Public Speaking
Chapter One
Speaking with Confidence
Why Study Public Speaking?
O There are two main reasons to study public
speaking: empowerment and employment.
O Empowerment is 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 those who are more
educated, have better training, or who may
even have better ideas).
O This is because being able to communicate and
to position yourself for leadership puts you
“ahead of the pack”
Empowerment (continued…)
O When you are confident in your public
speaking skills, you are able to express
yourself with assurance, conviction, and
confidence.
O This makes others confident in you and your
message.
O Being an empowered speaker can open up
career and leadership opportunities.
O This is because doing so gains you respect and
gives you confidence.
Employment
O Employment is 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 entrylevel 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.
Employment (continued…)
O The skills needed (and most sought by
employers) in terms of public speaking
include:
O ethically adapting information to listeners
O organizing your ideas
O persuading others
O holding listeners’ attention
O Communication skills is THE TOP FACTOR in
helping college graduates gain employment.
Employment (continued…)
O Interviews:
O People interviewing you rely on what you’ve
written on your resume and how you present
yourself and communicate with them.
O What carries more weight?
O Being able to communicate in person and talk
about yourself and your abilities is much more
important than what is written on a resume. The
resume only lists what you have done, the
communication part of interviews tells or shows
prospective employers what you can do.
Public Speaking and
Conversation
O As a public speaker, you will need to learn to
make decisions on your feet (like in a
conversation).
O These decisions will be based on:
O your knowledge of your listeners
O your listeners’ expectations for your speech
O their reactions to what you are saying
Public Speaking and
Conversation (continued…)
O 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
O Unlike conversation, public speaking is
formal.
O as a result, slang or informal language is NOT
APPROPRIATE
Public Speaking and
Conversation (continued…)
O **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
Channel
Message
Receiver
Message
Feedback
O Model of Communication
Model of Communication
O source – the public speaker is the source of
the information and ideas for an audience
O encode – the job of the public speaker is to
encode, or translate, the ideas into verbal
and nonverbal symbols (codes)
O code – a verbal or nonverbal symbol for any
idea or image
O message – the speech itself (both what is
said and how it is said)
Model of Communication
(continued…)
O decode – it is the receiver’s job to translate
the speaker’s codes into ideas and images
(to understand the speaker’s message)
O channel – the visual and auditory means by
which a message is sent from speaker to
receiver
O to be successful, the visual and auditory
symbols must match!
Model of Communication
(continued…)
O receiver – the individual audience member
O noise – anything that interferes with the
communication of the message
O external noise – physical sounds
O internal noise – physiological or
psychological causes
O feedback – verbal and nonverbal responses
provided by and audience to a speaker
Model of Communication
(continued…)
O context – the environment or situation in
which a speech occurs
O time
O place
O the speaker’s and audience’s cultural
traditions and expectations
O * No speech occurs in a vacuum. Each
speech is a blend of circumstances which
can never again be replicated. *
The Heritage of Public
Speaking
O rhetoric – the use of words and symbols to
achieve a goal
O Aristotle formulated guidelines for speakers
that we still use today.
O In Medieval Europe, the clergy were the most
polished public speakers.
O In the 18th century, British subjects in the
colonies listened to the town criers and
impassioned patriots of what was to become
of the United States
Public Speaking and Diversity
O Such factors as the gender, ethnicity, and
culture of both speaker and audience are
crucial components of the context of a
speaking event.
O to be effective, public speakers need to
understand, affirm, and adapt to diverse
audiences
Improving Your Confidence as
a Speaker
O 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
Improving Your Confidence…
(continued…)
O 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 wont’ be interested
O lack of experience
O fear of making mistakes
O overall failure
Improving Your Confidence…
(continued…)
O People feel the most nervous right before
giving their speeches.
O the 2nd highest level of anxiety is when the
teacher explains the assignment
O the least amount of anxiety is experienced
when preparing for a speech
Communication Apprehension
O There are four styles of communication
apprehension:
O average – a generally positive approach to
communicating in public
O insensitive – tend to be less sensitive to
apprehension because of previous experience
in public speaking
O inflexible – highest heart rate when speaking,
uses fear to motivate them
O confrontation style – high heart rate at
beginning, but tapers off to average levels
Understanding Your
Communication Apprehension
O It is important to understand your style of
communication apprehension because:
O it helps to know that you are not alone in your
experiences
O having an idea of your own style may give you
greater insight into better manage your
apprehension
O research supports the idea that
communication apprehension may be a
genetic trait
Public Speaking Tips
O Keep these tips in mind while speaking:
O you are going to feel more nervous than you
look
O almost every speaker feels nervous
O anxiety can be useful
Building Your Confidence as a
Public Speaker
O don’t procrastinate in preparation
O know your audience
O be audience-entered rather than speech
O
O
O
O
O
centered
select an appropriate topic
be prepared
develop and deliver a well-organized speech
know your introduction and conclusion
re-create the speech environment (as close
as possible) while practicing
Building Your Confidence as a
Public Speaker
O use deep-breathing techniques
O visualize your success
O give yourself a mental pep talk
O focus on your message rather then your fear
O look for positive listener support for your
message
O seek speaking opportunities
O after your speech, focus on what you have
accomplished rather than on your anxiety