Public speaking

All great speakers were bad speakers once. -Emerson

The

skills and confidence of public speaking come from two things: hard work and practice.

So how do you go about the hard work and

practice? Lets deal with the practice first.

It is true that no amount of

reading and learning techniques from a book will turn you into a competent, confident speaker. Sachin Tendulkar then and Sachin now is a living example of what hard work and practice can do.

but how can I get practice

Speak whenever you get the

opportunity This will help you find your own particular strengths and weaknesses Then learn to exploit your strengths and avoid your weaknesses

Preparation
There are techniques we can learn

from experienced speakers Many a speaker has used Thesaurus for word selection Many a speaker who speak impromptu, do not. work has been done long before they reach the platform.

First questions
As with any other

communication, it is back to Why? Who? What? When? Where? And How?

When will it take place?

Be sure that you have

adequate preparation timefor both written material and visual aids.

How long?
Are you to speak for? Is the time adequate for your

subject? Remember that, contrary to what may seem the case, the less time you have to speak, the more carefully planned your talk must be.

As one speaker said:

If you want me to speak for five minutes- I need two weeks to prepare. If you want me to speak for an hour- I need a week to prepare. If you dont mind how long I speak, Ill get up now and do it now,

Where is it to take place?

In surroundings familiar to your

audience? Familiar to you? If not, try to visit the venue before you speak and in any case check before-hand the type and size of the room, tiered seating or flat floor, acoustics, lighting, equipment available, etc. dont hesitate to ask if particular arrangements are possible

Who are to be present?

Number, age and type of people,

male or female, intellectual level, their current knowledge of the subject, their reasons for attending and their attitudes. These will, of course, influence the ideas and the language you use.

Why me?
What special knowledge

or position have you? What will the audience expect from you?

How?
Are you expected to give a formal speech or

lecture, or an introductory talk to provoke discussion? Will there be a question session? If there is to be a discussion or a question session then you might like to leave some things unsaid so that you leave your audience with some questions to ask and yourself with something fresh to say in answer to them.

Adjust to circumstances
In many a case there is likely to be a

conflict between the desired circumstances and the given circumstances Hence usually some modifications or compromises will be necessary. It could be time, audience size, equipment

Developing the material

Stage one Think

you have selected your subject, now give the time to grow. # take time to gather and arrange your thoughts..

 Think about the talk at any convenient moment;

a good time often presents itself when you are doing some other, usually manual job, like digging the garden, decorating your flat, or perhaps traveling to work or college. Discuss the theme with friends and colleagues. Carry a notebook or a card, on which to note ideas as they occur to you.

Stage Two- Read

Read as much as time permits Gather more material than you can

possibly use, not only on the subject but also, for example possible quotations Collect anecdotes and stories from newspapers and magazines.

Stage Three- construct your outline

As with any carefully

presented message, it will require an introduction and a conclusion However you do it, it should be logical and systematic.

look after the beginning and the

endand the middle will take care itself. Of course the middle needs to be well structured if you are to achieve your goal men perish because they cannot join the beginning with the end.

Opening the talk

The first few minutes are very crucial because:

-you may have to follow a speaker who for whatever reasons has had a great acceptance -you may be the first or only speaker on that occasion and you have to cut the ice, so to speak, make the audience feel immediately that their attendance is worthwhile -you may, like most other people, feel far more nervous during the first few minutes

Check points: creating a good opening impression

Arrange the stage on which you are to

perform. Take a little time before you start speaking to position your notes and visual aids so that you can use them comfortably. Make sure you have room to move between the table or lectern and the blackboard or OHP, that your notes are high enough to you to see without continually dropping your head

Dont hesitate; start as soon as the

audience is settled, but take a few seconds to survey the audience and let them stock of you. Dont open with clichs or hackneyed expressions, e.g. it gives me great pleasureI want to thank you(do this a little later or even towards the end of your talk)

 Dont apologize. You may not that your

knowledge, subject, ability or even presence is Upto the occasion but the audience will be confident, if you start with the confidence that stems from being well prepared. The opening must be something original and interesting enough to make them want to hear what you have to say

Avoid too early a climax- interest

will fall if the high standard of the opening cannot be sustained. Remember it is only an opening- an introduction. Dont make it too long. Keep it in proportion to the total length of the talk.

Check-points: A Dozen Ways to Start.

Statement of subject or title- not very

inspiring: they probably know your subject anyway. Statement of your objective and the plan of your talk- a good safe way to start if you have adopted a deductive sequence, but if you are trying to persuade , you dont want to give the game away too early.

