Presentation Formats for Public Speaking

There are many different ways to present speeches and to a large degree your choice of presentation will depend on the type of speech you are going to make, and the audience you are addressing. By the same token, you might find that certain types of public speaking presentations and formats make you feel a lot more comfortable than others.

Presentation relates to various factors including:

•    The way you structure and organize your speech. A well structured speech will be easier for you to remember and therefore easier for the audience to follow. It will also be more credible and your audience is likely to enjoy it more.
•    The introduction and conclusion of your speech, both of which are related to structure. While the guts of any speech, is obviously important, it is generally the introduction and conclusion that will make or break it for the audience.
•    The aim of your speech. If you are speaking to entertain then you need a presentation that will make your audience laugh. If you are giving a serious speech on economic and financial matters, you want your audience to leave feeling they have learnt something or benefited in some way, although you can still introduce some humor.
•    The type of speech you are going to give, for example whether it is informative, persuasive or ceremonial.  For each of these to be successful, your focus, and therefore your presentation, will be rather different. For example, an informative speech will benefit most from using various visual aids to share knowledge.
•    Delivery and speaking style. You can choose to read a speech, memorize it, present it spontaneously, or you can prepare a speech and adapt it as you go along, depending on audience response. The last option is by far the best in terms of keeping audience interest alive, as well as your own credibility. But sometimes circumstances require reading, memorizing and speaking off-the-cuff — so bear this in mind.
•    Any additional aids you are going to use — for example a flip chart or a screen. Visual aids can be used both as a means of reminding you (the speaker) what comes next, as well as a way to reinforce what you are saying.
•    The need to demonstrate tasks or methods, for example cooking demonstrations or the way machines work. Here the food or machine, or whatever else is being demonstrated and described becomes, in a way, a visual aid.

If you decide to use visual aids in your presentation, there is one very important factor to consider. That is how much to include in your presentation. Unlike a book that can be packed with pretty well every possible form of support material, a speech has a lifespan, and the audience will only be able to absorb so much.

Just as speakers are advised to compile and then cut down on speech material, so too is it advisable to see what support material is available, and then be selective. Choose graphs, pictures, tables and small chunks of text that will support and back up what you have to say, without confusing your audience. Discard what is not essential.


Public Speaking and Kids

The idea of teaching public speaking to kids is nothing new. It’s been happening for more than a century.

Over the years there have been a myriad of books written about public speaking and how important it is for younger people to learn effective speaking and to be able to speak before an audience. Public speaking is taught in schools and colleges all over the world. And in addition to what happens in the schools, there are also many clubs and organizations that have been set up to further the teaching process — for young and old alike.

But why is public speaking so important?

First and foremost it’s got to do with effective communication. A person who mutters and murmurs and is unsure of what he or she is trying to say, is not going to attract positive attention or get very far in life. On the other hand, a person who can express themselves clearly and articulately will make a good impression and is likely to succeed both socially and in business. This is because a good speaker can be persuasive and reassuring. Furthermore, the very ability of being able to speak well in public instills a certain confidence and self assurance within one’s self, which is an invaluable tool in life.

Being able to “influence” people with intelligent speeches (or talk) has become a primary reason why school kids learn public speaking. Furthermore, by learning the required skills at an early age, most kids are able to speak effortlessly, and painlessly, later in life. They may still feel nervous getting up in front of a large crowd, but experience and practice will always make it a lot easier.  That is a proven fact.

But there is much more than this, because as anyone who has developed public speaking skills will know, the ability to speak in public, before a sea of strange faces, is a learned skill. It teaches you how to think calmly and clearly when talking to a group of people, however big this audience is.

If kids are taught by good teachers, and not people who tell them to simply memorize and recite speeches, they will also learn how to develop their own thoughts and opinions. A good teacher can use public speaking training to encourage kids to research different subjects and scrutinize what they have learned. This is an ideal way to learn about new things in an objective and meaningful manner. The same training can be used to help pupils develop memory skills. A good teacher should also be able to show kids that strong speaking skills will give them opportunities that others don’t have.

In addition to overcoming public speaking fears and being able to present intelligent thoughts, learning how to speak in public should also teach children language skills. This means not just finding the right words, but knowing how to pronounce them and how to structure sentences correctly.

So you will see that teaching public speaking to young people has the potential to help them grow in every possible way.


How to Improve Your Public Speaking Voice

While overcoming stage fright is probably the first hurdle anyone starting out in public speaking wants to achieve, there are many other ways that you can improve your public speaking skills. These range from improving the quality of your voice to the way you present yourself to an audience, and even the way you dress.

