Here are some techniques to get audience participation that I came across:

Audience participation can be an element of effective showmanship in public speaking. The old saying, “Everyone likes to get into the act,” is probably about ninety-nine per cent true.
When the speech material permits, a speaker can get his audience into the “act” by asking for a show of hands as an answer to some question. One speaker did this by saying, “Now I’m going to ask for a show of hands. How many of you had difficulty finding a parking spot on Main Street tonight?” As the speaker talked he encouraged action by reaching for the ceiling himself. He paused for the response. Then he continued speaking, “Several did, I see. And the rest probably brought their parking spaces with them.”
Another speaker who was scheduled to speak third on a program knew the people were tired sitting, so he started his speech by saying, “Let’s all stand for a seventh inning stretch, please.” While the people were standing he walked over to an old man in the front row, put his hand gently on the old man’s shoulder-and said, “You know, I took a big chance when I asked those people to stand, didn’t I? They could have all walked right out that side door!”
Such impromptu remarks usually make favorable impressions upon listeners because this type of speaking suggests that the speaker is not going to unload a canned speech, full of clever tricks, upon an audience. It also contributes to a relaxed atmosphere.
People are inclined to follow a speaker’s directions when he puts suitable bodily action into his request. For instance, when a speaker says, “Everybody stand, please,” he reaches out with both hands open, and makes a big upward sweeping movement as though he were actually lifting everyone up.
A speaker may add a humorous touch to this request by adding, “Now shake hands with your neighbor, and if she’s your wife, kiss her!” Usually somebody will, and people get a big kick out of seeing a man kiss his wife in public.
Or a speaker could say, “I’m going to give you half a minute break. And during that time see how many people you can shake hands with. Get ready now, go!” A variation of this activity is, “Everybody stand, please. Now turn around quickly and shake hands with the person behind you.” Everyone turns and, of course, there is no one to shake hands with. With a large audience this always gets a laugh.

These simple techniques can help to keep your audience interested and give them a chance to relax. Keeping your audience relaxed and interested is an important part of being persuasive. If you are wanting to know more about effective public speaking – try out our  free 7 day e-course delivered direct to your inbox by simply entering your details in the box to the right to get started straightaway.

A persuasive speaker usually needs positive emotion to persuade their audience.

“Stroking the fur the right way,” without being deceitful, is usually a more persuasive method than irritating listeners or throwing monkey wrenches into the machinery. A few speakers have successfully irritated audiences to action or persuaded with invective. But this method requires delicate handling. And, per¬aps wisely, it is not commonly used. Such an approach may backfire even when used by an expert. Most listeners like a challenge and they will endure some gentle pushing, but antagonizing remarks are usually resented.
A persuasive speaker needs strong emotional force in his speaking, although he should never let his feelings run wild or cause him to make untactful statements.
Sometimes emotional speaking which is intended to be persuasive may stimulate the opposite effect. For instance, shortly after America declared war on Germany the first time, a Hoosier politician who was running for a county office, declared in a
burst of patriotism, “If I had a drop of German blood in my veins I’d have it cut out!”
This statement was made in a community of American citizens where about three-fourths of the people were of German descent. They didn’t sympathize with Germany but they could not help having “German blood” in their veins. Even the speaker’s wife was of direct German descent!
Actually this speaker injured his listeners’ self-respect. His tactless remark was passed around, and hundreds of people who did not hear the speech, did learn one thing the speaker had said. Some people concluded that his lack of tact cost him the election. His statement was indeed tactless. He could have expressed patriotism in a way that would not have insulted those good American citizens who disliked German despotism as much as he.
Why hurt people? Words which create an “area of good feeling” are far more persuasive. Expressing sincere appreciation and praise is usually a persuasive influence. Flattery, however, is like a counterfeit coin, more often refused than accepted. And it is always unethical.
A characteristic of able showmanship is a speaker’s ability to adjust his thinking and action to last minute, or unexpected changes.
For example out on the street a loud fire siren started just as a speaker had been introduced. The speaker stood quietly until he could be heard. Then he said, “I didn’t expect to start a fire so quickly!”
Upon another occasion a chair collapsed suddenly causing a big man to fall sprawling into an aisle. The audience laughed. And they laughed again when the speaker said, “Well, I see I’m slaying them in the aisles.” But then the listeners, having had a good laugh, listened attentively to the speaker again as he continued talking seriously.

