ELEMENTS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

Understanding the main elements of public speaking is essential. Once

you’re familiar with the different components, you can organise and
deliver your speech more effectively. Below are the seven main elements
to consider for public speaking.

1. The speaker

You, the speaker, are the source of the message. Without speakers,
there’s no public speaking, so you’re one of the most pivotal points of the
speech. Remember that people came to hear from you, so try not to
become so obsessed with the visuals and the materials themselves that
you forget this.

2. The message

Your message, of course, is what you’re going to tell people and you can
analyse it into three key elements: 

 Content, which is what you say.

 Structure, which is how you organise your message and should
consist of an intro, body, and conclusion. Your structure is
important because your audience should be able to follow you
throughout the speech. You should transition smoothly from point
to point, with each point building on the one before, instead of
going off on lots of different tangents. If you don’t structure your
talk well, you’ll lose your audience.
 Style, which is the way you present the speech. This can be formal
or informal. It all depends on where you’re giving the speech, the
occasion, the audience, and what is most appropriate for you.

3. The audience or receiver

You should always analyse your audience before you present to them, and
you should always adapt to them, both in terms of how you dress and
how you speak. When analysing your audience, you should consider the
following important elements:

 their requirements;
 their gender;
 their race;
 their location;
 their trade or profession;
 their activity;
  the type of group (homogeneous or heterogeneous).

All of the aspects outlined will influence how you decide to present your
material.  

4.The channel

A speaker will use lots of different channels when they communicate with
their audience.

These are:

 the nonverbal channel, which consists of gestures, facial

expressions, movement, and posture;
 the visual channel, under which you’ll find drawings, diagrams,
photos, graphics, videos, or objects;
 the auditory channel, which can include things such as tone of
voice, variations in volume, and audio materials.

5. Feedback

Feedback is more important than you might realise. Through feedback,

you receive the response or information from your audience, and this
feedback will indicate how the speaking engagement is going for you.

You have to pay great attention to your audience’s concerns and address
them. Watch out for nonverbal reactions in the audience and be ready to
respond to them. Informing your audience of everything they need to
hear is part of your responsibility as a speaker. 

6. Noise

When you’re speaking, you should be aware of two types of noise:

internal and external.

The internal noise arises if you, the speaker, get confused or provide an
unclear message. The external noise could be anything such as the
temperature (too hot), laughter, bad ventilation, low light or other visual
interference, or obstacles between you and the audience.

To tackle any sort of noise, ensure that the venue is conditioned for
speaking in public. Keep your message clear and concise, repeat your
ideas, and use both verbal and nonverbal communication channels at the
same time.

7. The venue or situation

The venue for your speech is one of the most critical elements in the
success of public speaking. You should visit the space where you’ll be
delivering your speech and find out the exact spot where you’ll be
presenting. Take note of the seating, air conditioning, lighting, tables,
space, the platform arrangement, etc, and other details, and coordinate
everything so you can take any necessary precautions.