Rightly or wrongly, many people associate voice quality with general health conditions and personality traits. A strong, resonant voice seems to indicate a healthy body and a well adjusted personality, whilst a weak, ineffective, or squeaky voice seems to show a lack of physical vigor and suggest general inadequacies. If you’ve ever had to make a speech while you were feeling sick or had a cold, and couldn’t stop coughing or sneezing, you will appreciate this idea even more.

Happily, it is reasonably easy to train our voices, at very least by understanding how to breathe correctly when we speak. We all breathe constantly, day and night, but when we talk, we interrupt that breathing process, and sometimes end up gulping for breath. The way to overcome this is to make sure there is always enough air in our lungs to be able to speak. A good tip is to take a deep breath at the beginning of each new idea. Don’t gulp, but rather take a little time and allow your whole chest cavity to fill with air. If you practice this, it will become completely natural when you speak.

Standing up straight also helps, as does learning how to relax.

Try standing and breathing incorrectly to see how different your voice sounds. If you stand with your chest out, shoulders back, chin in and push your weight forward on your toes, only the upper part of your lungs will fill with air. Chances are that your voice will sound harsh and you won’t be able to project it. This is because your chest and throat are stiff and strained. Now poke your chin out, push your shoulders forward so that your back is rounded, and put your weight on your heels. Only the lower part of your chest will fill with air and your voice will be breathy and also not project.

To be able to control your breathing fully, and project your voice – and therefore make yourself heard – stand with your shoulders square, your back straight, and relax your chin. You should feel well balanced and be able to fill your entire chest with air, so that your diaphragm flattens slightly. When you breathe with your upper chest only, your diaphragm scarcely moves, and when you breathe with your lower chest, it is pushed down too much.

Before you make any sort of speech, breathe deeply and try to relax not just your body, but your mind and spirit as well.

When it comes to delivering the speech, it is not only what you say that is important, but also how you say it. Here are some more factors to practice and remember:

  • Pronunciation. This is the correct way in which words are pronounced (or spoken) in a particular language. If you pronounce words incorrectly this might reduce your credibility.
  • Diction. This relates to the way words are pronounced as well as to the choice and use of words and phrases chosen to express the meaning of words. Good diction increases credibility and is the sign of an intelligent speaker.
  • Pitch. This relates to how high or low our voices are. When we speak, we need to change the pitch from time to time to avoid sounding monotonous and therefore boring.
  • Pace. This is the rate at which we speak, and like pitch, we can use it to enliven speeches and make them more interesting. For ordinary conversation we normally use a medium pace. You may quicken the pace during a speech to help show strong emotion. But don’t speak quickly for too long or your words may become garbled. Slowing down the pace of a speech generally adds dignity and/or adds emphasis to words or phrases.

Resources for Presentation Skill Training

If you want to enhance your public speaking and leadership skills, there are various groups and training organizations that will help you. By involving yourself with others who have similar interests and also want to improve these skills, you will find they usually offer a good support system and an ideal source of encouragement.

One of the best known and best established organizations is Toastmasters International. Formed in California in 1924, Toastmasters offers presentation skill training in towns and cities all over the world. How it works is that interested people form clubs, and meet regularly to practice their public speaking in front of other people who also want to improve their public speaking skills. There are no instructors as such, instead other members of the club, who are people skilled in public speaking, give feedback and suggest ways that each speaker can improve.

Since most people who have mastered the art of public speaker agree that only practice makes perfect, this learn-by-doing option is a really good one.

Toastmasters clubs help members learn some of the many skills that make a good public speaker. These include:

  • Advice on how to use humor successfully.
  • How to present yourself and how to move and gesticulate.
  • How to make eye contact with an audience and why this is so important.
  • Ways to organize and prepare speeches.
  • How to deliver speeches successfully.

Once members have completed these basic exercises and delivered 10 speeches at a club, they are able to choose from 15 much more advanced courses that teach additional important skills.

Toastmasters clubs also have a Competent Leadership Manual and they encourage members to join their High Performance Leadership Program. This involves members becoming officers at other clubs or associations. And just as they learn to speak by speaking, they learn leadership skills by taking on leadership roles.

Another international organization that offers opportunities to develop public speaking skills is Meetup (www.meetup.com), a network that makes it easy for people to organize group meetings within specific areas of interest. Even if public speaking is not the main focus of a group, many of these groups will give you the opportunity to speak before an audience and increase your confidence.

Of course there are also many smaller organizations that do specialize in public speaking coaching, some that operate in one city or area only. You can find these by doing searches on the Internet or by searching your local Yellow Pages.

