Effective Public Speaking - Research Paper Example

Effective Public Speaking Public speaking is something that we mostly relate to politicians, motivational speakers, and celebrities. At no point does any ordinary person imagine that they will be talking to a group of individuals. As individuals listening to various speakers, we are usually careful, not only to listen to what they are saying, but also to point out weakness as presented in their dressing, gestures and verbal. Most people fail to realize that public speaking is part of our daily life. We practice public speaking in almost all our conversations, whether we are talking to someone on the phone or engaged in some informal discussions. Public speaking has been misunderstood to mean to present an official speech before a broad audience. Having such a notion makes us fail to perfect on our daily conversations that will reflect on a bigger audience and fret when we are requested to carry out a presentation. The expectations we have on people as they present their speech makes us criticize every simple mistake they make. The reason we have such expectations is because of the positions they hold and the influence they have on us. Having the information on such expectations, most known public speakers engage in some form of training and mentorship. They have experts who advise them on how to present a flawless speech. The experts are always available when they are giving the speech and analyze it for the purpose of perfecting their skills (O'Hair, Friedrich & Dixon, 2007). Most people believe that they will only have to go to such mentorship programs when they are preparing for a major speech, or when their social status has risen and required them to speak frequently to people. However, public speaking is something that we can personally build on and perfect, as we engage in our daily conversations. The fact is, the call to speak to the public may come when least expected and the kind of presentation we make will determine how many more doors will be opened to us. Irrespective of how small or irrelevant the audience may appear to be, a person should always desire to be the best or above others (Grice & Skinner, 2000). On the other hand, it is necessary for a person not to focus on the audience at the expense of what they are presenting it is easier to speak to people comfortably, if one understands what they are presenting, rather than when they know whom they are talking to. Surprisingly, people appear comfortable when they are speaking to a particular group and lose themselves when the audience changes. The subject of presentation may be the same, but just because the audience has changed, they find it hard to make their points. Such change can be attributed to psychological changes, where a person feels that much is expected of them, simply because of the varied audience. To be at ease, a person needs to keep in mind that what they are presenting is more important than the audience they are talking to. Remembering that the people have gathered, not just to see who one is but what they are presenting should make them focus more on their presentation. By focusing on the presentation rather than the audience, one can ignore some of the small mistakes that come along. If the mistake made is a major one that almost all the audience notices it, clarifications should be made, in a less severe way that the audience will understand that it was a mistake. Public speaking may come in the form of only talking about a topic that a person is well familiar with, or they are reading a written speech, for someone or themselves or having a power point presentation. When reading a statement, it is important to have frequently facial contacts with people, just to ensure they are concentrating. A power point presentation should simply be a guideline and should never be read as written speech. A power point presentation should, therefore, come with extensive explanations that will ensure people understand and don’t loose contact with the person presenting. One of the reasons that make people fret in their presentations with the change of audience is usually with their dressing and tone variation. It is hence important for one to ensure that they are dressed in comfortable clothes that will match the kind of audience they are speaking to. The fact is that most people look at the person presenting and make judgments even before they open their mouths to speak. People are visual in nature, and they will be attracted to want they see before they enjoy what is being presented. Attention should, therefore, be put on how the dress code of a person, which should be decent enough to make the audience look forward to their presentations. The use of gestures and other visuals is necessary for helping the audience concentrate. People quickly lose focus and attention when the speaker is not using various variations in the speech. When necessary, the speaker can use relevant jokes, just to minimize the tension in the room. The jokes should, however, be kept to a minimum so that people do not lose focus on the subject being presented. Looking at some great motivational speakers that have mastered the art of public speaking, most people tend to think that public speaking is an art inhibited by only a few individuals. The thought comes from the ease at which they show as they present their speech. The audience appears to be comfortable and alert, and the speaker seems to know what to say at a particular time. Such enthusiasm makes them attract a larger audience that is willing to pay anything just to listen to them. In as much as some speakers are born with such abilities, most of them had to work their way towards good public speaking. The reason we believe they are perfect in what they do is because they have been on the screen for long, and the first time we saw them, they were already speaking to larger audiences’ they learned to perfect their public speaking skills through frequent practicing. In fact, most of the fluent public speakers we know were shy and naïve, more than anybody can imagine. However, the determination they had made them perfect on their skills. Everyone may not have the privilege of having frequent audiences that will enable them practice and improve their public speaking skills. However, a person does not necessarily need an audience for them to perfect on their public speaking. Imagination is a powerful force that can enable one practice public speaking before a mirror or before one person. Whether one has dreamt of an opportunity where they will speak to a group of people or not, they can always create an imaginary picture of an audience and just talk to them. There are also opportunities that one can create for themselves by making requests on particular institution or group of people and talk to them (Grice & Skinner, 2000). Creating opportunities and extensively practicing for the presentation can help one develop good public speaking skill. It should be considered that the performance must not belong, even five minutes to a group of ten people is enough to give one the exposure and practice they need. According to O'Hair, Friedrich & Dixon, 2007, a work environment can always be a good starting point where a person can call on their colleagues and share what they feel is right for them or the organization. Coming up with ideas that could improve the structure can always be a good starting point. Every employer will always be willing to give audience to any staff member who feels he/she has ideas that will improve the organization. Public speaking is a vital skill that every person should seek to perfect on. Every team looks for people who can present themselves well in both speech and word. Public speaking skills have enabled many people get exposed to numerous opportunities. Just because one failed at a particular public speaking event does not mean that they are not good at it. As a matter of fact, such failures should make one realize where they went wrong, and therefore perfecting the skills even the more. The practice has always made perfect, with hard work and resilience; one will be able to speak flawlessly to a broad audience. Reference list Grice, G. L., & Skinner, J. F. (2000). Mastering public speaking. Allyn & Bacon. O'Hair, D., Friedrich, G. W., & Dixon, L. D. (2007). Strategic communication in business and the professions. Allyn & Bacon. Read More