Lourena Mae A.

Chan
Grade X Joy

Public speaking (also called oratory or oration) is the process or act of performing a speech
to a live audience. This type of speech is deliberately structured with three general purposes: to
inform, to persuade and to entertain. Public speaking is commonly understood as formal, face-
to-face speaking of a single person to a group of listeners.

Factors That Make Up Effective Public Speaking

Personality - It is impossible to make interesting speakers out of uninteresting people. Only

people with interesting personality make good speakers. For this reason, personality is one
factor we cannot overlook in the training of a person as a public speaker for his personality
determines his speech.

Personal Grooming - The speakers appearance has much to do with how well he will be received
by his audience. Even in simple conversations, your external appearance affects your listener.
For this reason, you must pay careful attention to your personal appearance when you get
involved with public speaking.

Attitudes This are important in public speaking for they greatly affect linkage in
communication. The variety of attitudes that a speaker assumes during speech delivery
oftentimes creates serious problems in effective communication. As a speaker, you start making
impressions on your audience as soon as you are seen.

Common Sense - it is the ability of the speaker to size up situations, to meet emergencies and
to act accordingly. Common sense is also manifested in the speaker's demonstration of good
judgment to select and to discuss topics according to the needs of the occasion and the demands
of the audience.

Tact - is closely associated with common sense. This quality of the speaker is dependent upon
his imagination and discernment. With imagination, a speaker can put himself in the shoes of
his fellow being and realize how he would feel if some unkind remark were made about him.
This is empathy at work.

Good Taste - is another manifestation of the intelligence of an effective public speaker. Since
many of our choices are dictated by good taste, this quality is quite valuable to a speaker in
many ways. For example, good taste will help a speaker to select the kind of clothes to wear in
public speaking occasions. The speaker is conscious of the fact that his personal appearance
affects the sensibilities of his audience. He knows that his audience will notice the slightest
affectation in the matter of clothing. For this reason, he will exert all efforts to maintain a neat,
properly groomed appearance that will enhance and strengthen closer sharing of ideas with the
audience.

Wide Interest - this quality is revealed in the speaker's profound knowledge of people, things,
or situations. If there is anything that is most embarrassing, sometimes even disgusting, it is a
speaker who doesn't know what he is talking about. To be an attractive and interesting speaker,
you must be a man of ideas. To be so, you must be widely read and widely traveled. When you
want to talk about a subject you don't have knowledge of or little knowledge of, you have to go
out and get information.

Self-criticism - this manifestation of the speaker's intelligence is revealed in the ability of the
speaker to hold himself at arm's length occasionally and to evaluate himself in the light of his
public performance as a communicator of ideas. The ability to accept criticisms gracefully is
indicative of a mature personality. Infantile indeed is the individual who bristles, who looks upon
a word of correction as a personal attack, who harbors resentment, or who is filled with an urge
to flee or to fight back when criticized.

Ethics in public speaking

1.Show Respect for Your Audience

This is number one on my list because who determines the ultimate success of your
speech is your AUDIENCE. One of the most important things you need to learn as a public
speaker is showing respect for your audience.
2. Respect Your Audiences Time
In a fast-paced world such as we live in today, time is of essence. Therefore, show respect
for your audience's time by keeping to the allotted time for your speech. A good way to do this
effectively is good preparation. If you prepare well in advance, it will keep you from running
overtime. Spending a few minutes more than necessary may make your audience uneasy and
lose interest in your speech.

3. Prepare Very Well

Prepare well in advance. Do research on the subject and gather all necessary facts and
references. Thereafter, rehearse your speech. Remember that saying: Practice makes perfect?
So practice, practice and practice until you gain mastery of your speech.

4. Be Honest and Dont Mislead Your Audience

Do not distort the facts to suit your aim. If you are not sure about a piece of information
or fact or statistics, dont use it. Nothing can hurt a speakers credibility more than inaccurate,
distorted information.

5. Avoid Plagiarism
Avoid using another persons work without permission. Give credits to whomever you are
using his or her work as your reference. That builds up your credibility too.

6. Ensure Your Objective Is Ethical

If the objective of your speech is to motivate people to get involved in harmful, illegal or
unethical activities then you are not observing the ethics in public speaking.

7. Be Yourself
Everybody on the surface of the earth is unique. Even identical twins are different in some
ways. While it is a good idea to learn from others, especially those we consider as role models,
dont try to be someone you are not.
Techniques in Public Speaking

Public speaking requires a definite audience response caused by direct communication with the
audience - the speaker's ability to create an idea in other minds through the stimuli of words,
facial expression, and movements. In order to increase his accuracy and power of expression,
the speaker must not only learn the techniques of effective speaking but he must also master
them.

In public speaking, techniques consist of the elements of speech and action which orally and
visually represent the speaker's thought and communicate it to the audience. These elements
of techniques are:
Voice - the sound produced by the vibration of the vocal cords.
Voice pitch - the highness or lowness of tone.
Voice volume - the loudness or carrying power of voice.
Voice quality - that which distinguishes one voice from another when pitch, volume, and
duration are the same. For instance, a voice may be hoarse, nasal, mellow, etc.
Speech rate and pause - consists of the number of words uttered per minute and the
cessation of speaking within or between sentences.
Enunciation and pronunciation - the formation of voice into words and the manner of
utterance of words.
Gestures - involve the movements of arms, shoulders, hands or head in the physical
expression of thought.
Posture - the position and bearing of the body.
Facial expression - the aspect and general appearance of the face.
Organization of thought - the logical arrangement of ideas.
Composition - manner of formulating ideas into effective sentences.
Phrasing - the grouping of words into small units of thoughts.
Audience contact - establishing mental contact with the audience by talking to its
members.
Motivation - the use of appeals and subject matter which are important to the audience
and induce audience action.