THE BASICS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING For Students of Higher Learning Institutions By: Liew Shu Yee @ Cindy Liew (TESL A)
What is Public Speaking? Public speaking is defined as the process of delivering a speech in front of a live audience in an organized and intentional manner (Novaković & Teodosijević, 2017). The aim of public speaking is to inform, persuade or entertain the audience. Public speaking can occur in schools, seminars, conferences or even in our daily lives such as giving a speech at a wedding. Public speakers must be well-prepared including planning, organizing ideas, researching for the materials about the topic of their speech, and rehearsing their speech beforehand in order to convey messages effectively (LibreTexts, 2023). Audience engagement is important for an effective public speaking. In this digitalized era, technology can be integrated into public speaking. For example, video conference enables speakers to reach larger and more diverse audiences. Public speaking is divided into four types: impromptu speaking , memorized speaking, manuscript speaking and extemporaneous speaking. The aim of public speaking Inform Entertain Persuade
Students get the opportunity to practise speaking with suitable diction and register such as pronunciation and tone when giving their speech. Students have to deliver their speech in an organised manner so that the audience are able to understand their speech easily and clearly. Students communication skills can be improved as they are able to communicate and present their ideas in a coherent and structured manner (Angeline, 2020). Improve communication skills Public speaking can help to build students’ confidence by overcoming their fear of public speaking Students who participate in public speaking will be trained to speak effectively to the audience Students‘ fear of public speaking will decrease whereas their confidence will increase over a period of time when they often participate in public speaking. (Angeline, 2020). Build confidence Having the confidence to speak and express their opinions to the public is an important aspect as a leader in order to guide a group of followers (Barnard,2017). A good leader must have good communication skills to motivate and inspire their followers in order to achieve a goal successfully. Students who are able to deliver a speech in front of an audience are capable of becoming a leader. Develop leadership skills Critical thinking skills are vital for speakers to prepare and deliver their speech effectively to the audience (Barnard, 2017). The process of conducting researches and analyzing materials of a speech enable them to gain knowledge and develop more perspectives on the topic. Students need to think critically to respond to the audience’s inquiries with proper answers or solutions. Foster critical thinking skills Effective public speaking skills are highly sought in the professional world. Students can increase their employability in the future if they master their public speaking skills (Spencer, 2021). Effective public speaking skills enables students to present their ideas confidently in job interviews, meetings, events, etc. Professional Development Students get to connect and engage with a diverse audience who share similar interests (Spencer, 2021). Public speaking provides an opportunity for students to connect or collaborate with professionals and experts. Good public speaking skills. enable students to communicate with peole they meet confidently. Increase social connections Importance of Public Speaking for Students of Higher Learning Institutions Importance of Public Speaking for Students of Higher Learning Institutions It is crucial for students of higher learning institutions to participate in public speaking as they bring many benefits to them as a student and also as a graduate in the future. The importance of public speaking for students of higher learning institutions include improve communication skills, foster critical thinking skills, confidence boost, develop leadership skills, increase social connections, and professional development.
Visual aids help the audience to understand better the content of a speech delivered by the speaker. Visual aids such as pictures and Powerpoint slides are able to enhance the audience’s understanding and increase their retention and recall of the content or message of the speech. (Sabri & Novita, 2020). Register refers to the language and style of a speaker in delivering their speech such as formal, informal and casual. The choice of register must be carefully chosen based on the audience, event and topic of the speech. Speakers must understand their audience first before deciding their choice of register (LibreTexts, 2023). Storytelling involves using anecdotes, narratives or personal stories to make a speech more interesting (Sabri & Novita, 2020). Storytelling s able to catch the audience’s attention and make the content of the speech more relatable and memorable (Tucker et al., 2019). REGISTER TONE OF VOICE WORDS DICTION Words diction is the selection of words that is used to deliver a speech by a speaker. Different diction types are used enhance clarity and ensure a better understanding to the audience. Speakers should avoid jargon to avoid confusion and misunderstanding of the audience towards their speech (LibreTexts, 2023). BODY LANGUAGE VISUAL AIDS STORYTELLING Tone of voice in public speaking refers to the quality, pitch, rate and volume of a speaker’s voice. Speakers should utilize a suitable tone of voice as it is double the amount of the information and message conveyed in a speech (Sabri & Novita, 2020). A variation of tone expresses emotions and adds emphasis to your speech to grab the audience’s attention. Body language is a nonverbal communication that is expressed physically such as body postures and facial expressions (Sabri & Novita, 2020). Body language is significant in public speaking as it shapes the personality of the speaker. Good body language shows that the speaker is confident and passionate in public speaking. Features of Public Speaking
Principles of Public Speaking Topic Materials Audience A well-chosen topic is crucial because it builds up the entire speech. Speakers are encouraged to choose a topic that is able to relate with the audience (LibreTexts, 2023). A well-chosen topic enables the speaker to give a meaningful and impactful speech by grabbing the attention of the audience. Materials are important as they are the content and information of a speech delivered by the speaker. A strong material is supported by evidence that adds credibility to the speaker's arguments. Speakers must be well-researched of the materials from various sources such as books, journals or the Internet (LibreTexts, 2023). The audience is the group of people who listen to the speech of a speaker. The audience plays a crucial role in shaping how a speech will be delivered by a speaker. A speaker have to adapt their speech to suit the needs of a diverse audience. The speaker must form a connection with the audience for an effective public speaking (Tucker et al., 2019). The speaker came up with a topic that the audience can relate to. The speaker presented illustrations as the materials of the content of the speech for the audience to better understand the message he wants to convey. The audience were engaged with the speaker as the speech was interesting and relatable. An example of an effective public speaking: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=arj7oStGLkU
References Angeline, K. D. (2020). Importance of public speaking in the future. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346409575_Importance_of_Public_Speaking_in_the_Future Tucker, B., Barton, K., Burger, A., Drye, J., Hunsicker, C., Mendes, A., & LeHew, M. (2019). Exploring public Barnard, D. (2017, August 18). What are the benefits of public speaking? VirtualSpeech. https://virtualspeech.com/blog/what-are-the-benefits-of-public-speaking LibreTexts. (2023). COMS 105: Fundamentals of public speaking. file:///C:/Users/Win10/Downloads/Full.pdf Novaković, N., & Teodosijević, B. (2017). Basics of public speaking. BizInfo (Blace) Journal of Economics, Management and Informatics, 8(2), 33-46. http://www.bizinfo.edu.rs/index.php/bizinfo/article/download/130/130 Sabri, M. & Novita, L. (2020). Components of public speaking: the factors that make students interested in English speech and teaching. Inovish Journal, 5(1). http://ejournal.polbeng.ac.id/index.php/IJ/article/download/1360/663 Spencer, L. (2021, August 4). What are the life-benefits of public speaking? EnvatoTuts. https://business.tutsplus.com/articles/benefits-of-public-speaking--cms-30694/ speaking. The Open College Public Speaking Textbook. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/speaking/chapter/chapter-1-the-basics-of-public-speaking/