Impact ofPublicSpeaking ThePower of Your LEE MAN CHENG PISMP JUN 2022 TESL B To all the IPGK Trainees Voice:Discovering the
Public speaking is essential in our society where all individuals have a fundamental right to publicly voice their thoughts and opinions. It occurs when a speaker prepares and delivers a speech to a group of listeners, typically without interfering with the subject' s thoughts made by the speaker (Jaffe, 2015). What is Public Speaking? Public speaking refers to the organised and intentional act of delivering a speech in front of a live audience with the objective of influencing, informing, and entertaining them (Novaković & Teodosijević, 2017).
Importance of Public Speaking for IPGK Trainees Public speaking helps trainee teachers to improve psychosocial skills, which enables individuals to develop adaptive and positive behaviours. 1. Improving psychosocial skills 2. Developing self-growth Public speaking is a fundamental tool for trainee teachers’ personal growth and interpersonal skill development. 3. Developing cognitive functions Public speaking improves the trainee teachers’ cognitive dimension as well as an understanding of the environment and society, which are crucial for teaching students in the future. 5. Improving learning skills Trainee teachers require the regular practice of public speaking to enhance their learning skills and techniques. 4. Building social relationships Through public speaking, trainee teachers would develop social connections and linkages, and it assists them to observe and comprehend the different characteristics and personalities of human beings. Public speaking enables trainee teachers to potentiate their ability to transform theories into real-life situations. 7. Applying theories Public speaking increases trainee teachers’ emotional intelligence, which is important for them to build strong relationships with students in the future based on trust and empathy as well as build a positive learning environment by fostering a culture of unity, respect, acceptance, tolerance and inclusivity. 8. Enhancing emotional intelligence Public speaking is crucial for trainee teachers to practice how to spread knowledge, influence, and inspire others, making them more valuable in the workplace. 6. Sharing knowledge Cobrador & Porras. (n.d.)
1. Articulation Articulation is the act of forming vowels and consonants using lips, jaw, tongue, and palate to pronounce the words accurately. This is often referred to as diction or enunciation. Society usually assesses individuals’ intelligence and education level based on how they speak and how well they articulate (Lumen Learning, 2019). Thus, trainee teachers need to practice good articulation to speak with standard precision, use the correct pronunciation of words, and use the proper diction in order to show an excellent example to their students in the future. Features 2. Pitch and inflection The pitch and inflection of a speaker's voice can strongly impact the meaning and effectiveness of their message. Trainee teachers need to have a good balance in inflection because it makes speeches sound more interesting and engaging to the audience (Lumen Learning, 2019). Therefore, inflection should be natural and authentic to trainee teachers, and should not become repetitive or artificial. 3. Rate of speaking The rate refers to the tempo when the speakers are delivering a speech. Speakers should be mindful of an appropriate tempo because speaking too slowly might cause the audience to lose interest and forget what was mentioned at the beginning by the end of the sentence, while speaking too quickly can compromise articulation, making it hard for the audience to comprehend the speech (Lumen Learning, 2019). In essence, speakers should have an optimal pace that is comfortable and clear, allowing for variation when emphasising main points. 4. Vocal projection Vocal projection is the volume of the speaker's voice, which refers to the loudness of the voice. It can be modulated for emphasis or engagement with the audience and can be practiced through good breathing and vocal warmups (Nikitina, 2011) . In essence, trainee teachers need to strike a balance with volume and avoid excessive loudness or being too soft to make sure their speeches are clear and understandable. 5. Vocal quality Each individual's voice quality has unique characteristics and a texture that affects how well it can be heard and comprehended. Examples of vocal quality include warmth, clarity, softness, raspiness, mellowness, and breathiness (Lumen Learning, 2019). Therefore, vocal quality is essential for producing coherent speech. 6. The power of pause Pausing during the speech refers to rest or delay when speaking. Filling silence with meaningless words in public speaking can distract the audience and convey anxiety. Advanced speakers strategically use pauses to enhance their remarks instead of uttering fillers such as "um" and "ah" (Nikitina, 2011). Thus, trainee teachers should practice pauses to help them instinctively incorporate them and increase the impact of their presentations.
Researching to gather information would assist in delivering an effective and coherent speech. According to Lucas (2009), speakers should utilise their personal experiences when gathering materials to add purpose, emotion, and meaning to their performances, which could help with audience engagement. This could add credibility, reliability, and authenticity to a speech, complementing factual and statistical information. 2. Gathering Materials Choose a relevant and appropriate topic for the target audience. Advanced speakers should consider whether the topic interests their target audience to del iver an impactful speech (Sabuj Ahmed, 2022). For example, when trainee teachers conduct publ ic speaking in their institute, they should choose a topic based on their coursemates' , lecturers' , and students' language and study levels to inspire and influence them into high-level thinking. 1. Suitable topic Principles of Public Speaking Lucas (2009) Obama (2008) Obama (2008) once said, "Good public speakers are audience-centered." Being audience-centered does not mean the speakers compromise their values and beliefs to favour the audience, but to remain true to themselves and build a bond with the audience by sharing the same experiences, objectives, and perspectives (Lucas, 2009). Speakers should analyse the audience by referring to the audience's age, gender, religion, racial, ethnic, or cultural background. 3. Analysing the target audience