If you are confident enough, another way to get hands-on public speaking training is to volunteer to talk at meetings or social occasions. Or you can set up your own group, starting with friends who also have an interest in improving their talk skills. Take turns to record each performance on video, and then play back the videos and make constructive comments – critical or otherwise.

While doing-it really is the best way to improve the way you speak in public, it is useful to have a good understanding of all the basic tricks. So read as much as you can and try to absorb the tips that other people offer. Then, when you stand up and give a speech, practice what you have learned.

Don’t ever forget that you never stop learning, and that practice makes perfect.


Teaching Public Speaking

It can be a challenge to teach public speaking to people who have never talked to audiences before, or to young people who do not recognize the value of public speaking skills in life. Not only do you have to teach them HOW to do it successfully, but you also need to educate them in terms of WHY it is so important. How they can develop confidence and invaluable leadership qualities that will help them succeed in every aspect of life.

If you can show young or novice students how public speaking has helped turn the lives of certain people around, then you will find that half your job is done. As soon as a student really wants to learn, you have somebody who is able to learn.

One of the challenges for those who teach public speaking is to convince their new students that public speaking is a skill that they can learn. That might sound a bit odd, but lots of people believe that good speakers are born and not bred or trained. Nothing could be further from the truth. Some of the very best speakers in the world began with no obvious skills at all. Many were forced by circumstance to learn these skills, to better themselves or simply to cope with jobs that demanded that they talk to groups of people. On the other hand, many people who were taught how to speak in public simply went on to succeed in life – because of that very skill.

Some of the things that you are going to have to instill in new students include the fact that public speaking is multi-faceted. You need to have something to say. Then you have to find a good way to say it. Having decided how best to present the speech, you have to find a way to deliver it successfully. The most charismatic person in the world will not succeed in public speaking without some substance in terms of speech content. And a highly literate person, with incredible ideas and thoughts, will not succeed either, without the ability to present and deliver these ideas and thoughts.

In addition to all of this, there is also the puzzle of what to talk about. Finding a topic is something that young people often find difficult. But many find it even more difficult to tackle a speech when the topic is given. Here you will need to do some good, solid research training. A good teacher will be able to help students find information and also help them to analyze what they have found. The best public speakers make what they say their own. This does not just happen. Instead they have to question and make judgments, and give opinions. Few young people are able to do this without prompting. They need to learn these skills along with other skills that will make them feel relaxed and confident when they are faced by a sea of eyes in front of them. They need to learn how to present their words, and how to present themselves.

As a teacher you will have to take all these factors onto another level and show how each one can be successfully achieved. For the student there will be a division between the theory and the practical work. A successful teacher will have the ability to blend the two, enabling the student to succeed.


Better Jobs with Public Speaking

You don’t have to be able to speak well in public to be good at what you do, but whatever you do, public speaking skills can help you excel at it. And if you excel at what you do, chances are you will land a better job. It really is that simple.

The funny thing is that it really doesn’t matter what sort of job you are after. If you learn to speak well, you’ll find you are able to communicate better and you will instill confidence in yourself and in other people. People who undertake this type of training aren’t necessarily looking for formal public speaking jobs. In fact if you join Toastmasters anywhere in the world, you will find that remarkably few Toastmasters do public speaking for a living. But they reap the benefits nevertheless.

Toastmasters and other similar organizations aren’t just about making speeches. Instead these organizations help you to improve your self-confidence and use public speaking to go further in life. This doesn’t mean you necessarily have to talk to large audiences either.

Many (if not most) real-life public speaking exercises involve small numbers of people, like groups of colleagues or potential clients. What this means is that you have to be able to share information with the people you work with — not just talk to them. You have to instill confidence and make them realize that they need to pay attention to what you are saying. If you don’t have the confidence to say what you need to say, you simply won’t succeed. They won’t pay attention, and they won’t act accordingly.

There is no doubt that public speaking training is a good idea for anyone who finds responding in a group situation difficult. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be able to take the floor. You just have to be able to respond appropriately. Put yourself in a group situation and you will know immediately how you feel. If your stomach knots, your hands shake, your throat goes dry or you simply feel that you need to keep quiet, you need help coping with speaking in public.

Public speaking training is also a good idea for people who don’t communicate well, or who find it difficult to network with other people. These people may be able to talk, but they often get it wrong, antagonizing people, rather than gaining their confidence.

One of the earliest protagonists of learning the art of public speaking was Dale Carnegie, author of numerous books published in the mid-20th century, including How to Win Friends and Influence People. The Dale Carnegie schools that were set up to follow his teachings, continue to instill personal confidence, improve communication and networking skills, and show students how to develop poise and polish their skills. These schools are legendary.

