public speaking |
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 principle of public speaking |
public speaking interesting topic forPublic speaking strikes fear into the hearts of many a grown man and woman.
Hone your speaking skills – someone needs to critique your presentation – a friend, colleague or spouse. Have you tried having someone coach you or received instruction on how to be a better speaker? Think about how you feel when you have to listen to a boring speaker. Make it interesting for your audience. Not only will they have more fun, but your message will get through, because they’ll be listening to you. Public speaking ranks right up there with public torture for most people - they’d rather die than get up in front of a room full of strangers and give a speech of some sort. That’s a pretty silly reaction, considering public speaking really isn’t all that difficult - but there you have it. Vary your presentation - use audio visual props such as flipcharts, PowerPoint presentations, pass out handouts for your audience to read, use different intonations of voice - speak louder or softer - don’t make the mistake of using a monotone. Move around the stage (within reason - you’re not up there to give a Chorus Line review.) Identify your audience – who is your target audience? Who are your attempting to deliver your message to? Is it teachers? Drug addicts? Can you identify with your audience, and even more importantly, can they identify with you? That doesn’t mean your presentation has to be a “laff-riot” – in fact, your subject matter may not be appropriate for large doses of humor. For example, if you’re addressing cancer survivors, you’d want to tone down the ratio of jokes and one-liners, but if you were speaking to a group of salespeople, you could be a little more free-wheeling. You’ll be the best judge of content, knowing your own message and audiences. Just don’t toss out the humor entirely. Like it or not, public speaking is part of the entertainment industry – and even if your message is a serious one – audiences still want to be entertained. If you’ve been hired by an organization or a service club to stand up and deliver a message, you need to be able to do just that – or you won’t be invited back. Nor will you receive any recommendations to address any other group they might be connected with. Let your imagination run wild when trying to imagine props to use. Humor can be introduced into your presentation with some “wild and crazy” props – I’ve seen speakers bring mannequins on stage and throw them around to make a point, I’ve seen people use simple magic tricks and sound-effect machine that make noises like a crying baby or galloping horse to illustrate a point. One sure-fire way of keeping your audience attentive and interested is by using humor throughout your speech. Your ultimate goal as a speaker is to get your message across in an effective manner – but does that mean you need to turn into a comedian just so the audience hears you? In truth, public speaking is like anything else we do in life – the more often we do it, the more familiar it becomes and the better we get at it. A surgeon is a better technician after performing 1,000 surgeries than he is performing his first – the same theory applies to a public speaker – the more practice you have, the better a public performer you will be. Using humor in your presentation is another effective tool, but be very careful to tailor your use of humor or jokes to your audience. How many times have you gone to watch or listen to someone giving a speech and been bored to tears? The speaker obviously hasn’t polished their public speaking skills – they speak in a monotone, their stories are lame – and they apparently have no sense of humor. Even if the message they’re trying to deliver is an important one – they’ve lost their audience. Next, have a “hook” at the very beginning of your presentation - a joke, a one-liner, a poignant story - something that instantly draws your audience into your presentation. Make it funny, make it serious - it doesn’t matter as long as it compliments your presentation - but make it interesting enough to make your audience listen to you. Some simple preparation and advance planning will get you past that overwhelming fear you feel about public speaking. There are relaxation methods you can practice prior to giving your speech, not to mention going over the actual material in your presentation until you know it backwards and forwards. In fact, that’s the place you need to start - knowing your material. How well do you know your message? You need to be able to answer any question your audience asks. If you can’t do that, you haven’t prepared enough. Read about your subject, study it from every angle – you need to feel, look and sound like an expert. A little pre-planning and practice can go a long way toward alleviating that paralyzing fear of getting up in front of a crowd – the more knowledgeable you are about your subject, the more confident you’ll be in your presentation, and the more effective a speaker you’ll be. Keep in mind that almost all audiences – from the guests at a wedding to a political fundraiser – want you to do well, so the chances of tomatoes being tossed in your direction are slight.
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public speaking interesting topic for online resources. |
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