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?
 Let’s 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
time- for 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 don’t mind how
long I speak, I’ll 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. don’t 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
end…and 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
Don’t hesitate; start as soon as the
audience is settled, but take a few
seconds to survey the audience and let
them stock of you.
Don’t open with clichés or hackneyed
expressions, e.g. ‘it gives me great
pleasure…’I want to thank you…(do
this a little later or even towards the
end of your talk)
 Don’t 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. Don’t 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
don’t 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 money…
only 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
 Don’t 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, don’t repeat details or labor over
points again.
 If you have finished before your allotted time- sit
down. Don’t 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
 Don’t 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 won’t 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
Don’t 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
Don’t have a visual aid which you don’t
need
You don’t 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