Becoming a Public Speaker Communications 1020 Instructor: Dave Gagon

“In a recent survey of employers, oral communication skills ranked first in such critical areas as interpersonal, analytical, teamwork and computer skills.” Source: Job Outlook 2002, a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 2002. Public speaking training sharpens your ability to reason and think critically. Become skilled at structuring ideas and identifying and strengthening the weak links in your thinking.

Public Speaking as a Form of Communication Dyadic Two people talking together Small group People speaking to each other Mass Speaker to large audience – not present Public speaking Speaker to audience – present In public speaking a speaker delivers a message with a specific purpose to an audience of people who are present during the delivery of the speech. Public speaking shares many features of the other forms of communication, but, because the speaker is the focal point of attention in what is usually a formal setting, listeners expect a more systematic presentation than they do in conversation or small goups.

Elements in Communication Process Source - sender or receiver Encoding Decoding Message Feedback Channel Noise Shared meaning Rhetorical situation Shared meaning is the mutual understanding of a message between speaker and audience. The lowest level of shared meaning exists when the speaker has merely caught the audience’s attention. As the message develops, a higher degree of shared meaning is possible. Thus speaker and listener make a speech a speech. Rhetorical situation includes anything that influences the speaker, the audience, the speech, or occasion – the speech assignment, the physical setting, quality of speaker’s presentation, and other events.

Adopt an Audience Perspective QUICK TIP Adopt an Audience Perspective Speakers who don’t know or don’t understand their audience (the receivers) are likely to deliver ineffective or inappropriate messages. Whether speaking to an audience of one or one hundred, always adopt an audience perspective – that is, try to determine the needs, attitudes, and values of your audience before drafting your speech.

Classical Roots of Public Speaking Oratory or rhetoric Dates back to Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E) Ancient public speaking dates to 5th century B.C.E. in Greece Settle civil disputes Determine public policy Establish laws Public speaking is a discipline with a long history dating back to before Aristotle. It was originally known as oratory or rhetoric

Parts of Speech - cannons of rhetoric Invention Adapting speech to audience to make case Arrangement Organizing speech in best way for audience Style Way speaker uses language Memory Methods of rehearsing Delivery Presenting the speech Invitation refers to adapting speech information to the audience in order to make your case. Arrangement is organizing the speech in ways best suited to the topic and audience. Style is the way the speaker uses languages to express the speech ideas Memory is the method of rehearsing Delivery is the presentation of the speech

Learning to speak in Public Draw on familiar skills Conversation When not understood, adjust speech Learn interests and attitudes Both the conversationalist and the public speaker try to uncover the audience’s interests and needs before speaking Planning and delivering a speech is much the same as engaging in a particularly important conversation. When speaking with a friend, you automatically check to make certain that you are understood and then adjust your meaning according. You also tend to discuss issues that are appropriate to the circumstances. When a relative stranger is involved, however, you try to get to know his or her interests and attitudes before revealing any strong opinions. These instinctive adjustments to your audience, topic and occasion represent critical steps in creating a speech.

Learning to Speak in Public Use familiar words Easy-to-follow sentences Straightforward syntax Audience expects you to speak in a clear, recognizable and organized fashion. To do this you must PRACTICE!!! More so than writers, successful speakers generally use familiar words, easy-to-follow sentences, and straight forward syntax (subject-verb-object agreement). Oral language is often more interactive and inclusive of the audience than written language. The personal pronouns we, I and you occur more frequently in the spoken word. Yet because public speaking usually occurs in more formal settings than does everyday conversation, listeners expect a more formal style of communication from the speaker. LAST PART OF SLIDE HERE. “Audience expects. . .

Become a Culturally Sensitive Speaker Audience needs to believe you have their interest in mind Show sensitivity to audience’s beliefs Be careful of ethnocentrism – be respective of alternative viewpoints Everyone wants to feel recognized and included in the speaker’s message. To create this sense of inclusion, the public speaker must attempt to CHANGE TO NEXT LINE understand and audience’s beliefs and norms and be culturally sensitive. The flip side of this is CHANGE TO NEXT LINE ethnocentrism, the belief that the ways of one’s own culture are superior to those of another.