Public SpeakingPublic Speaking

English 112English 112

Are you afraid?Are you afraid?

• I hope so. Even accomplished speakers who talk for a living and are very effective at delivering information to crowds get butterflies before they speak. They want to get the message across. They care about their audience.

• Accept and welcome the physical symptoms of psychological fear/anxiety:

– Paleness– Dry mouth– Voice higher than normal– Rapid breathing– Thumping heart– Sweating– Uncontrollable shaking– Butterflies in the stomach

AcceptAccept these symptoms as normal and don’t give them overdue attention. these symptoms as normal and don’t give them overdue attention.

Where are you now?Where are you now?

Stage Label Emotion Response1 Beginner Terror Won’t speak

at any cost

2 Basic Fear/Dread Will speak if necessary

3 Progressing Tension Accepts speaking

4 Professional Excitement Seeks speaking situations

Resolve to move yourself up one level.

Why do people fear speaking?Why do people fear speaking?

• Franklin Roosevelt said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself,” and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, said “ I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experiences behind him.”

• The greatest discovery of my time is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind”

William James• Resolve to master your fears; there is no reason

you should hold yourself back from doing something you can because you think you are afraid of it. Be the captain of your own ship, the author of your own story.

Eight suggestions to bridge the Eight suggestions to bridge the “fear chasm”:“fear chasm”:

1. Know what you’re going to say.

2. Practice, practice, practice. The depth of your desire to do well will govern the speed of your progress.

3. Remember that although stage fright is uncomfortable, it is seldom fatal.

4. Use butterflies to your advantage. They can actually give you that extra energy that make a dull talk an excellent one.

5. Realize that people in the audience won’t notice you’re scared unless you make a big deal of it.

6. Stand tall, breathe deeply, talk slowly and use your nervous energy for constructive purposes (smiling, gesturing, etc).

7. Act confident.

8. Practice, practice, practice.

Does What You Wear Matter?Does What You Wear Matter?

• Consider your purpose and audience first.• “You never get a second chance to make

a good first impression.”• Always dress to suit the occasion, and

whatever the occasion be neat, clean and appropriate.

• Your attire/presentation of yourself should not distract the audience from your message.

Your VoiceYour Voice

• According to studies, about 38% of your impact as a speaker is the result of your own voice. Everyone’s voice is affected by three factors:

1. Natural Physical Makeup—this is something you were born with, such as your vocal cords and throat muscles.

2. Effects of Emotions—when you experience tension or fear, your natural voice tone is often altered to a higher pitch. You also have a tendency to speak rapidly, and/or to speak monotone (very dull).

3. Learned Techniques—these can be learned to positively alter your voice tone, voice quality, and delivery speed.

Tonal VarietyTonal Variety

• Many inexperienced speakers, like robots, talk in monotone. Nothing will put an audience to sleep more quickly.

• If possible, a few minutes before you speak, try to go somewhere private (hall or washroom) and repeat three or four sentences as if you were on a roller coaster (up and down) “Jack and Jill went up the hill.” No privacy, do it in your head.

• This exaggerated tonal variety will stay with you and make it easier for you to add a desirable flow to your speech.

• Tonal variety allows you to keep the audience alert,a nd it is what makes a question sound like a question. It allows you to lower your pitch to be more persuasive and it lets you use inflection and emphasis.

InflectionInflection

• The first cousin to tonal variety is inflection.• It means “to change in pitch or tone.”• Inflection is the way you say single words,a s

opposed to whole phrases.• Practice changing inflection: Say, “John”1. As if you were angry2. As if you are disappointed3. As if you are tired4. As if a question5. As if in love Get the picture?

EmphasisEmphasis

• Emphasis is related to inflection. By using emphasis on certain words, you can effectively imply meaning.

• Repeat the sentence, “Now speaking works for me.”

1. Stressing NOW2. Stressing SPEAKING3. Stressing WORKS4. Stressing FOR5. Stressing ME

ArticulationArticulation

• Be sure to articulate or distinctly pronounce your words.

• Don’t pronounce your “t’s” like “d’s” as in Saturday—Saddurday, or notice—nodice

• Don’t grunt rather than pronounce the “t” as in “hunting, mountain, planting.”

• Don’t jumble your words into a “slurvian” language. . . “Jeet Jet. . .Not Jet, Jew?” instead of, “Did you eat yet?. . . Not yet, did you?”

BreathingBreathing

• Believe it or not, many people do not breathe properly. They are known as shallow breathers, only using the top portion of their lungs. The fuel needed for speaking is air.

• Your voice needs gas (air) to prevent it from stalling out. Push your words with air and they’ll sail to the back of the room; push with just your throat muscles and you’ll become hoarse and “stall out.”

• Practice using your diaphragm for deep breathing. It also helps keep you grounded and relaxed. If you are nervous and forget to breathe—people do—write on your cue cards when to take a long, deep breath.

Powerful PausesPowerful Pauses

• The pause is probably the most effective tool in public speaking. It’s usually easy to judge a speaker’s experience by watching pauses and how they are used.

• When you pause, try not to fall in the trap of using fillers, “um, ah, where was I, or you know” It is distracting and unnecessary. When you pause, simply. . .. . . . . .pause.

• Use pauses to stress important words, phrases, points, by pausing before and after.

• Use pauses to convey important ideas, to build suspense, to allow your ideas to sink in, and to allow the speech to be more conversational.

• When you pause, you sound sincere, natural, and thoughtful.

Your EyesYour Eyes

• Whether you are speaking to one person, or one thousand people, remember eye contact.

• Think of a person you have talked to who:1. Won’t look you in the eye2. Stares at a point on your cheek3. Stares right through you4. Has shifty eyes—they dart5. Looks at their feet or at the ceiling• They all make you uncomfortable because they give

you the impression they don’t want to talk to you. • Don’t give your audience a similar feeling

EyesEyes

• Looking over the audience—can look like you are “overlooking the audience” and have thus failed to connect and meaningfully communicate.

• Using the triangle method—left, then right, then middle. This can look very mechanical.

• Looking at one person, or one side of the room—the audience is left out and the one person feels uncomfortable.

• You are talkingYou are talking to people, so look at themto people, so look at them..• Your audience is a group of individuals who are each Your audience is a group of individuals who are each

listening to you on their own. Speaking to each of them, listening to you on their own. Speaking to each of them, involves them, and removes the fear of having all eyes involves them, and removes the fear of having all eyes on you at once.on you at once.

Eye Contact TipsEye Contact Tips

• The secret to individualized eye communication is to refrain from the half-second glance; use three to five secondthree to five second long eye contact. long eye contact.

• Extended eye contact makes you appear Extended eye contact makes you appear more knowledgeable and confident.more knowledgeable and confident.

Standing up to be SeenStanding up to be Seen

• Practice standing taller, confidently, with your feet a comfortable distance apart.

• Leaning slightly forward on the balls of your feet, though it sounds strange, is supposed to have a calming effect on you. It “grounds” you in the moment, and decreases anxiety.

• Your hands—either resting on the podium or with elbows bent slightly at your sides, so you can use your hands for gesturing. Gesturing must be seen; you don’t want to be making strange movements behind a podium.

SMILESMILE

• Many people find it difficult to smile when they are nervous—force yourself to. This is calming as well.

Impromptu Speaking and Fielding Impromptu Speaking and Fielding QuestionsQuestions

• Listen to the questions carefully• Pause and take time to process the

question and smile with confidence at the questioner

• If needed, ask clarifying questions• See questions as an opportunity to

strengthen and reinforce your speech/argument.

• Try to predict possible questions