clarity and confidence. Visualize your audience applauding you--it will help instill self-confidence.

Communication
The success of your speech depends on effective communication. Establish eye contact with your audience. Adopt a relaxed stance and body language. Use everyday, conversational language. Avoid a stentorian tone and use words that most people are familiar with. For example, instead of "floccinaucinihilipilification," just say "worthless." Use anecdotes, personal stories, and humor. Even dry business charts can be enlivened with a personal touch.

Preparation
At first, practice your speech in front of a mirror. Look up the correct pronunciation of words that are not familiar to you. Practice voice modulation. Nobody wants to listen to a 45-minute speech on technology insertion, delivered in a monotone.
Toastmasters International suggests to familiarize yourself with the audience beforehand; greet and mingle with few people prior to the meeting. This way, you'll be more at ease when you stand at the podium and deliver your speech. Arrive early and do a dry run with the equipment--microphone, overhead projector and such.

Delivery
Your speech is like a cat. It has a head (introduction), body (middle) and tail (conclusion). Be mindful of the time and structure of your talk. Don't go overboard in one section and skate over others. Engage the audience in your talk. Tell stories that everyone can identify with. Pause after telling a joke. Remember, this is not high school---there are no bullies. Your audience wants you to succeed.


****************************************************************************

How to Deliver Effective Speeches

By:Jason Belasco



The most common phobia that Americans have is glossophobia, the fear of public speaking. Seventy-five percent of all Americans report having a fear of public speaking, beating out fear of spiders, fear of the dark and even fear of death. What they need is advice for giving a good speech--advice that's more constructive than "picture the audience naked."

Know Your Audience

Never forget who you're talking to. You're speaking to a specific audience. And audiences, by definition, gather to watch something that's worth their being held hostage in a cramped room for an extensive amount of time. But don't worry: An audience is much easier to control than separate individuals. To woo audience members, you must do two things: find out what they want to hear, and figure out how to get that message across.

Know what the audience wants to hear. Each audience is different. Keeping that in mind, here's how to gear your speech towards a specific audience:

*Research your audience. Find out what the average audience member will be like. What will the average age be? What about their familiarity with the subject? Will they be fun-loving or stodgy? What are they expecting to learn from you? Thinking about these simple elements will set you on the right track.

*Use appropriate words and body language. A career-day speech in an elementary-school classroom is not the place to start pulling out terms like, "software development" when what you really want to say is "I do stuff with computers." But if you're giving a presentation to a group of programming colleagues, you should by all means refer to what you do as "software development." If the audience doesn't understand your words, your speech will completely fly over their heads. If the words you use are too simple, your speech will be drowned out by the snoring.

*Think about the image you want to convey. When you're speaking to children, smile a lot and look friendly and warm. When delivering a presentation to a group of distinguished colleagues, you still want to be accessible, but you must also maintain an authoritative air.

The whole point of giving a speech is not just to make it through all your index cards, but to also communicate something to your audience. Consider these suggestions to help you out:

*Treat the audience as a single entity. One trick of the trade is to pretend that the audience is just one person. When there's only one person you have to worry about, you feel more of a personal connection to him. Your speech will take back seat to the fact that you want the person who's listening to you to really understand what you're saying.

*Make eye contact. Nothing makes an audience more alert than a speaker who can stare down a crowd. Making eye contact means making a connection, and that is your number one goal. So let your eyes wander up from your notes as often and naturally as possible (this will get easier with practice).

*Consider letting the audience participate. It's not applicable to all speeches, but letting members of the audience participate during your presentation will warm up a crowd. It'll encourage them to pay attention, thus making you easier to understand. Participation can range anywhere from asking for a show of hands to dividing the group into little clusters and giving each cluster a task. However, you should never call on someone who is not prepared to answer, nor should you ever embarrass anybody.

Organize Your Speech

Most speeches have three main components: the introduction, the body and the closing.

The introduction is possibly the most important part of your speech, because you want to grab your audience's attention from the start. So come up with something clever, shocking or interesting right at the very beginning. Here are some possible techniques to use:

*Be dramatic. Say something like, "I'm about to reveal a plan that will drastically alter the face of humanity as we know it!" when your presentation is really about a new brand of facial soap.

*Tell a joke. Getting people to laugh will loosen them up and make them feel inclined to like you and hear what you have to say. Don't try this if your jokes are usually met by silence or groans. Test out your opening on your most brutally honest of friends.

*Tell a story. This will make the audience see you as a person instead of a boring public speaker, thus giving you an air of accessibility. just keep the story short (under one minute) and relevant to the rest of your presentation. The point of the story is to lead the audience into your speech, so if your anecdote ends with your dog saving the day, and your speech is about bank mergers, you might have a hard time segueing from your intro into the rest of the speech.

*Pose a question. Asking audience members for their input will make them feel involved, even if you're going to answer your own question.