Using humor and positive emotion is an effective way to persuade people in any form of spoken communication whether it is one to one or to groups of any size. Unfortunately, today not everyone is that successful at this spoken communication especially when speaking to a group or audience of any size. If this is you and you would like to be a better speaker to groups of any size, check out our free 7 day e-course by entering your details in the box to the right and have it sent direct to your inbox and get started straightway.

In my previous post I gave an example of a speech of Lincoln’s showing off his skills as master at persuasion in public speaking.

This approach is truly a masterpiece of persuasion. It appeals to the listeners’ better nature, makes them justly proud of their heritage and fairness. They are called “friends, fellow citizens, brave and gallant people” by the speaker. He identifies himself-as one of them —”just a humble, honest person trying to get along.” Being approached by such sincere, effective persuasion how could they refuse the speaker a fair listening?
Through disappointing and “bitter experiences” Lincoln learned that honest tact is far more persuasive than bluntness or high-pressure methods. Suppose he had used the following approach in the situation referred to above:
I understand that some of you ignorant people here tonight have threatened violent harm to me. Don’t you know who I am? Evidently you are so illiterate you don’t know the law will sup¬port me in my demand for free speech here tonight. And anyone who tries to stop me will be thrown into jail for disturbing the peace. I’m going to speak whether you like it or not, and you’re going to listen!
You can imagine the negative response such remarks would get. Always it is much better to persuade as Lincoln did rather than try to force ideas upon people. “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” (Samuel Butler) Listen again to the master persuader:
. . . We don’t like to be made fun or laughed at, belittled. We aspire to a decent sense of dignity and self-respect.
Therefore, never say to listeners, “Since you don’t know about this subject I want to discuss it,” or “How many of you stopped to realize that . . . ? or “Please quit being prejudiced,, and listen to reason.” Such tactless remarks hurt the listeners’ self-respect and pride. They hurt the speaker’s chance of success. The tactful speaker reverses this. He uses self-respect and pride. Says he: “You remember so-and-so,” or “I’m sure you would rather listen. to pleasant facts than to pleasant fancy.”
An able persuader is not a yes-man or a namby-pamby individual. He is a positive, active personality who supports firmly, yet tactfully, the ideas and ideals which he feels are right and honest.
“Telling people off” may afford some speakers a bit of mor¬bid satisfaction, and occasionally this method may bulldoze listeners into submission, but it is not persuasive. Genuine persuasion is a process whereby listeners are led, willingly, often eagerly, to comply with a speaker’s suggestions.

Hows your approach to persuading people when you speak to them one on one or in a group, in a meeting or public speaking?

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When you speak in public is being very well-spoken or more down to earth more effective?