The fact is that if you can speak well, you will make a good impression and communicate better.  You’ll become a more believable personality and people will be quick to trust you.  A person who has a solid command of their language, and is able to make people listen and be interested, has a definite lead.  Have you?


Using Public Speaking Quotes

There is a lot that writers and speakers share in common, from articulating their ideas through structured language, to having the self confidence to communicate what they believe, to the need to establish credibility with their readers or audience.

Once a writer or speaker has achieved a good reputation, their credibility will be established.  Until that point, and even afterwards, they can improve their credibility by aligning themselves with successful, knowledgeable and respected people. Both can do this in a number of different ways, from endorsing what these people have done or said, to using famous written or public speaking quotes. Alternatively they can simply find relevant quotes from people who know the subject matter and are themselves well respected.

In public speaking assignments in particular, using quotes from other people can add impact and verve to the delivery. The person being quoted does not necessarily need to be well-known. It is what they have to say that is important.

Using humorous quotes can also add entertainment value and put smiles on the faces of your audience. This helps to relax both the speaker and make those being spoken to feel more at home. Quoting a funny story, either yours or somebody else’s, can be a successful way of opening a speech. But it does depend on circumstance, and you need to think carefully before going ahead with this line of thought.

In general, the way you use quotes in a speech, and the type of quotes you choose for a speech, will depend partly on the topic of discussion as well as the audience you are addressing. They need to be relevant both to the topic and to the people listening. This is absolutely vital.

If the speech is a serious one, quoting proven facts or statistics can help to establish you as an expert. But again, they must be relevant.

So where do you start looking for quotes that will suit your speech and add to your credibility?

First of all remember that you are choosing quotes to back up your speech — not to bulk it up. So you are looking for quotes that are reasonably short and either:

  • clever,
  • funny,
  • fact specific, or
  • plain interesting

Once you have decided on the subject of your speech, you can search the Internet for relevant information where you might find some quotes, or you can delve into books on the subject. Alternatively you could page through old copies of Reader’s Digest to see what funny quotes and comments they have used.

But don’t use a quote just for the sake of using a quote. If you can’t find anything that fits, go back to basics and draw on your own personal experiences. This is often the best approach of all.


“Acres” of Topics for Public Speaking

Dr Russell Herman Conwell got it right when he said the greatest opportunities people have are usually right there, under their own two feet. Right in their own back yard, so to speak.

If you think about it the other way around, you will realize that very few people look for opportunities close to them, whether they are looking for public speaking topics or a business opportunity. Instead, they think they have to search in remote places to find some esoteric key to their success.

Dr Conwell, who was a lawyer, Baptist preacher and popular speaker in the early 20th century, told several stories about people who lost life-changing opportunities because they simply overlooked the “diamonds” on their own front doorstep. While they were looking far afield for some exotic or rare promise of fortune, they ignored the incredible opportunity that was right within their own reach. Conwell delivered this famous Acres of Diamonds speech probably thousands of times. It is said there is no definitive version of the speech, because each time he delivered it a little differently. And each time his audience was no less spellbound by his words.

But let’s get back to public speaking topics. Conwell hit the nail on the head when he said they key to success is to look at what you have, before you look further afield. If you focus on something you find interesting, particularly something you know and feel strongly about, you will find the task of speaking in public a whole lot easier. In fact, that was partly the secret to the phenomenal power of Conwell’s own speeches. The fact that he told the story differently each time means that its potency came not from carefully chosen words, but from passion and understanding about his topic!

If you are the master of your subject (especially if you are passionate about it) you will find it much easier to speak effectively and make a strong impression. It’s not the topic that will grab people so much as it is YOU that grabs them — your authority and your enthusiasm.

Remember your favorite teachers in high school or college? It was probably their total involvement in and mastery of their subject — and their enthusiasm to share it with you — that made you look forward to their class. Hands down, a passionate oratory by a stamp collecting enthusiast about his hobby will always make a more captivating speech than a mechanical presentation about a more “noble” subject, like prevention of global warming, or the need for world peace. Of course, those topics are great and worthy to speak about. But their potential remains unrealized if the speaker is not committed to them mentally and emotionally.

You see, conviction is the key.

As Dale Carnegie said, in one of his many books about public speaking, “Real preparation consists in digging something out of yourself, in assembling and arranging your own thoughts, in cherishing and nurturing your own convictions,” he wrote.

This makes perfect sense. So if you are at a loss for a public speaking topic, look deep within yourself and find whatever is very close to your heart.  Search your own acres of knowledge and interest, and success in public speaking — or anything — is sure to follow.


Overcoming Public Speaking Fears

If the idea of public speaking fills you with trepidation and severe anxiety, it might help you to know that you are not alone. According to numerous studies and surveys, people generally fear public speaking even more than death or dreaded diseases.