The body is your speech. Everything you want to say should come out here, in an organized, non-trivialized fashion. Here are some possible techniques:

*Use a formal outline. You can prepare for writing the content of your speech by outlining your major points with Roman numerals. Most good speeches have two or three main points, each of which has a couple of sub-points or examples. Formally outlining your speech will ensure that your logical flow makes sense and that your audience doesn't get lost. It will also help you figure our where the holes in your speech are, in case you have to do some last-minute extra research.

*Mind-map. A technique developed by a British brain researcher in the 1970s, mind-mapping is a less stiff version of writing up an outline. Instead of making a list, you write the main topic of your speech in the center of a piece of paper, then draw branches extending from it that highlight your key points. Then draw more branches from the key points to elaborate on the sub-points. The good thing about mind maps is that they don't confine you to listing your ideas in any particular order; you can just use your creative juices and let the ideas flow. Then, once you've mind-mapped, you can create a more formal outline.

However you create your body, the key point is that you are organized. The audience must be able to follow your thoughts.

The closing--the way you end a speech--is almost as important as the way you begin it. The audience will be most restless at the end, and you have to find a way to tie everything together so they don't walk away remembering how badly they were fidgeting. So sum up everything for them in a few concise sentences and leave them with a witty line. If appropriate, also ask for questions. This doesn't mean saying, "Any- questions?-No?-I-didn't-think-so," then running away. Instead, after you ask for questions, give the audience at least 10 seconds to respond. If there are questions, keep each response short (under one minute), and never take a guess at an answer. If you don't know how to respond to something, take down the questioner's email or phone number and tell her you'll get back to her soon. Or you can just say, "Honestly, I don't know," and leave it at that.

Write Your Speech

Writing a good speech is something that people write entire books on. But here are some quick cheat-notes to consider:

Vary your word choice. Your speech will get very boring very quickly if you repeatedly use the same words. So use interesting and different words and phrases and keep things new.

Get a thesaurus. It's not cheating, it's expanding your vocabulary, and all great writers use one. A word of warning: Only use words that people know.

Keep the writing conversational, no matter how technical or unexciting the subject content might be. No one likes being lectured to, so there are a couple of tricks you can use to make it feel like a normal dinner-table conversation:

1. Throw out rhetorical questions as if you really expect answers; you might even get nods of agreement.

2. Incorporate words that you usually use while speaking, but not in writing, such as "okay" (as in "OK, so we're all caught up…) or "see" (as in "See, the reason is…).

3. Refer to the event. If you're speaking at a graduation, refer to the graduation. It makes your speech sound more personalized.

Whenever possible, describe a feeling or situation in detail. The audience will follow you with more facility if you paint a picture instead of continually throwing out dry, emotionless words. One way to do this is to use action verbs. Instead of saying "learn," try "elucidate." Also, imagery can be very effective. Instead of simply informing the audience that female praying mantises instinctively bite off the heads of males after they've finished mating, you could try a more graphic and dramatic approach:

"Imagine you are a male praying mantis, in the prime of your life. You want--more than anything else--to fornicate. But you've seen other males do it and then get their heads ripped off and be promptly consumed by the females. What do you do?… What do you do?"

Humor almost always helps. It's even appropriate at eulogies. The essence is in the timing, though. It's a good idea to test out humor on friends prior to the actual presentation. And leave out any humor that is even remotely offensive. Often, self-deprecating humor (that doesn't completely destroy your credibility as a speaker) works well.

Rewrite your speech--many, many times. Even the most brilliant writer never gets it perfect on the first try, so you have to continually rewrite and tighten your speech. Get rid of superfluous information (no matter how funny it is), and make sure each line has a point.

After you've written your speech, it can be helpful to put it on 3-by-5-inch index cards. They are easier to carry around and shuffle through, and because you don't want to spend your entire presentation reading (and not speaking), index cards will make you feel more inclined to glance up when you flip through them. Just be sure to put huge numbers on the front of each card, in case they accidentally get shuffled around. But don't use the index cards as a crutch. Then, people will think that you're talking to your hand.

Practice Correctly

Unless you're a descendant of the Lincoln or the Douglas family lines, you'll need to rehearse your speech several times before presenting it. The best speakers become effective speakers through constant practice.

Methods of practice:

*Stand in front of a full-length mirror and try to look like a public speaker. Keep your posture straight and your hands in sight, and look into your own eyes. Tell yourself, "Gosh darn it, people want to hear what I have to say!", then begin delivering your speech. Be conscious of the way you look in the mirror and adjust yourself accordingly as you're talking. Make sure you're not being stiff, but always maintain an alert posture, or the audience will end up imitating your slump. Look into your eyes whenever you look up from your notes, and look up from your notes often.

*Tape-record--or, even better, videotape--yourself delivering the presentation. When you replay the tape, listen to determine if everything sounds coherent and logical, and watch the way you look while speaking. Look for eye contact, gestures and weird facial tics.

*Gather some friends and family, sit them down and deliver your whole spiel to them. After it's over, ask them to give you some constructive feedback (the last thing you need to do is have your confidence shaken). Ask them to tell you about what you did well and what you need work on. Ask them to tell you what they didn't understand.