School teachers found fault with Dizzy Dean’s baseball broadcasts because he said, “Me and Paul,” or, “He slud in at third!” But ol’ Diz is a highly effective sports announcer. Not because he makes, grammatical errors, however, but because he is informal and enthusiastic.
One of the disk jockeys at- WSM, Tennessee, is called Mr. Country Music. His style ot speaking is unusually informal.
“Well, now, how are all my pedal-pushin’ (truck driving) buddies tonight?” he’ll say. “I jist got a letter here from a feller way down in Georgie. Him and his little sugar-burger (what?) are listenin’ to us tonight. And we got a long-handled call from Montana. Way out yonder! Well, I’m sendin’ you my little red garters (regards). Hey, how about hearin’ from some of you fellers down there in Alabama? If I don’t hear pretty soon I’m comin’ down there and slap you across the face with a wet squirrel! I’m comin’ down there anyway pretty soon. I shore like them cat-head bis¬cuits and I want to sop gravy with you.”
Along with Mr. Country Music’s chatter are plenty of big hearty Santa Claus laughs. He has a tremendous following, not because his speaking is ragged, but because he. is a warm, friendly, informal, come-shake-my-hand personality.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, with highly cultured language, got the same effect. He didn’t make straight A’s in college, but he was well-educated, brilliant. And he was a master in the art of understanding. In that subject he would have made A plus. FDR knew the great masses of people like the “common touch.” He didn’t call his radio addresses White House lectures. They were fireside chats and, when he talked, listeners felt as if a friendly uncle were really chatting with them in their own homes.
When President Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” he didn’t voice a new idea. Plato expressed the same thought many years ago. Others have echoed it through the years, but Roosevelt made it especially persuasive by clothing it with human qualities such as warmth, optimism, and confidence. “From the very first his self-assurance was convincing, nearly blinding with the great white light of promise it shed over the vast surrounding gloom,” said H. V. Kaltenborn.
Many dyed-in-the-wool Republicans surely didn’t vote for Franklin D. Roosevelt because he was a Democrat or because he was well-educated and used proper grammar. He was unusually persuasive rather because of excellent personal characteristics such as1 warmth, understanding, informality, friendliness, and optimism.
Some years later these personal qualities became evident in a Republican president. The simple statement, “I like Ike,” and the persona] qualities that made it true — those three little -words.—-”were far more persuasive than a book about. Eisenhower’s” education or military career would have been.
Certainly- education, and the ability to think, can contribute definitely to persuasion. But a person may have the’ combined wisdom of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and not be a persuasive speaker unless he also has personal qualities that inspire listeners to say, “I’m with you!”
Lack of warmth and human understanding kept Woodrow Wilson from being persuasive. No one would doubt his brilliancy. His logic was compelling, his arguments flawless, but he lacked that human touch which is so necessary for active per¬suasion.
One can never guess accurately what might have happened in history of course, but Woodrow Wilson’s League of Nations, after World War I, might have become a reality if his human qualities had been as excellent as his brilliant mind. Persuading depends upon both feeling and thinking. And an effective speaker stimulates both. If it is ever a question of one or the other, a persuasive speaker knows people are far more likely to act because of feeling rather than thought. A combination of the two processes, however, is always highly desirable.

Effective public speaking takes some more application in using feelings and thinking to persuade an audience. But the rewards are worth it. If you want to be a more effective speaker and see the benefits for your career and/or business check out our free e-course on confident speaking by typing you details into the area to the right.

Last time I discussed hoe not use cold hard facts in public speaking. Now here are some examples on how to use facts to convince

Recently a student speaker in a business and professional speaking course said, “If all the insects above the earth, on the earth, beneath the earth, and in the waters of the earth were collected and stacked on top of one another they would make a heap three feet high over all the world!”
That’s a lot of bugs.
This speaker’s words created a more concrete picture than if he had said, “There are trillions of insects in the world.” But his statement was difficult for some of the listeners to believe. When they asked the source of his quotation he said, “It is generally known to scientists.” But his statement would have been more convincing if he could have named some definite authority .for it. Statements, to be facts, must have reliable sources. Other¬wise they are merely opinions.
Use facts. But don’t put many of them back to back. Rather, sprinkle them in with illustrations and quotations.
Try always to package facts in ways that will make them easy for audiences to grasp. Paint them red or put handles on them. For instance, instead of saying, “I’ve walked a long ways on golf courses,” a speaker said, “On golf courses I’ve walked the dis¬tance from Maine to California ten times.” And instead of say¬ing, “The death rate in China is high,” another speaker declared, “Every time you breathe a Chinaman dies.”
Round numbers like 1000 or even units such as two dozen are easier to grasp than 998 or 26. So when a speech situation does not demand absolute exactness a speaker should use round numbers or even units.
An interesting speaker will figure ways to turn numbers into things. For example, a bushel basket full of silver dollars is easier to see than a certain number of dollars. Anyone can see a yard¬stick easier than he can picture three feet. The distance from home plate to first base is more vivid than ninety feet. A couple of stone throws explains more than a quarter of a mile.
Clarify! Clarity is so necessary in any part of an effective speech. It is especially essential, when using facts.
Use clear, concrete, authentic, interesting facts to help convince listeners.

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Here is a quick post on using poems in public speaking and why use facts, and a problem with them when you are trying to persuade your audience.

