Public Speaking Unit 1 Lecture Notes The Two Main Reasons to Study Public Speaking: Empowerment (to have the resources, information, and attitudes that allow you to take action to achieve a desired goal) o being a skilled public speaker will give you an edge that others lack – even over those who are more educated, have better training, or who may even have better ideas because being able to communicate and to position yourself for leadership puts you “ahead of the pack” o when you are confident in your public speaking skills, you are able to express yourself with assurance, conviction, and confidence (making others confident in you and your message) o being an empowered speaker can open up career and leadership opportunities (because doing so gains you respect and gives you confidence) Employment (to gain employment) o Charles M. Schwab said, “I’ll pay more for a person’s ability to speak and express himself than for any other quality he might possess.” o if you speak well, you possess a skill that others value highly o whether you are currently employed at an entry-level position or aspire to climb the corporate ladder, being able to communicate effectively (and “talk yourself up”) is the key to success – in any line of work o the skills needed (and most sought by employers) in terms of public speaking include: ethically adapting information to listeners organize your ideas persuade others hold listeners’ attention o communication skills is the top factor in helping college graduates gain employment o interviews: people interviewing you rely on what you’ve written on your resume and how you present yourself and communicate with them what to do you think carries more weight? Public Speaking and Conversation as a public speaker, you will need to learn to make decisions in your feet (like in a conversation) o these decisions will be based on: your knowledge of your listeners your listeners’ expectations for your speech their reactions to what you are saying public speaking is more planned than conversation o you should spend plenty of time practicing your speech o as you are practicing (both alone and in front of others), you should also be revising and editing your speech unlike conversation, public speaking is formal o as a result, slang or informal language is not appropriate Remember, you only have one chance to make a first impression. If you have to present information twice, your audience is already lost and will have preconceived notions. Communication is a Process noise source receiver message channel feedback message r e c e i v e r source – the public speaker is a source of information and ideas for an audience encode – the job of the public speaker is to encode, or translate, the ideas and images in his or her mind into verbal or nonverbal symbols (codes) that the audience can recognize or understand code – a verbal or nonverbal symbol for any idea or image (the speaker may encode into words or into gestures) message – the speech itself (both what is said and how it is said) decode – to translate verbal or nonverbal symbols (codes) into ideas and images (to understand the speaker’s message) channel – the visual and auditory means by which a message is transmitted from sender to receiver o audience members see the speaker and decode his or her nonverbal symbols – eye contact, facial expressions, posture, gestures, and dress – along with visuals o to be successful (and believable), the auditory and visual channels must match receiver – the receiver of the message is the individual audience member, whose decoding of the message will depend on his or her own particular blend of past experiences, attitudes, beliefs, and values noise – anything that interferes with the communication of a message external noise – physical sounds that interfere with communication internal noise – physiological or psychological causes that interfere with communication (a cold, worries, etc.) feedback – verbal and nonverbal responses provided by an audience to a speaker (nods, facial expressions, murmurs of the audience, questions, etc.) context – the environment or situation in which a speech occurs, it includes: o time o place o the speaker’s and audience’s cultural traditions and expectations no speech occurs in a vacuum, each speech is a blend of circumstances that can never be replicated exactly again Being prepared for a speech is only half of the battle when delivering an effective speech. You also have to pay attention to your audience and adjust your speech as you are speaking to be the most effective and successful. The Heritage of Public Speaking rhetoric – the use of words and symbols to achieve a goal Aristotle formulated guidelines for speakers that we still follow today Cicero and Quintilian sought to define the qualities of the “true” orator in Medieval Europe, the clergy were the most polished public speakers in the 18th century, British subjects in the colonies listened to the town criers and impassioned patriots of what was to become the United States declamation – the delivery of an already famous speech elocution – the expression of emotion through posture, movement, gestures, facial expressions, and voice Public Speaking and Diversity such factors as the gender, ethnicity, and culture of both speaker and audience are crucial components of the context of a speaking event to be effective, public speakers need to understand, affirm, and adapt to diverse audiences Improving Your Confidence as a Speaker it is important to understand your nervousness o your body summons more energy to deal with the conflict you are facing (shaking, knees quivering, stomach