*Rehearse small sections of your speech throughout the day. If you have 5 or 10 minutes, go over parts of the speech in your mind. These mini-rehearsals are easier to fit into your schedule, and will give you a chance to practice parts of the speech that are giving you trouble.

As you improve, see if you can memorize sections without relying on the notes at all. These memorized sections will give you prolonged time to connect to the audience.

Once you feel very comfortable with the material, don't be afraid to ad-lib some parts when you feel like it. This is your speech and you can say whatever you want; as long as you're sure you can get back on track, try speaking off the cuff. It'll help you sound conversational instead of like a robot.

Incorporate gestures. It is not fun to watch a popsicle; it is imperative that you occasionally use a gesture or two during your speech. Here are some tips for effective gesturing:

*Less is more. The more gestures you make, the more it takes away from the power of each gesture. So use gestures to emphasize important points. If you use too many gestures, you'll look like a windmill, arms waving about.

*Use gestures when using active words. If you're talking about a split between two people (or organizations or concepts), use a gesture that emphasizes it. If you're talking about a synergy or meshing of people (or organizations or concepts), use a gesture that emphasizes it.

*Practice your gestures in front of the mirror as you rehearse. And don't forget the most important gesture: to smile. It makes you look more comfortable and less like a victim in front of a firing squad.

Project your voice. Contrary to popular belief, projecting your voice does not mean shouting. When you project, you simply raise the volume of your natural speaking voice without losing control of it (that's when it becomes "shouting"). Think of the difference between talking to someone in a noisy restaurant, and calling your dog in from the backyard.

You must always project while giving a speech, even if you are presenting in a small room. Find the object furthest away from you and deliver your speech to it. During the first minute of speaking, monitor your audience members' faces (especially the ones in the back row) to see if they look confused. If you notice that they are not paying attention from the very start, stop yourself and ask if everyone can hear you. If there's no reply, you just got your answer.

Visual aids are not always necessary, but they are good to include if they help you get your point across. The key is to make sure that they add to your speech. After all, it's just plain dumb if, during a speech about saving the trees, you whip out a picture of a tree. We all know what trees look like. It is equally useless to present a very complicated diagram that someone sitting in the tenth row can barely see, let alone decipher. So keep your visual aids very simple. Images and uncomplicated graphs are best, but if you want to make a list of points to go over, keep each line of the list brief, and the number of lines just as short. Try five words per line and five lines per visual aid.

Know How to Handle Nervousness

It's just a speech. Your life does not depend on it (at least, not in most cases). But if the thought of going out there and completely freezing up makes you freeze up just thinking about it, go through some of these relaxing exercises just prior to your performance.

Physical preparation:

*The night before, don't eat dairy or drink milk. They cause you to phlegm up. Also avoid soda, coffee, tea or other caffeinated drinks for at least 1 hour before the speech. They'll just make you even more antsy.

*The morning of your speech, brush your teeth and use mouthwash. A clean mouth is a happy mouth.

*Look presentable. Dress in nice clothes, comb your hair, do your nails and groom yourself so you look as nice as possible. As the saying goes, "Dress to impress." The nicer you look, the more credibility you'll have with the audience.

*Go to the bathroom about 30 minutes before the speech.

*Deep-breathing exercises may seem cheesy, but they really slow your heart rate, lower your blood pressure and reduce your adrenaline flow. So try breathing in through your nose, holding your breath for 5 seconds and breathing out through your mouth. Do this at least three times, but don't go over six, or you may either keel over or start to hyperventilate.

*If hand gestures are a part of your presentation, shake up your hands to get the blood going. This exercise will make it more natural for you to move them around during the performance.

*Vocal exercises can help. Prepare your mouth by running through your speech at full voice several times. If you screw up, just keep remembering that the audience won't have a text and see where you screwed up. Just move on as if nothing happened.

*Most importantly, be confident. Even if you're not, the better you fake it, the more comfortable the audience will be with you--and thus, the more positive vibes they'll throw your way.

Mental preparation:

Think these comforting thoughts (and true facts) before and during your presentation:

"The audience's initial impression of me is made within the first 3 seconds of my appearance." This can be used to your advantage, because if you make sure you walk onto the stage with a bright smile and confident posture, you already have it made.

"I look better than I feel." Everyone feels like a wreck when they first get up there, but most don't look like one. In fact, most people who videotape themselves giving a rehearsal presentation are pleasantly surprised to find out that their wildly beating heart actually doesn't show up on the tape.

"The audience wants me to succeed!" An audience is made up of people who are not unlike you. They are not bloodthirsty animals. They came to hear you because you have something important to say. Also, because they don't want their time to be wasted, it's in their best interest for you to succeed.

"A mistake will not matter much." Granted, people won't forget a nasty belch in the middle of a serious point, but completely ignore stumbles or slight pauses. Just move on. Most people won't notice your mistakes unless you draw attention to them by panicking.

"The single best way to have a successful presentation is to prepare properly…and I have!" (Right?)

The average audience actually expects a speaker to be a complete snooze, and because you've made at least made an effort to do your presentation right, you are already going above and beyond the audience's expectations.


Source: www.eslteachersboard.com