A poem is another type of quotation which may be helpful when used rarely and in small doses by a speaker. Only down-to-earth poetry should be used. Listeners simply haven’t the time or patience to interpret a poetic puzzle.
Using four to eight lines of poetry at one time is sufficient. Longer poems may be accepted near the end of a speech. But even there brevity is appreciated. Over-using poetry in a speech becomes a flowery, tiresome practice. Once or twice within any speech is usually enough.
No speech should be made top-heavy with either prose or poetic quotations. The choice and arrangement of speech material should reflect a speaker’s originality. The speech is his. And using too many quotations may cause an audience to wonder, “Who is making this speech anyway?” Furthermore, what people say is usually not as interesting or convincing as what they  do.
Let the core and much of the. web in your speech be illustrations. Highly effective speakers have been great story tellers. Jesus, for example, told stories to illustrate his points. He pictured poverty by telling of a boy who ate with pigs, forgiveness by showing a father with open arms, and a merry banquet with servings of •choice beef. His talks were full of stories, parables, human interest pictures of life.
Lincoln was famous as a story teller. And there are at least twenty illustrations in Russel H. Conwell’s speech, Acres of Diamonds, for which people paid about seven million dollars to hear over a period of years. Numerous speakers who have been unusually successful have filled their speeches with interesting stories.
Do likewise.
Also a persuasive speech, especially at the conviction step, should be studded with facts.
Facts add “weight” to a talk. Listeners can deny illustrations, argue with opinions, but facts speak an exact language that defies contradiction. “Just give us the facts!” Detectives, lawyers, judges cry for them. Facts convince.
The difficulty is, facts may be dull. An average mind cannot receive many of them in raw form without screaming for rest. But usually, when facts are dull, they do not touch listeners’ feelings or create vivid mental pictures. “Cold” is a term used to describe uninteresting facts, or those verbal ghosts which are so hard to see and understand For instance can you picture mentally $798,436,975,459? Or a million times that many insects?

In my next post I’ll talk about how to make fact more interesting and engaging in public speaking. Being confident and more effective in public speaking is something we all can aspire to. If you are looking for more help, check out our free 7 day e-course on public speaking by typing your email address and name in the box to the right.

So what makes a good quotation to use in public speaking to build credibility and convey your message?

Answering the following questions may help a speaker choose suitable quotations:
1.    Will most of the people in my audience know by reputation the person I quote?
2.    Will they accept him as an expert or an authority on my subject?
3.    Is the quotation I plan to use closely related to my subject? Does it really support my point?
4.    Is the quotation reasonably short? Does it make good sense? Easy to understand?
5.    Is this quotation too well-known; has it been used so often -it has become  trite?   (Examples:   “Birds of a feather flock together — Honesty is the best policy,” etc.)
6.    Are these the most effective quotations I can find? With a little more effort could I find better ones?
Usually the most useful quotations are statements made by authorities on a subject. At the best, a quotation is merely an opinion, and to be most effective it should be expert opinion.
Willie Jones, the “juke-box kid,” may know as much about dancing as Arthur Murray. But a quotation from Murray on that subject would probably be more impressive than one from Willie.
A local pastor, William Smith, may know as much about dy¬namic preaching as Billy Graham. But a quotation from Graham would probably be more effective.
When a speaker does quote an unknown or little-known per¬son he should tell the audience briefly why this person’s state¬ments should be accepted. For example: Jim Evans, who, by actual count, caught five times more fish last year than anyone else in town, says . . . Or, Lowell Abbott, who has just completed his fortieth year as a banker, says . . .
A quotation may have the wisdom of a sage or the beauty of a symphony, yet if it is not accepted by the audience it has no value for that group. Prejudice, immaturity, or closed minds may cause an audience to reject authoritative statements. Many peo¬ple are especially touchy, even unreasonable, when listening to speeches about politics, religion, or social customs. “If he said that I wouldn’t believe it, even if it is true!” springs from a closed mind. But a wise speaker will understand his audiences, and will quote from authorities who will cause his listeners to nod yes instead of no.
Quotations should be reasonably short and to the point. Long ones tire an audience. Besides short statements are more easily remembered.

Quotations are a powerful way to persuade your audience when used effectively. If you are want to be a more effective speaker at work or in public enter your details in the box to the right and receive our free e-course over 7 days to help you achieve that goal.