fluttering, etc.) o you are experiencing physiological chances because of your psychological state the most common causes for feeling nervous when speaking publicly: o fear of humiliation o concern about not being prepared o worry about one’s looks o pressure to perform o personal insecurity o concern that the audience wouldn’t be interested in oneself or the speech o lack of experience o fear of making mistakes o overall fear of failure people feel the most nervous right before giving their speeches, the secondhighest level of anxiety when the teacher explains the speech assignment, and the least amount of anxiety when preparing a speech there are four styles of communication apprehension: o average you have a generally positive approach to communicating in public these types of speakers rate themselves the highest o insensitive tend to be less sensitive to apprehenion when speaking because of previous experience in public speaking o inflexible you have the highest heart rate when speaking use this high and inflexible level of anxiety to enhance performance their fear motivates them to prepare and be at their best o confrontation style you have a very high heart rate as you begin presenting, and then it tapers off to more average levels why is it important to know and understand your style of communication apprehension? o it helps to know that you are not alone in how you experience apprehension (and that others are likely to share your feelings) o having a general idea of your own style may give you greater insight into how to better manage your apprehension o the research on apprehension styles lends support to the theory that communication apprehension may be a genetic trait or tendency Keep these tips in mind while speaking: o you are going to feel more nervous than you look realize that your audience cannot see evidence of everything that you feel o almost every speaker experiences some degree of nervousness it is unrealistic to try to eliminate speech anxiety instead, try to manage your nervousness so that it does not create so much internal noise that it keeps you from speaking effectively o anxiety can be useful extra adrenaline, increased blood flow, pupil dilation, increased endorphins to block pain, increased heart rate, and other physical changes caused by anxiety improve your energy level and help you function better than you might otherwise How to build your confidence: o don’t procrastinate in preparing for a speech a lack of thorough preparation often results in poorer speech performance, reinforcing a speaker’s perception that public speaking is difficult o know your audience know to whom you will be speaking and learn as much about your audience as you can o o o o o o o o o consider their goals, needs, and hopes as you prepare your message be audience-centered rather than speaker-centered select an appropriate topic you will feel less nervous if you talk about something you are familiar with or have some personal experience of be prepared the better prepared you are, the les anxiety you will experience develop and deliver a well-organized speech speakers can better manage their apprehension if they rely on the rules and structures of a public speaking assignment, including following a clear outline pattern when preparing and delivering a speech know your introduction and your conclusion you are likely to feel the most anxious during the opening moments of your speech therefore, it is a good idea to have a clear plan for how you will start your speech if you know how you will end your speech, you will have a safe harbor in case you lose your place if you need to end your speech prematurely, a welldelivered conclusion can permit you to make a graceful exit re-create the speech environment when you practice when you practice your speech, imagine that you are giving your speech to the audience that you will actually address practice aloud rather than just saying the speech to yourself a realistic rehearsal will increase your confidence when your moment to speak arrives use deep-breathing techniques to help break the anxiety-induced breathing pattern, consider taking a few slow deep breaths before you rise to speak channel your nervous energy take a walk before you arrive as you are waiting to be introduced, focus on remaining calm take a moment before you speak to look for a friendly, supportive face visualize your success imagine a scene in which you exhibit skill and comfort as a public speaker it boosts your confidence by helping you see yourself as a more confident, accomplished speaker give yourself a mental pep talk it can give you confidence and take your mind off your nervousness when you feel yourself getting nervous, use positive messages to replace negative thoughts focus on your message rather than on your fear think about what you are going to say (focus on your ideas rather than your fear) before you address your listeners, mentally review your major ideas, your introduction, and your conclusion look for positive listener support for your message when you are aware of positive audience support, you will feel more confident and less nervous look for positive, reinforcing feedback be a positive, support listener for your audience so that they return that favor to you seek speaking opportunities the more experience you gain as a public speaker, the less nervous you will feel after your speech, focus on what you have accomplished rather than on your anxiety when you conclude your speech, don’t fixate on your fear tell yourself something positive to celebrate your accomplishment don’t replay your mental image of yourself as nervous and fearful o o o o