Introductionto Public Speaking

Five Benefits of the Course

• Skills for speaking in public• Being able to speak

in public will give you more control over your life.

Five Benefits of the Course

• Skills that apply to one-on-one communication

Five Benefits of the Course

• Skills that are prized in the job market

• You may think “I’ll never do any public speaking in my job.” It’s likely that in avoiding them, you’ll miss opportunities to advance your career.

Employers Rate Importance of Specific Skills

4.7

4.5

4.5

4.3

4

3.6

0 1 2 3 4 5

Communication skills

Interpersponal skills

Teamwork skills

Analytical skills

Oranizational skills

GPA

on a 5.0 scale

Adapted from survey results of National Association of Colleges & Employers

Five Benefits of the Course

• Experience andself-confidence• The classroom is a

perfect place to practice and develop your skills because it is an unthreatening setting.

Five Benefits of the Course

• Making a contribution to others• The skills you develop in

your public speaking class can help you contribute more to the various communities to which you belong.

Manage Your Learning Process

• Frustrations and accomplishments are part of any learning process

• Your classmates are valuable resources

Speech Communication Process

• Speaker

• Listener

• Message

Speech Communication Process

• Channel

Medium used to communicate

In the classroom, your primary channel is auditory (your voice)

Speech Communication Process

• Feedback• Verbal

• Non verbal

Speech Communication Process

• Interferences• External Interference

(outside the listener)• a crying baby

• Internal Interference (within the listener)• Your listeners are

daydreaming.

• Speaker Generated Interference

Speech Communication Process

• Situation• Time

• Place

Speech Communication Process

The Speaker’s Responsibilities

• Maintain high ethical standards

• Enrich listeners’ lives

• Take every speech seriously

The Speaker’s Responsibilities

• Maintain high ethical standards

Never distort information

The Speaker’s Responsibilities

• Maintain high ethical standards• Respect your audience• Reject stereotyping

The Speaker’s Responsibilities

• Enrich Listeners’ Lives

The Speaker’s Responsibilities

• Take Every Speech Seriously

Avoid the most common mistakes made by

public speakers

Tip Avoid the 6 Biggest Mistakes

Mistake #1

Failing to tailor a speechto audience needs and interests

Tip Avoid the 6 Biggest Mistakes

Mistake #2

Being poorly prepared

Mistake #3

Trying to cover too muchin one speech

Our speaker needs no introduction. What he needs is

a conclusion.

Tip Avoid the 6 Biggest Mistakes

Mistake #4Failing to maintain good eye contact

Tip Avoid the 5 Biggest Mistakes

Mistake #5Using PowerPoint

ineffectively

Tip Avoid the 5 Biggest Mistakes

Mistake #6

Being dull

Tip Avoid the 5 Biggest Mistakes

Managing Nervousness

Nervousness

• Nervousness is normal• It is perfectly normal –

even desirable – to be nervous.

• How can you control your nervousness and make it work for you rather than against you?

Reasons for Nervousness

• Fear of being stared at

• Fear of failure

• Fear of rejection

• Fear of the unknown

Confront Fear

Do the thing you fear

Understanding Anxiety

• Situational Anxiety or State Anxiety • Caused by factors in a specific

situation

• Trait Anxiety• Internal anxieties an individual brings

to the speaking situation

Understanding Anxiety

The value of anxiety

Fear makes speakers more alert and dynamic

Understanding Anxiety

Before an event, many athletes have nervous tension . . .

. . . which boosts their energy level

Managing Situational Anxiety

• Pros have trained their butterflies to fly in formation

- Edward Murrow

• How to control your butterflies

Managing Situational Anxiety

• Prepare and practice

• Warm up first

• Use deep breathing

Managing Situational Anxiety

• Plan an introduction to relax you and your listeners

• Concentrate on meaning

• Use visual aids

In the Planning Stage

• Prepare yourself thoroughly

In the Planning Stage

• Choose a topic you know a lot about

In the Planning Stage

• Plan visuals & make arrangements

Immediately before the Speech

• Use physical actions to release tension

Press palms against each

other

During the Speech

• Pause a few moments before starting

During the Speech

• Don’t think of performance …

. . . instead, aim for communication

During the Speech

Pretense often leads to reality

• Work especially hard on your introduction• A speaker’s anxiety level

begins to drop significantly after the first 30 to 60 seconds.

During the Speech

Pretense often leads to reality

• Act poised

During the Speech

• Never mention nervousness or apologize

During the Speech

• Don’t let listeners upset you

Is this listener displeased with the speaker?

During the Speech

• Eliminate excess energy

The Goal is Control

Undesirable Excessive tension

Desirable Enough tension to energize, but not cripple

Undesirable No tension

Managing Trait Anxiety

• People with high trait anxiety often

1. Feel that they are different from other speakers (I’m more nervous than anyone else in my class)

2. Have a history of negative speaking experiences (real or perceived)

3. Consider themselves to have subordinate status to others or have negative attitudes toward themselves

Managing Trait Anxiety

• Know that most symptoms are not seen

Managing Trait Anxiety

Positive Imagery• Create a positive and detailed

mental image of yourself giving a successful and confident speech.

• 3 steps

Managing Trait Anxiety

• Step 1 Develop the Habit of Positive Self Talk• I wish I didn’t have to give this speech

• This speech is a chance for me to share my ideas and gain experience as a speaker

• I’m not a great public speaker• No one’s perfect, but I’m getting better

with each speech I give

Managing Trait Anxiety

• Step 1• I’m always nervous when I give a

speech.• Everyone is nervous. If other people can

handle it, I can too.• No one will be interested in what I have

to say.• I have a good topic and I’m fully

prepared. Of course they’ll be interested.

Managing Trait Anxiety

• Step 2 Refocus Negative Mental Pictures into Positive Ones• Positive statements/desired

characteristics• When presenting speeches, my voice is

strong and steady and loud enough to be easily heard

Managing Trait Anxiety

• Step 2 • When presenting speeches, my voice is

strong and steady and loud enough to be easily heard.

• Say it, see it and feel it

Managing Trait Anxiety

• Step 3 Don’t Compare Yourself to Others • Your goal isn’t to be better than

other speakers.• Your goal is to be the best speaker

you can be.

Managing Trait Anxiety

• Find more expert sources to back your points

• Personalize your speech to show your own unique slant on the topic