Abraham Lincoln had a view on persuasion that is very pertinent to public speaking

Any speaker who hopes to achieve his purpose in speaking must present a cause or plan which his audience considers sensible and helpful to their interests. Abraham Lincoln said no amount of persuasion could get a man to sit in church with his wife’s hat on his head. People will not accept and act upon ideas which will make them appear foolish.
So logical material, containing plenty of good “horse sense,” should be used to convince people. The mind of a listener must be won before he will give much desired action.
In addition to illustrations, two other valuable types of supporting material can be tried when appealing persuasively to listeners’ minds. These two forms of evidence are quotations and facts.
A quotation is the exact words someone has written or said. In a speech, Conquer Your Fear, a student speaker quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain.”
On nearly every subject one or more important people have contributed opinions. Many of these opinions have been re¬corded in dictionaries of quotations. One dictionary, selected at random, contains two hundred seventy quotations about love. Shakespeare, Lamb, Milton, Irving, Victor Hugo, Longfellow, Walt Whitman, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and many others have left ideas about this subject.
Of course many subjects receive less attention-,.but some such as education and religion, get more. Quotations are frequently found in books or magazine articles on various subjects. One copy of a readers’ guide, which covered a period of six years, listed the titles of about twenty-five thousand articles on airplanes and closely related subjects, two hundred ninety-five on family life, two hundred twenty-four on accidents, seventy-six on love, sixty-three about attitudes, forty-five on faith, forty-two on mice, thirty-three on cheese, twenty-four on monkeys, and twenty-six on Marilyn Monroe.
The most effective quotations to use in a speech are those made by recognized authorities. For instance, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle (and others) on philosophy. Einstein on science. Emily Post on etiquette, the Mayo brothers on surgery, Caruso on singing, Emerson and Shakespeare on almost anything.
These people, and many others, have earned reputations in their fields. They are well-known as experts. And their words are convincing. They help people believe. People are inclined to think, if such a wise man as Einstein, Emerson, or Plato said it, it must be true!
There are certain things to consider when looking to use quotation in public speaking – check out my next post to find out what they are. In the meantime if you are wanting to become a better presenter at work or public speaker check out our free 7 day e-course on speaking with confidence to any size audience by entering your email into the box to the right.

Here is a brief introduction into how to make your public speaking more persuasive.

Yesterday a new bride gave her husband a burnt offering — the first cake she had ever baked!
Baking a cake is a skill. So is making a speech. Of course the taste of a cake will be determined largely by the materials that are mixed into it. And the effectiveness of a speech will depend greatly upon the materials a speaker puts into it.
All material used in a persuasive speech should stimulate one or more of the following natural elements of persuasion:
1.    ATTENTION
2.    INTEREST
3.    CONVICTION
4.    DESIRE
5.    ACTION
At the beginning of a speech, a human interest story, thought-provoking question, startling statement, a bit of humor, suspense, a novel or unusual visual aid is used to get immediate attention.
Of course constant or continued attention is necessary before a state of interest can prevail. And interest is more surely stimulated as soon as an audience realizes the speech they are hearing has special value for them.
Naturally, no sensible audience wants to hear a speech which will be a waste of their time. So, soon after grasping an audience’s attention, a wise speaker frankly tells his listeners how the speech will help them or why they will be interested in it.
One speaker (whose theme was “develop more determination”) did this by beginning with a strong human interest story, then saying, “At some time or another everyone here tonight has said to himself, ‘I wish I’d had the courage to say no to that plan, or had the determination to stand up for what I knew was right.’ So tonight we’ll see how people much like ourselves developed more of this excellent personality trait called determination. Perhaps the principles they used will help us.”
This type of statement is also an interesting way to show the purpose of a talk. Some speakers, however, err by starting their talks with a dull outline of what they intend to accomplish with the speech. Such statements should always be brief and come af¬ter a human interest beginning. A speaker should make the purpose of his address clear, but very little time is required for that. His big job is to go ahead and do what he says he will.

How determined are you to become a more persuasive public speaker or more confident in your public speaking. If you want to build on your desire to be a better public speaking, enter your details into the box on the right and receive our free 7 day e-course becoming a more confident and effective public speaker.

Following on from previous here are some more examples of personality in public speaking and impact it can have on your ability to persuade.

Another character, Clyde S. impresses people with another personality weakness. He is not quite as crooked as an S. Per­haps he has never been in jail, but listeners feel he must have been on the border line a few times.

