BUILDING CONFIDENCE
Lesson 1 Intro to Public Speaking
Business meeting game
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Make a tie or a bow.
Write 2-3 facts on it and your name.
1 fact should not be true.
Go around the room and try to guess which
is not true.
Introduction
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What is your major? How can you see yourself having
to speak in public in the future?
Agree or Disagree:
 “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them
across, your brain won’t get you anywhere.”(Lee
Iacocca)
Similarities Between Public
Speaking & Conversation
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Same goals: inform, persuade, entertain
Organizing your thoughts logically
Tailoring your message to your audience
Telling a story for maximum effect
Adapting to listener feedback
Differences Between Public
Speaking & Conversation
Public speaking requires:
 more
structure
 more
formal language
 different
method of delivery.
Public Speaking
and Critical Thinking
Critical thinking skills:

Strengths & weaknesses of an argument
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Credibility of sources

Logical relationships among ideas,
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Soundness of evidence,

Differences between fact and opinion.
Structure of speech parallels thinking on topic--disjointed &
confused OR clear & cohesive.
Public Speaking and
Critical Thinking, cont.
Skills learned in PS will help you become a
more effective thinker in:
 Organizing
 Expressing
 Thinking
 Using
ideas
idea in clear, accurate language
clearly and accurately
evidence & reasoning effectively
 Critically
assessing ideas of speakers & writers
The Speech
Communication Process

Speaker—person presenting oral message to
listener

Message—whatever speaker communicates to

someone else
Channel--means by which message is communicated
Listener--person who receives speaker’s message

The Speech
Communication Process, cont.
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Feedback--messages, usually nonverbal, sent from
a listener to a speaker
Interference--anything that impedes
communication of message (external to listener or
internal to listener)
Situation--time & place in which communication
occurs
Interference
Schprechen sie
Deutsch?
Parlez-vous Francais?
Public Speaking in a
Multicultural World
How diverse is Russia?
150 languages, >100 nationalities
Ethnocentrism—belief that one’s own group or culture
is superior to others
T/F Avoiding ethnocentrism means that you must
agree with values and practices of all groups and
cultures???
How can you avoid ethnocentrism when speaking &
listening to speeches?
Avoiding Ethnocentrism
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Put yourself in shoes of other backgrounds.
Use a variety of examples & comparisons.
Use visual aids to overcome language barriers.
Be alert to feedback.
Public Speaking Produces Anxiety in
Most People
People’s Biggest Fears
3. Death
2. Snakes
1. Public Speaking
Stage Fright
(Communication Apprehension)
Flight
Fight
Managing Stage Fright
6.
Understand it.
Select interesting topics.
Be prepared.
Use extra energy
constructively.
Realize audience is FOR you.
Remember fear isn’t obvious.
7.
Maintain sense of humor.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
How to overcome nervousness
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Know the room.
Arrive early
Know the audience.
Ask and greet
Know your material.
Practice and revise
How to overcome nervousness
Relax.
Use Deep-breathing Techniques
 Work from your personal brand
(Try the exercise)
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Visualize yourself giving your speech.
=success
 Realize that people want you to succeed.
How to overcome nervousness

Don't apologize.
Concentrate on the message
-- not the fear.
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Turn nervousness into positive energy.
= vitality and enthusiasm
How to overcome nervousness
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Gain experience.
Experience builds confidence, which is the key to
effective speaking.
Bag Speech
Give a short (2-2 1/2 minutes) speech of
introduction telling class how you view yourself.
 Place 3 or 4 items which you think help explain
who you are inside a bag. (The bag itself should
tell something about you.)
 Use the objects in the bag & tell the class how
they are descriptive of how you view yourself.
(Items may be symbolic.)
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3 Cs
Clear
 Concise
 Consistent
message
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It's quite simple. Say what you have to say and when
you come to a sentence with a grammatical ending,
sit down." - Winston Churchill