5 THINGS TO CONSIDER IN ORDER TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS
Marinela Onițiu , Colegiul Național „ Gheorghe Lazăr ” Sibiu
Abstract : People often fear speaking in front of an audience . Although this might seem difficult or even impossible at first sight , there are some ways of developing or improving public speaking skills . Content , delivery , organization , certain techniques and audience are only some of the factors which might shape a speech and help people – speakers – turn it from an ordinary into an extraordinary one .
Key words : Public speaking skills , content , delivery , organisation , techniques , audience , develop skills
It is a well-known thing that public speaking does not happen naturally and that we are not born with this skill , but we can develop it . There are some strategies that people – and especially students – might use in order to improve their ability to give a speech in front of an audience .
A very important factor to take into account is content , that is , the ideas and what you want to communicate should be well-developed , supported with relevant arguments and examples taken from reliable sources . When people start preparing their speech , they should always brainstorm as many ideas as possible on the given topic or what they should be talking about . Several aspects should be taken into consideration , tackling the problem from different viewpoints like : social , educational , financial , political , etc . Examples ought to be relevant to the topic and should reflect the speaker ’ s point of view in a more abstract way .
Delivery plays an important part when speaking in public . The people in the audience want to also ‘ see ’ the speech , namely the speaker should also try and use appropriate body language , mimic , and gestures in order to support their viewpoint . Pitch , tone of voice , and pauses , they all contribute to a great speech if used effectively and appropriately . Though , one should not be too expansive , nor should one move too much as this would give the impression that there is something fake in the speaker ’ s attitude and , implicitly , beliefs . Moreover , continuously moving from side to side or forwards and backwards would distract the audience from the message of the speech and desynchronize with it . Est modus in rebus goes a famous Latin saying , meaning that there is a limit in things and , obviously , if we overuse something , it will lose its power and consequently impact . Speed is hardly ever conducive to attracting and sustaining audience when giving a speech . On the contrary , too fast a speech will detract most people from listening to our ideas and opinions .
When speaking or writing , things are not done randomly , that is , good speakers rarely improvise . They do have a clear outline and organization of their ideas so that these should lead the audience , little by little , to the desired outcome . Linking devices , used wisely and sparingly , will make this job easier by helping the people in the audience concentrate better and follow one ’ s ideas more easily . Nevertheless , speakers should not overuse them , but insist on an array of devices in order to ensure coherence and cohesion .
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