Communication for Various Purposes Public speaking may be scary to many people; and I’m not than thou, that include myself - - I always have to struggle t that threatening feeling of delivering a speech. In fact, for many speakers, this experience may be one of the nerve-wracking one, akin to that of a soldier being assigned to ~~ public speaking could Teally be a challenging engagement! ver, public speaking is not an impossible task. :Types of Speeches speech - the practice of reading a speech is quiy : aoe nowadays, especially so since people are becoming so busy. This type of delivery is done by reading from the written speech. The disadvantage of this type of speech ig it prevents an informal and conversational delivery of the speech. Moreover, eye contact with the audience may fy sacrificed. 2. Memorized speech ~ this entails memorizing your speech At present, due to the very busy-schedules of people, few speakers opt to memorize their speech, but instead go fo, other means of delivery. 3. Impromptu speech ~ this type allows a speaker little or no time to prepare the speech. 4. Extemporaneous - this speech is delivered with some prepared structure, such as notes or an outline. The notes enable the speaker to organize the speech. | Pointers in Delivering a Speech The pointers in delivering a speech are divided into three phases: the writing, preparatory and delivery stages. Let's start with | the writing stage. You get an invitation to speak and you accepted the invitation. Come to think of it, whatever your station in life - - a clerk a supervisor, a manager, a president of a company or government official, the time will come that you will be asked to deliver a speech and many more speeches, It is said that to deliver an excellent speeth, success speakers should view a speaking engagement like doing a. stag? performance. You need to look at yourself as the “star of the show thus, you have to prepare and rehearse your speech until it become’ natural and spontaneous, and so that you alone would be seen as thé sole authority in the room.ical thing Try studying the steps listed below. So, the first logical t you should do is to write your speech. How do you do that? The Keys in writing a speech could help you. n Keys To Writing A Speech “Lam the man of the hour,” is the attitude of many who had invited to speak. Unfortunately, this mindset is bound to make flop. ‘You may have experienced listening to a boring speech, livered by a popular personality but filled with self-centered topics senseless details. And you knew something the speaker seemingly issed: this was the time of the audience - - not the speaker. The was just a guest; thus, their attention was strictly voluntary. In writing your speech, remember two important goals: 2 good impression and stress to your audience at least two three important points. Itis said that the rest of the speech is just t. But the challenge is: how can you put across those or three critical points? At this point, you need to adopt some 1) Make a memorable speech. The experience of successful speeches tells us that an audience may only remember a single line. For example, Abraham Lincoln started his Gettysburgh address with this line: “Fourscore and seven. years ago, our forefathers brought forth on this continent a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the Proposition that “all men are created equal.” Lincoln's line encapsulated the main point of his speech: We must fight for freedom and equality. So you can learn from the example drawn from Lincoln: condense your theme into 15-20 word line and build your speech around that line. There are other figures of speech that could leave an impression that is worth remembering. For example, a President alluded to his vision by stressing “this country would be great again” in his 5 . The expressed a strong identity and a promise. Naturally, the audience would be struck by the message. neA powerful speech is very much like a stimulating conversation. You can learn very important lessons from the style that advice was delivered and can apply them in your speech. 2) Observe a structure in your speech. Recall a terrible speech where you lost interest. Try to analyze what caused. you to lose your interest. It’s probable that the speaker wandered off his plan. Lately, I attended a conference, While the conference was about leadership, one speaker veered away from the topic by presenting a lecture which was not directly related to the theme. At the end of his presentation, the speaker made two points: he needed to stick to the plan and the theme - - and a better speechwriter too! There are two things an audience expect from a speaker: a clear direction and a destination. Your listeners want to know where would be wise to present a short outline of your speech right at the start, While writing and revising your speech, ensure that your speech follows a structure. Here are some helpful tips: © Make your speech simple,Watch out and delete anything that is off tangent, conflicting, or ambiguous. Finally: if an item in your speech does not help you put across your main message, delete it.i t is 3) Exploit the opening of your speech. The opening par ” crac rool wie e attention of your audience crucial. If you could win th H right at the beginning, then “half of the battle was won, the rest of the speech could just follow its natural course. Begin your speech by a striking statement or statistics. There are various ways of opening your speech: you can start with a humorous story related to your speech;or open with a relevant quotation, or you can even start with a question. Encourage your audience to participate by raising theit hands to respond to a question. Engage your listeners early; but keep the “appetizers” of your opening short, since your audience might lose interest if your introduction is too long. Enjoy the “honeymoon” part and the momentum of your beginning moments with your audience.4) Begin with the right tone. Adopting the right