The Keys for Public Speaking For Higher Learning Institutions Students
Basics of Public Speaking Definition What is public speaking and why is everyone terrified by it? In this modern era, public speaking has become a required skill for everyone especially in the professional field. Public speaking is an art of oral communication to convey their message and information to the audience that is more than one (Katewa, 2023). It is because the style of every speaker is different from each other. Public speaking is known as oratory which is an activity of speaking of a selected subject to a group of people (Cambridge Dictionary, n.d.). Public speaking is also an organised, face-to-face, prepared, intended attempt to enlighten, captivate, or influence a group of people through the use of speech, gestures with the help of audio and visual (Barton & Tucker, 2021). Importance of Public Speaking Gaining proficiency in public speaking can enhance communication abilities and open up a number of employment options, such as teacher, professor, speechwriter etc. Increase the networking opportunities for career advancement. Influential speakers enhance confidence, persuasiveness, connections, and job interviews by effectively communicating ideas and influencing others. The writer of the speech must use critical thinking skills in order to make a great speech. They have to know the audience, researching the suitable data and facts, the way to start their opening statements and the closing statements. Solving and analysing their problem such as choosing and adapting the public speaking style according to the situation and their target audience helps to improve their critical thinking skills. 1.Advance Your Career 2. Developing Critical Thinking Skills
Public speaking needs preparation in order to convey the message clearly to the audience. By practising to speak, the speaker can organise their speech and communicate it effectively. This skill is helpful in life aspects such as the comfortable to have interactions between peers and adults like lecturers. Public speaking can be terrifying to most people. It is known as the number one fear in America (Home of Influence, 2022). They tend to get scared to speak in front of people because of the fear or making mistakes and being making fun of other people The public speaking fear can be overcome if they practise more and engage with the audience. If they can overcome this fear, the other smaller fears will be easier for them to overcome. 3. Improve Communication Skills 4. Helps to Overcome Fear Features of Public Speaking Diction Diction is the selection and implementation of words and phrases in writing or speaking. The quality of the speech may be improved by increasing the diction in order to help the audience understand and relate with the content more easily. Good diction uses the proper enunciation, tone, and pronunciation to ensure that what is said is understood. According to the definition of register, a speaker using language differently according to the scenario at hand. Choose the suitable choice of words, tone of voice and body language. Due to the variety of audiences, settings, and reasons for which the language is employed, registers also vary. Pitch refers to the degree of highness or lowness of a tone, which is regulated by the pace of vibrations that produce it. Pitch in speech relates to how high or low a tone is perceived by the ear to be relative to other tones. There are natural variations among people's vocal pitch. 1. 2. Register 3. Voice Pitch Scan Me! Improve Your Diction Register Types Scan Me! Importance of Pitch Scan Me!
Speech rate is the average speaking pace of a person. It is determined by counting the usual number of words per minute that they speak. Words per minute (wpm) is an estimate since not all words are created equal. 4. Rate Record yourself speaking in live meetings and replay it to know your speech rate. Ask for help from your friend to give feedback. Remember to slow down if necessary. Be Mindful of the Rate Your rate of speech will naturally slow down if you take your time with each word and stop to emphasise the key ones. Modulate Your Voice Breathe deeply before speaking, and do so again after each statement. Breath Pausing will help you to gather thoughts and improve your speech rate. Pause Rate of Speech When pitch and loudness are taken out of the equation, voice quality is the aspect of speech that most distinguishes the voice of a speaker. Vocal quality plays a significant role in how expressively human speech is produced. It conveys information on both strong and weak emotions that describe our sentiments, moods, and overall states of being. How loud or quiet your voice is frequently referred to as volume. To add a bit of energy and enthusiasm into a speech, volume might need to be changed. Select phrases or words that you can say more and less loudly. Increasing your speaking volume may engage a crowd. They might lean in closer to hear you if you talk more softly. (Moorthy, 2023) 5. Vocal Quality 6. Volume
Topic How knowledgeable am I on the subject? A solid understanding of the subject will make it easier for you to explain challenging elements of the subject and will boost your confidence during the questions and answers session. Am I interested in the subject? Your delivery will be influenced by your enthusiasm for the subject in many ways, including body language, eye contact, and energy levels. Your audience will respond to you better and find your speech more engaging if you are passionate about the subject. Will the topic hold the audience's interest? If the audience doesn't understand how they can benefit from your issue, they will either not show up or leave the lecture early. Keep in mind that your speech topic must be valuable to the audience. Before the Speech, a speaker should assess his audience to determine how to effectively express his opinions. Several crucial factors might be taken into account in this analysis: Age, sex, marital status, race, location, group type (homogeneous or diverse), needs, education, trade, activity, and profession are all factors. The speaker should constantly adjust (as much as possible) to the audience's language and dress. Materials can be collected via personal experience, the library, the internet, or by speaking with experts in the field. They relate to details a person offers to support and develop a notion that is put out for the listener's attention. Examples, stories, statistics, testimonies, definitions, facts, drawings, graphics, books, and encyclopaedias might all be included in the content. No matter what resources you use to obtain information, starting early and creating a preliminary bibliography to keep track of all the books, papers, and online documents will make your research more efficient. 1. To choose a speech topic, consider the following three factors: 2. Audience 3. Materials Principles of Public Speaking
References Barton, K., & Tucker, B. G. (2021, April 23). 1.1: What is Public Speaking? - Social Sci LibreTexts. LibreTexts Social Sciences. Retrieved June 13, 2023, from https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Communication/Public_Speak ing/Exploring_Public_Speaking_4e_(Barton_and_Tucker)/01%3A_The_B asics_of_Public_Speaking/1.01%3A_What_is_Public_Speaking Blakeley, S. (2022, January 20). Language Register Types & Examples | What is Language Register? - Video & Lesson Transcript. Study.com. Retrieved June 14, 2023, from https://study.com/academy/lesson/language-registers-definition-usesexamples.html Cambridge Dictionary. (n.d.). PUBLIC SPEAKING | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved June 13, 2023, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/public-speaking Fisher, D., & Riehl, G. (n.d.). 3 Ways to Improve Your Clarity of Speech. wikiHow. Retrieved June 14, 2023, from https://www.wikihow.com/Improve-Your-Clarity-of-Speech Katewa, S. (2023, February 24). What is Public Speaking? [Definition, Importance, Tips Etc!] – Art of Presentations. Art of Presentations. Retrieved June 13, 2023, from https://artofpresentations.com/what-ispublic-speaking/ stw-news. (2023, May 9). YouTube. Retrieved June 14, 2023, from https://stw-news.org/why-is-pitch-important-in-a-speech/ Moorthy, (2023). Basics of Public Speaking (Power Point slides)https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1vXCXudp07H87EoVUA9_ 8lol42uXcx6dV/edit? usp=drivesdk&ouid=102642966006834152626&rtpof=true&sd=true