THE ART OF PROFESSIONAL PUBLIC SPEAKING
Your speech is a feast, dishes made to please the guests, not the cooks.


WHAT WILL I TALK ABOUT? TO WHOM?
„No subject is in and of itself interesting. What the speaker brings to the topic makes or breaks
the speech.
„Go with what you know.
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„How much do I know about these listeners? Interests? Education range? Experiences? Hobbies? The
more data you have about them, the better decisions you make.
„What does the audience know about the topic?
„How can I close the gap?

ABOUT THE LISTENERS…….
„What is the audience interest in my topic? Personal or professional interest?
„What important elements do I need to convey? What do I want them to remember?
„Given the time allotted, how much depth do I offer?
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TECHNICAL THUS FAR……
„Successful speakers today offer a conversational style. They are informal and personable with
audience members. Their style is described as natural, calm and authentic.  “It seemed like the
speaker was speaking directly to me.”
„The average person remembers 25% of what he/she hears for a short time afterward a speech or
conversation. After 48 hours, he/she remembers 10% of what was said. “What was the talk about? I
honestly can’t remember.”
„How do we get the audience to remember our presentation?
„Emotion drives –attention- and attention drives learning

GO WITHIN…
„In the first 90 seconds,90% of an individual’s impression of you is formed. It is virtually
impossible to undo or redo that minute and a half to change perceptions of the listeners.
„Non-verbal communication comprises 67% of a message. Voice tone, pitch, and  volume  impact the
perceptions of the listeners. Only 32% of the message includes the words we use.
„Body language is a significant factor in communicating your message.
„Head position, use of hands for gestures, and stance at the podium…all have meaning. Eye contact
is paramount! Proximity is an issue of importance.
„Small gestures: open palm, open fingers, how you hold your head, posture,
„Eye contact, preening behavior, and what colors you wear have meaning.

VERBAL ISSUES…
„Prosody refers to the patterns of stress and intonation in language which signals the listener to
pay attention because something important will soon be stated.
„Your listeners need cues such as rate, pitch, volume, and tone to comprehend your message.
„Verbally signal your audience to pay attention: repeat words or points for emphasis, pause for
attention and focus, and manage the rate of your speech for emphasis.
„If by Rudyard Kipling and Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou
„Verbally you must give your audience a road may of your talk. If the speaker has clear thinking,
the audience has clear understanding.
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DESIGNING A SPEECH
„Choose a topic or have a topic requested by an individual or a group
„Decide whether this speech is informative, persuasive or ceremonial
„Informative- you give information and share knowledge about a topic or event. For example,
castles, kendo, or characters in the Czech Republic.
„Persuasive speech-you are attempting to convince your audience to purchase something, vote for
someone, or legalize something controversial.
„Ceremonial-you are featuring a special event with your entertaining, somber, or melancholy words.

GENERAL SPEECH OUTLINE
„Introduction- get the audience attention!  Greet them. Tell them what you are going to tell them.
„A speech has 2-3 main ideas supported by a story, statistics, research or a reference about  each
point ( see Basic Speech Outline).
„Conclusion-review main ideas by restating them
„Conclude the speech by leaving them with a quote, or a meaningful statement that will remain with
them.

LET’S PRACTICE
„Select a number between 1 and 50.
„I will give you the topic that corresponds to that number on the handout.
„You are asked to write a 1 minute speech on that topic.
„After concluding this exercise, I will ask our group a series of questions about your preparation
for your 1 minute speech and about your perception of your performance.
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YOUR FIRST ASSIGNMENT
„Take the Self-Assessment of my Speaking Skills Evaluation  located in the Study Materials..
Tabulate the number of * statements and the number of + statements you accumulated. We will discuss
your individual results.
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„Your first speech will be an informative one. It should be 10-15 minutes in length. Select a topic
about which you have knowledge, skill, or interest.
„Write an outline and subsequent speech. Be ready to present during our  next MSTeams meeting.
„Take a look at an award winning speaker.
„https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tev43VNRIc&t=18s
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