An Introduction to Public Speaking

What is the purpose of a Speech? To inform your audience To convince your audience To teach your audience To entertain your audience

What are the Different Types of Speeches? Persuasive Speech – a speech that aims to convince your audience of an idea or change the point of view and stance of your audience Demonstrative Speech – a speech that shows your audience how to do or make something Informative Speech – a speech that aims to give your audience information on a specific subject and to educate them Entertaining Speech – a speech that is written in order to please and entertain your audience

What do you consider when preparing a speech? Your audience – Who are they? How old are they? How many of them? What do you want them to know/learn? Your purpose – What are you trying to achieve through this speech? What do you want people to walk away from it with? Your subject – How well do you know this subject? Is it appropriate for your audience? Did you research enough? Your delivery – Are you speaking clearly? What does your body language say to the audience? Are you effectively delivering your information?

More than just words… How you look and sound during a speech is just as important as what you say. Your speaking voice must be clear and loud enough for your audience to hear. No one will pay attention to what you have to say if they are straining to hear you. You must add emphasis to your speech. Avoid being monotone. It will put your audience to sleep. Speak at a consistent speed. Do not rush through your speech just to get it over with. Also, do not speak so slowly that your audience loses interest.

More than just words… Be sure you are speaking at a level that is appropriate for your audience. You would not speak to a first grade class the same way you speak to a group or parents. Make sure your grammar is proper. Do not take attention away from what you are saying by how you are saying it.

More than just words… How you look during a speech can also be crucial to how your audience reacts to your speech Stand up straight! Do not hunch over to slouch LOOK at your audience. No one wants to stare at the top of your head. Do not be afraid to move your body and hands. Add emphasis to what you are saying through your body language. Look around the room. Do not stare at one person of the back wall. Make your audience feel as though you are connecting with each of them.

Preparing your speech You must research and gather your information thoroughly. The more comfortable you are about your subject, the more comfortable you will be when delivering your speech. Organize your speech! There must be some sense or order to your speech, either by time (chronological) or by importance of points. There must be some logical flow to your information.

Preparing your speech Your speech must have an opening and a closing. The opening should introduce the subject of the speech and prepare your audience for what they are about to hear. The closing should restate your main point and signal to the audience that the speech has ended.

Preparing your speech You must PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Practice is absolutely necessary in order to give an effective speech.

Your Assignment Your assignment is to write, prepare, and deliver a 3 minute Persuasive Speech to the class. Your speech can be on any subject you like, but remember you are trying to convince your audience and make them agree with you. You will create a power point to go along with your speech with photos and graphs that will help to persuade your audience.

Preparing a Persuasive Speech Step 1 – Choose a topic A major part of the perceived difficulty around writing a persuasive speech is choosing a topic. The possibilities are vast. How do you narrow them down? The answer is to choose something that you genuinely care about AND that you know your audience will be interested in.

Preparing a Persuasive Speech Step 2 - Set a goal for your speech The goal of writing a persuasive speech is to change or move the audience toward accepting your position on the topic. An essential part of that is knowing exactly what it is you want to achieve. There are degrees of change. Do you want a little or a lot? What you decide is called your most wanted response or MWR. Do you want to open your audience’s mind to an idea or change the way they think?

Preparing a Persuasive Speech Step 3 - Audience analysis How you persuade is most effectively established when you understand who you are talking to. You must know who your audience is and tailor your speech for that particular audience. Things you must consider are: General Age Gender Shared fears, concerns, or problems Cultural/Religious background(s) Shared interests, beliefs, values What they may already know and believe about your topic The more you can find out, the more you can tailor writing a persuasive speech including tone, vocabulary, and language choice.

Preparing a Persuasive Speech Step 4 – Do the research! A persuasive speech depends upon solid, convincing research and evidence. Don’t rely on a single source, and research various sources, not just online information. Organize your research as you collect it. This will make citing easier. Also, remember you must know about your side of the argument AND the opposing.

Preparing a Persuasive Speech Step 5 - Write a thesis statement In a single sentence, state your proposal or position. What’s the main idea that you’re trying to get across to your audience? What do you want the listeners to agree to? This thesis statement will be used in the opening of your speech.

Preparing a Persuasive Speech Step 6 - Write your first draft OPENING Use a lead that grabs the listeners’ attention Give background information about the situation (including BOTH sides) Include a thesis statement that gives YOUR stance (side) BODY OF SPEECH Deliver details that will convince the reader that your idea is a good one Use anecdotes and specific examples to support your opinion Address the listeners’ concerns or objections (counterarguments) and show how they can be dealt with. For example: Some people say [possible objection], but the fact is [your response to the objections.] CONCLUSION Restate your thesis in a new way Make a call to action and leave the reader with a clear thought

Preparing a Persuasive Speech Step 7 – Practice & Revise When you practice you will see where your speech needs revision. Try practicing in front of a family member, or better record yourself! You will see where the speech gets boring, what you need to emphasize more, and what sounds awkward. When revising, ask yourself these questions: Have you used specific details to persuade? (anecdotes, examples, statistics, interview quotations, expert opinions, or facts) Have you answered objections that your audience might make? Does the beginning capture the reader’s attention? Does the ending contain a clear call to action? Did you include transitional words and phrases to connect your ideas and make your speech flow?

Preparing a Persuasive Speech Step 8 – Final Draft When you feel that your speech is perfect (perfectly convincing) you have to write it on whatever you would like to read from during your speech. If you are the President, this is done for you on teleprompters, but you may want to use index cards. Remember to organize your index cards in a natural flowing way that will be easy to control during your speech.

Preparing a Persuasive Speech Step 9 – Create Visual Aids Your PowerPoint should not contain the words of your speech. Your PowerPoint should contain photos, statistics, charts, quotations, or any piece of information that will help you to convince your audience. You must refer to your slides during your speech.

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