Lesson 20: Public Speaking Teen Leadership

Effective Communication for Leaders Why is it important to learn to communicate more effectively? Your future depends on it! In the next 5-10 years you will be out in the world, working a job, living your life. To be successful at those things you MUST be an effective communicator.

Public Speaking Skills As you work to continually improve your skills of public speaking, it is important to constantly review the skills needed: ◦Eye Contact: Scan the entire audience, make eye contact with individuals. ◦Posture: Stand up straight, shoulders back, ◦Voice Projection: Everyone needs to hear you. ◦Enunciation/Rate of Speaking/Tone of Voice: They must match with your words and have fluctuation. ◦Movement…or lack thereof: Simple hand gestures and body motions. ◦Professionalism: No chewing gum, or tapping on things. ◦Facial Expressions: They need to match your words (smile, frown, raised eyebrows, etc.) ◦Own It!!! It is your time, your space, your speech.

Public Listening Skills As you work to continually improve your skills of public listening, it is important to constantly review the skills needed: ◦Behavior: Quiet body, quiet mouth. ◦Eye Contact: Look at the speaker. ◦Posture: Sit up, do not lay your head down. ◦Feedback:  During the presentation: Nod, smile, “mmhmm”  After the presentation: Ask a question or give positive feedback.

Voice Practice Take your quote, read it carefully. Identify the key parts/words of your quote. When will you pause? NO “UUUUMMMM”!!! When will you speed up or slow down? When will you change your volume/tone? Practice Demonstrate to your peers wnn4 wnn4

BASICS OF COMMUNICATION In our communication with others, no matter the situation, we must all remember to speak keeping two basic, common sense principles in mind: ◦#1 Abide by the Principle of Cooperation ◦#2 Capture People’s Hearts and Minds (Be Influential)

Grice’s Principle of Cooperation 4 rules that must be followed by the speaker and their audience. #1 Maxim of Quality #2 Maxim of Quantity #3 Maxim of Relation #4 Maxim of Manner

#1 Maxim of Quality The speaker must be honest. The audience must expect the speaker to be honest. The audience must be honest. 1. “Don’t say what you believe to be false.” 2. “Don’t say what you lack adequate evidence for.”

#2 Maxim of Quantity Not too much, not too little. 1. “Make your contribution as informative as required.” 2. “Don’t make your contribution more informative than is required.”

#3 Maxim of Relation Be relative. Do not say something that is off topic. All conversation should relate to the topic.

#4 Maxim of Manner 1. “Avoid obscurity of expression.” ◦D not use words your audience wont know. 2. “Avoid ambiguity.” ◦Be precise, not vague. 3. “Be brief.” ◦Do not waste time. 4. “Be orderly.” ◦Chronologically, or step-by-step

Worksheet Complete all four questions. Identify which maxim is being broken as well as how it is being broken. We will discuss as a class.

#2 CAPTURE PEOPLE’S HEARTS AND MINDS (Be Influential) You have to be able to convey your ideas in a way that is meaningful to those around you. Capture their hearts, not only in the message itself, but in the way you deliver the message.

We Must Be Effective Communicators As we look to become more successful in life and in our relationships, we need to become more effective communicators. This should occur in all areas of life, as well as in formal, public speaking forums. To do this, there are FIVE things to consider. Turn to page 34 in your manual to take some notes.

WHAT GREAT SPEAKERS MUST DO #1 KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE ◦Make your speech fit your audience. ◦Think about what will keep the attention of the audience, and incorporate those things into your speech. ◦Use stories or examples to which they can relate.

WHAT GREAT SPEAKERS MUST DO #2 SELECT THE RIGHT COMMUNICATION GOAL ◦To Inform – know your stuff; have facts and figures ready to support your statements ◦To Motivate/Persuade – needs to convey how passionately YOU feel about something so that you can make OTHERS feel the same the way. ◦To Actuate – this means you want to get action from your audience; to move your audience to action on an issue (pre-game pep talk) ◦To Entertain – using elements of humor, stories, etc. where and when appropriate

Ultimately, a good speaker is able to use all of these goals effectively, and often times, in the same presentation.

WHAT GREAT SPEAKERS MUST DO #3 SPEAK FROM YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES ◦You are most knowledgeable about your own personal experiences ◦Use examples and stories from the events of your own life and incorporate them into your presentation where applicable

WHAT GREAT SPEAKERS MUST DO #4 SUPPORT STATEMENTS WITH FACTS ◦Always use supporting facts, details, and examples to back up or prove what you are trying to say. ◦This includes elaborating on your ideas or statements.

WHAT GREAT SPEAKERS MUST DO #5 SPEAK TO PEOPLE’S DESIRES ◦This gets back to the idea of knowing your audience. ◦Find out what motivates people, what their interests are and then speak to those things….especially if you are trying to implement a change in them.

HOW TO BECOME BETTER You must take the time to become effective speakers. Wishing to be a better speaker does NOT make it happen. PRACTICE whenever you can! That is one of the goals of this course…to give you the opportunities to practice and improve.

Group Discussion Activity Grade the speaker using our rubric. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the speaker. Did he know his audience? What was his goal? Did he speak from experiences? Did he support with facts? Did he speak to people’s desires? Be ready to report back to the large group. Therefore, choose a reporter.

Jim Valvano Jim Valvano - While the head basketball coach at North Carolina State University, he won the 1983 NCAA Basketball Tournament against long odds. Valvano is not only remembered for running up and down the court after winning the 1983 NCAA championship, seemingly in disbelief and looking for someone to hug, but also for his inspirational 1993 ESPY Awards speech, given just eight weeks before he died of cancer. Jim Valvano uoVM9nm42E