Informal for informal

occasions. only the other day when I was with Yuookta M This has avoided giving the impression of making a speech

Question- anticipate the type of

questions your audience might want answered in connection with your subject: are the days of kapoors over? The audience instinctively tries to arrive at an answer- and gives you an opening

Mind reading- similar to the use of

question. Anticipate the audiences preconceived ideas; bring these in to the open and correct them if necessary if I were a member of the audience today I would be expecting to sit through another boring lecture on communication. But I have something more interesting

Anecdote must be well told,

relevant to the subject, brief and, if possible, personal ( the willingness to laugh at yourself will usually win an audience)

Joke- if your experience tells you

that you can do this well, then it may be worth risking it. But peoples sense of humor differs radically, and if the joke falls flat you are worse off than before. Again, it must be well told, relevant and brief

 Facts and statistics used sparingly they

can get the audience to rise to the occasion. Most business or technical subjects offer many facts which will interest and inform your audience. choose them carefully, make sure they are accurate and keep them simple. Contrasting facts can be particularly interesting: In 2003,an average of15000 people died of heart attacks while 25000 died in road accidents

Quotation perhaps the easiest

method to use and often most effective. the quotation should be from a well known person or author known to the audience, and strictly relevant to your subject

 Shock not just the gimmicky opening, firing

revolvers or letting off explosions, which can often go wrong and are always to sustain. shock can be created through effective use of words: MBA is a waste of time and moneyonly fools do it pause to allow the shock to take effect, then: unless, of course, it is aimed at

Topical story as opposed to the

humorous story. Everyone likes a story- but only if it is skillfully chosen and told. Ideally it should have an intriguing twist and must lead into the subject

Closing the Talk

Just as you need to attract the

interest ;of the audience at the beginning of the talk, so you must finish on a high note. The effect of the speech which is other wise good can be damaged by its close

Check- points: Pitfalls to Avoid

Avoid wandering towards the end. End on

a high note which is relevant to all that has gone before Dont make a second speech. Even if you suddenly think of something else which is relevant don't be tempted. It is very easy, as the tension relaxes, to start developing a new line of thought which was not there in the body of thought earlier

 Avoid repetition. In summing up the main points

you have made, dont repeat details or labor over points again. If you have finished before your allotted time- sit down. Dont pad it out. Avoid having to rely on notes for your final remarks. Learn your closing words so that you can look at your audience as you reach your climax

 Dont give too many closing signals, e.g. and

finally, in conclusion, one other thing before I finish, then, before you fall asleep, In fact, it is probably best to avoid a closing signal altogether Your closing remarks should round off your talk, and therefore by implication your audience will know that your talk is complete.

To avoid these pit falls, you need

to have a closing plan which is an integral part of the development of your whole speech. In this way you wont get lost at the end of your presentation.

Check-points: 10 Ways to Stop

Summary-a fairly standard

way to finish but nevertheless effective. A brief review of the important points leaves no doubt in the minds of your audience

Questions-send the audience

away to think of an answer. This then is what we have to do. The question now is , how can we best achieve it.

Story or anecdote-should be brief and

to the point. A story can illustrate how your ideas have worked out in practice Quotations- can indicate wide knowledge and therefore lend credibility to your performance. Must be relevant and must not be just tucked in for its own sake

Alternative- offer a choice of

alternatives, or different solutions. The one you want accepted should be obvious from the way you have constructed your presentation and you can give this one more weight than the others in the summary.

Dramatic- if you carry it off by the

dramatic use of your voice, or dramatic content, can certainly end things on a high note Action- you want action now, not later. So ask for it. Many of your audience will respond

Incentive-if you can suggest ways in

which the audience can benefit ,some sort of a reward or an incentive, they are even more likely to respond. An audience is less likely to forget your message if you offer a reason for taking action

Fear-use of fear to gain action is risky

because it can alienate the audience. But since it is often difficult to provoke the audience to action, you may be justified in using some element of fear if the end result is worthwhile. you must act now ! Before it is too late!. Conscience- pricking-same effect as above but less risky

Visual Aids
You do not have to be a

graphic artist, but it helps! please bear in mind the following points

How can visuals aid my talk?

Hand-outs and or visuals aid

during the talk Use pre- prepared visuals for complex inter-related ideas/ persuasive communication

Words alone are not visual aids-

where you do use them provide visual impact by means of graphic devices: -underlining and boxes or circles -bullets and dashes -careful lay-out -use of space

Dont use overcomplicated visual aids

everybody in the audience must understand every aid and use by the time you have finished with it. Visuals must complement what you say. Make sure there are no spelling mistakes

You must have a visual for everything

you want your audience to remember Dont have a visual aid which you dont need You dont have to be a professional to produce good visuals Computers today have made things easy

Use of Notes
Why use notes?

-memories are faulty -they guard against omissions -they help to develop a complicated close-knit argument -they prevent loss of sequence

Practicing the Talk

Thorough preparation Plenty of practice Practice the whole talk

-out loud -in a similar-sized room -using a tape recorder -checking the timing -do a dry run in front of friends/colleagues

Room and platform

Room seating plan,

windows, lighting, OHP, blackboard/whiteboard Platform room to move, supply of clean, covered water and glass, microphone, sit/stand

Delivery of the Talk

Be yourself! And look at the audience! Concentrate on the preparation and on the four

qualities below -conviction/sincerity -enthusiasm -power of speech -simplicity These are the basic ingredients of all effective communication