According to Dr Michael Telch of the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders at the University of Texas’s Psychology Department, more than 15 percent of Americans suffer from dramatic public speaking fears. These are so bad, he says that “people have had to turn down jobs, and certainly students have dropped classes because of it.”

The good news is that there are ways that you can manage public speaking anxiety and mask these fears from your audience, and even build the confidence which will conquer your fears altogether.

The first thing you should remember is that fear is natural. The second is that fear can be overcome with positive thoughts. Thirdly, the more you practice, the easier it will get.

A great lesson can be learned from the many people who have undergone extreme life experiences of one kind or another, and then subsequently became highly successful motivational speakers. These people were able to transform their own profound experience into a lifetime mission, sharing that experience and giving hope and inspiration to others. Better still, most make a good living from public speaking. It is doubtful that many of them recognized their inner ability to speak in public prior to this. Rather, it is what they have learned about themselves, and their power to overcome the worst odds life could deal, that has given them the will to deliver and share publicly.

So you’re not a motivational speaker and you haven’t had a life-changing experience. But you can plug into the inherent enthusiasm and positivity of whatever you do know and like. If you focus on positivity, then you will immediately feel more comfortable and at ease. If you start to feel at ease, your audience will start to relax too.

If you are a naturally shy person, you don’t have to pretend to be an extrovert when you talk in public. In fact many introverted people make great public speakers. Instead of standing up and acting — pretending to be confident and brave — be true to yourself. You have something to say, and those who have invited you to share this information value whatever this is.

It will also help if you use good public speaking techniques, like:

  • being organized and knowing what you are going to say,
  • rehearsing until you’re confident that you know what you want to say — even if it comes out differently on the actual day,
  • breathing deeply and relaxing before you start talking (this is relevant even if you want to ask a question from the audience,
  • making eye contact with people in your audience,
  • concentrating on your body language and avoiding things that will antagonize your audience (like folding your arms or keeping your hands in your pockets),
  • ignoring mistakes you make during your speech, and
  • ultimately, remaining confident and positive throughout.

Remember that the most nerve-wracking part of any public speaking assignment is the anticipation before it starts. It’s the same for anything. Athletes often feel nervous before they go into action too. But, more importantly, realize that this anxious anticipation is also the source of the excitement and focus that lead to a powerful and dynamic speech. It’s energy that can be channeled into positive use. In fact, without it, your performance would be lacking one of its most essential ingredients! Many seasoned professional speakers experience this before going on stage, and know that working with it is one of the secrets to their success.

So be prepared, focus, do your best, and your success will be certain.


Public Speaking Help — Knowing Your Audience

Anyone who is invited to speak in public will be told who they are expected to speak to and what they are expected to talk about, if only in a very general context. So if somebody wants you to make a speech, make sure that you know these very basic facts before you accept the challenge.

If you don’t know what to expect in terms of the audience or your topic, you are shooting in the dark. You might need some additional public speaking help in terms of a more detailed analysis of your audience, so that you can connect more successfully with them and give them something meaningful to take home.

One of the most important aspects of public speaking is to realize that your audience defines your degree of success. If you don’t connect with your audience, all will be lost. If your audience likes you, you’ll be on your way. And if they love you, you’ll probably be invited back to do it again!

But it isn’t necessarily that easy. Talk to any actor and you will discover that audiences are fickle. They are also unpredictable. So before you get stage fright just from reading about the negative possibilities that relate to audiences and public speaking, make it your business to find out how to prepare for an audience of any kind.

Audience profiles are vast and varied, but they usually relate directly to the event or function where they are gathered. For this reason, as individuals, they will usually have at least one thing in common. Here are some reasonably diverse examples:

  • In a work environment, the audience will usually be drawn either from the workforce, and/or from clients or others who are involved in the business. The business, or a particular aspect of the business, is what they will have in common.
  • At a wedding, the audience will be drawn from the friends and family of the two people getting married. The common factor here is obviously the couple.
  • At the launch of a new product, the audience will include those who were involved in either producing, distributing or marketing the product, as well as prospective buyers and probably also interested media people who may help publicize the new product.

You don’t need to know who exactly the people in your audience are, but rather what are their interests, because that is what you must appeal to. But — and this is a big but — try not to be predictable. Don’t just tell your audience what they already know; if you do, give it a different slant, or bring something new and original to it. If you can focus on what your audience wants to learn about — the business, the newly-wed couple or the new product — then you will be well on your way to succeeding.

All in all, be yourself, speak from the heart, and just don’t ever forget your audience!