1. Public Speaking Chapter One
Speaking with Confidence

2. Why Study Public Speaking?
There are two main reasons to study public speaking: empowerment and employment.
Empowerment is to have the resources, information, and attitudes that allow you to take action to achieve a desired goal.
Being a skilled public speaker will give you an edge that others lack (even those who are more educated, have better training, or who may even have better ideas).
This is because being able to communicate and to position yourself for leadership puts you “ahead of the pack”

3. Empowerment (continued…)
When you are confident in your public speaking skills, you are able to express yourself with assurance, conviction, and confidence.
This makes others confident in you and your message.
Being an empowered speaker can open up career and leadership opportunities.
This is because doing so gains you respect and gives you confidence.

4. Employment Employment is to gain employment.
Charles M. Schwab said, “I’ll pay more for a person’s ability to speak and express himself than for any other quality he might possess.”
If you speak well, you possess a skill that others value highly
Whether you are currently employed at an entry-level position or aspire to climb the corporate ladder, being able to communicate effectively (and “talk yourself up”) is the key to success – in any line of work.

5. Employment (continued…)
The skills needed (and most sought by employers) in terms of public speaking include:
ethically adapting information to listeners
organizing your ideas
persuading others
holding listeners’ attention
Communication skills is THE TOP FACTOR in helping college graduates gain employment.

6. Employment (continued…)
Interviews:
People interviewing you rely on what you’ve written on your resume and how you present yourself and communicate with them.
What carries more weight?
Being able to communicate in person and talk about yourself and your abilities is much more important than what is written on a resume. The resume only lists what you have done, the communication part of interviews tells or shows prospective employers what you can do.

7. Public Speaking and Conversation
As a public speaker, you will need to learn to make decisions on your feet (like in a conversation).
These decisions will be based on:
your knowledge of your listeners
your listeners’ expectations for your speech
their reactions to what you are saying

8. Public Speaking and Conversation (continued…)
Public speaking is more planned than conversation.
you should spend plenty of time practicing your speech
as you are practicing (both alone and in front of others), you should also be revising and editing your speech
Unlike conversation, public speaking is formal.
as a result, slang or informal language is NOT APPROPRIATE

9. Public Speaking and Conversation (continued…)
**Remember, you only have one chance to make a first impression. If you have to present information twice, your audience is already lost and will have preconceived notions. **

10. Communication is a Process
Noise
Model of Communication
Source
Channel
Receiver
Message
Message
Feedback

11. Model of Communication
source – the public speaker is the source of the information and ideas for an audience
encode – the job of the public speaker is to encode, or translate, the ideas into verbal and nonverbal symbols (codes)
code – a verbal or nonverbal symbol for any idea or image
message – the speech itself (both what is said and how it is said)

12. Model of Communication (continued…)
decode – it is the receiver’s job to translate the speaker’s codes into ideas and images (to understand the speaker’s message)
channel – the visual and auditory means by which a message is sent from speaker to receiver
to be successful, the visual and auditory symbols must match!

13. Model of Communication (continued…)
receiver – the individual audience member
noise – anything that interferes with the communication of the message
external noise – physical sounds
internal noise – physiological or psychological causes
feedback – verbal and nonverbal responses provided by and audience to a speaker

14. Model of Communication (continued…)
context – the environment or situation in which a speech occurs
time
place
the speaker’s and audience’s cultural traditions and expectations
* No speech occurs in a vacuum. Each speech is a blend of circumstances which can never again be replicated. *

15. The Heritage of Public Speaking
rhetoric – the use of words and symbols to achieve a goal
Aristotle formulated guidelines for speakers that we still use today.
In Medieval Europe, the clergy were the most polished public speakers.
In the 18th century, British subjects in the colonies listened to the town criers and impassioned patriots of what was to become of the United States

16. Public Speaking and Diversity
Such factors as the gender, ethnicity, and culture of both speaker and audience are crucial components of the context of a speaking event.
to be effective, public speakers need to understand, affirm, and adapt to diverse audiences

17. Improving Your Confidence as a Speaker
Understand Your Nervousness
your body summons more energy to deal with the conflict you are facing (shaking, knees quivering, stomach fluttering, etc.)
you are experiencing physiological chances because of your psychological state

18. Improving Your Confidence… (continued…)
The most common causes for feeling nervous when speaking publicly:
fear of humiliation
concern about not being prepared
worry about one’s looks
pressure to perform
personal insecurity
concern that the audience wont’ be interested
lack of experience
fear of making mistakes
overall failure

19. Improving Your Confidence… (continued…)
People feel the most nervous right before giving their speeches.
the 2nd highest level of anxiety is when the teacher explains the assignment
the least amount of anxiety is experienced when preparing for a speech

20. Communication Apprehension
There are four styles of communication apprehension:
average – a generally positive approach to communicating in public
insensitive – tend to be less sensitive to apprehension because of previous experience in public speaking
inflexible – highest heart rate when speaking, uses fear to motivate them
confrontation style – high heart rate at beginning, but tapers off to average levels

21. Understanding Your Communication Apprehension
It is important to understand your style of communication apprehension because:
it helps to know that you are not alone in your experiences
having an idea of your own style may give you greater insight into better manage your apprehension
research supports the idea that communication apprehension may be a genetic trait

22. Public Speaking Tips Keep these tips in mind while speaking:
you are going to feel more nervous than you look
almost every speaker feels nervous
anxiety can be useful

23. Building Your Confidence as a Public Speaker
don’t procrastinate in preparation
know your audience
be audience-entered rather than speech centered
select an appropriate topic
be prepared
develop and deliver a well-organized speech
know your introduction and conclusion
re-create the speech environment (as close as possible) while practicing

24. Building Your Confidence as a Public Speaker
use deep-breathing techniques
visualize your success
give yourself a mental pep talk
focus on your message rather then your fear
look for positive listener support for your message
seek speaking opportunities
after your speech, focus on what you have accomplished rather than on your anxiety