tone requires you to answer some basic questions such as: Who are your listeners? What is their reason for attending? What do they want to hear? In writing your speech, make sure that you meet the expectations of your listeners, regardless of the nature of your speech: to educate, inform, motivate, entertain, or even challenge. : Review your main points if they suit the theme or the occasion. Ask yourself this question: will my speech inspire and develop the best in my audience? Consider the following small tips: If the setting is professional, make your speech upbeat and inspiring. Maya Angelou, poet once noted, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Your listeners may forget everything you said, but you can consider your speech successful if they leave the hall with a smile and a greater sense of hope and purpose. Be convinced with your message. A speaker is like a arketing expert. You have to encourage your audience ff6) to buy your points. If your listeners do not buy you, message, they will not listen to your speech too. Your non, verbal cues and style of delivery will leave the biggey impression among your audience. Fortunately, there ar techniques you can use to connect with your audience, Crack a joke about your goose bumps; your listener, can relate to being resvouls about public a. since most speakers experience the same feeling. SI are a story about yourself, but make sure itis relevant or leads fo your points, Relate some interesting stories about your family, to reflect that you are trustworthy. Remember to write your speech much like having an interesting conversation with a close friend. Remember, you are not a preacher, Just be yourself. On stage, be sure to be at your best. Emphasize important points. In writing your speech, repeat your important points to leave a lasting impression. Stress keywords, phrases, and themes. Be on the lookout for opportunities to tie up and reinforce earlier important points. And repeat important points just like a refrain in ‘your favorite song. Remember your parents who would lecture you on partying, fighting, peer pressure, and quitting? Many times, we seemed not to pay attention to them. Eventually, we encountered those realities. And we realize the things that our parents simply repeated over- and-over until {hey stuck. The same principle can apply in putting across Your message -- repeat your important points, A number of listeners may feel irritated when rs ‘ yor foal dan Points in your speech, However, how te worries TE YOU" SPeech should be the least of yout member lmPortant consideration is: what ‘will they “member afew months after your speech? Points of conjunctions Poem! Points of your speech by usins not be able, i certain instances, your listeners would You wecihat is important in your »8) indicate your intent. For instance, you can use a rhetorical question like “What is the point?” then allow a short Pause. Silence gets the attention of your audience - - and this technique creates anticipation among them. Similarly, a statement like “so here's the x factor” could capture an audience's interest. It gives them a cue that an important Point is about to be presented. Thus, even if they were fot attentive before, they could now catch up and be with you again. Integrate some theatrics. In his lectures, Stephen Covey would fill a glass bowl nearly full of sand. Thereafter, he would encourage a participant to place rocks into the bowl. In the exercise, rocks represented essentials like family, job, and worship, while the bowl signified the volunteer's time and energy. This technique is very effective; the volunteer couldn’ fit every rock in the bowl. The sand — which represented daily tasks like bringing children to school, shopping, or reading - took up too much space. Something had to be sacrificed. And usually, it was something essential. ° Covey then encourages his volunteer to try another approach by starting to place a rock in the bowl first, adding some sand, and then alternating rocks and sand until the bowl was full. Like magic, there was suddenly enough space for all the items, as the sand gradually filled any gaps between the rocks. His point is: maintain balance. Never lose sight of the essentials as you perform your daily tasks (and vice versa). Covey could have opted to drive his point verbally and moved on to his lecture. Instead, he explained it usi household items so that his audience would not forget his main message. For a smaller audience, you may use visuals (or a Video screen) but be sure to keep the materials, story line, and lessons simple. Upon completion of your illustration, use your visuals to emphasize your message to your audience. |9) Observe the “KISS” rule. Keep it short and simple. Itig said that the worst crime of public speaking is trying to overdo your speech! Researchers observed that nowadays the audience's attention is shorter. Your listeners have other commitments to attend to; thus, don’t let a very long lecture hold them hostage. The more you Prolong your speech then, the more likely they are going to lose interest. So, summarize your points and conclude your speaking engagement. Remember: they are the men of the hour, not you! 10) Conclude your speech with a bang. There are various ways of impressing upon your audience your important message. You can explore the use of interesting video clips that abound on the internet. Relevant quotations could also be uséd to summarize your important message. To recap your biggest point, you can narrate a success story. On the other hand, you can tie loose ends of your Speech together by presenting a diagram, a road map, or a conceptual paradigm. Or if you are delivering a speech to convince, you can encourage your audience to action. No holds bar, your concluding statement is what your listeners will, in the final analysis, discuss when they leave the hall. (Retrieved 03-20-18 from http://www forbes.com/ Pookin gy? an/2015/10/10/can--take-a-new:job-but-keep- Jooking/) i