S for shady. That tags Clyde well. He has shifty eyes of a fishy color, a smooth tongue, an oily nature. He is deceptive, and when he speaks,  listeners feel he always has at least a little

hatchet to grind. Vaguely they wonder if their hats, and coats are
safe in the hall.                 ,                                                    ”

He lacks the honest-to-goodaess frankness and straight for­wardness of Uncle Hank or Cousin Sue. His manner, and charac­ter, causes listeners to feel they should not open their minds and hearts to him.

Harry M. is a dynamic speaker. But he thinks he has a strangle hold on all knowledge. He struts when he speaks, casts arched eyebrows at the common-herd.- “I love me, Oh, so very, very much!” is the impression he makes. His extreme egotism is not a persuasive force because it makes listeners think less of themselves. On the other hand, honest -humility in a speaker is persuasive because it helps listeners feel more adequate. Usually , a speaker can be more persuasive by playing himself down a bit rather than up.

Habitual negativism is not a persuasive element. For instance, Glen T. was as negative as a blue minus sign. Doom rose and set in his vocal tones. He painted the world black, and everyone in it cross-eyed. When he talked he was unable to be persuasive because only a few morbid people appreciate constant gloom.

Contrasting directly with Glen was Walter A., a happy-go-lucky, back-slapping, hand-pumping, sidewalk comedian.

Walt agreed with everything and everybody. He never had a serious thought. He would laugh at a funeral. A carefree, “I don’t give a hoot!” was his constant philosophy of life. He was al­ways too busy dealing out corny wit ever to present a serious idea. Nobody would have expected one from him anyway. Of course he could not persuade.

Surely no one should attempt to cast anybody into a per­sonality mold, while saying, “You should be this way, or like him, or like somebody else.” Imitations do not persuade. “Be yourself,” is excellent advice. But the self a person, develops is patterned largely by his attitudes and habits. When those atti­tudes and habits, embodied within a personality, incite favorable responses from listeners, persuasion is at work. When the response is negative there can be little or no persuasion. Able character will not always assure persuasive results, but it usually carries a speaker far in that direction.

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Jimmie Durante and Emerson had things to say about your attitude to others. With this attitude you will be more powerful and persuasive in your public speaking.

Good-natured Jimmie Durante, who considers everybody to be his friend, says, “Hatred hurts the person who hates far more than the one who is hated.” Hatred is  an emotional illness that sours and warps a speaking character. But sincere love and respect for everyone is the most powerful personal power in the world.
A speaker may have this positive perspective toward everyone when he emphasizes in his thoughts the worth of each person, when he refuses to minimize the worth of any human being. “Every person I meet is in some way my superior,” said Emerson. This kind of perspective did not cause this great speaker and writer to be timid or self-conscious. It simply helped him to like everybody in the world.
A persuasive presenter feels that everybody in his audience warrants his best possible efforts. Rather than think, “People are suckers. I’ll let them have as little as possible,” he feels, “In my audience today are the most significant, most worthy people on the planet. They are giving me a portion of their lives and in exchange are worthy of the absolute best of all things I have got to offer.”
Obviously when a person genuinely likes individuals his friendliness will become apparent in a variety of ways. The tone of his voice, his eyes, facial expression, and body language will uncover his friendliness. This should never be checked or knowingly withheld. A speaker should let his honest, feelings show by freely feeling “for all to see and hear.”
An error some presenters make is to draw a friendship circle and consider just those people that fall within the circle to be friends. Essentially the most influential convincing presenter believes that everyone is his friend. He approaches each and every audience with a positive mental attitude that all the audience members will believe him and respond favorably because they really .desire to.
Compare this perspective with a negative mental approach such as, “I know you dont want to trust me. Your minds are set. You are contrary. But what l am going to say is valid. You’ll have to trust me irrespective of whether you want to or not.” This kind of frame of mind of course has a tendency to put audience members on guard, causing them to construct an invisible wall in between them selves and the presenter. And they might say mentally, “Wait a minute, old boy, we don’t have to believe a single thing, least of all what you’re saying.”

Being persuasive in public speaking can be difficult. With the right information and techniques it is possible for public speaking to go from difficult to easy. If you want to know how, please sign up to our free confident public speaking e-course by entering your details in the right sidebar.

An important element of persuasive public speaking is personality. Does your personality attract or repel your audience?

Usually listeners can easily sense a presenter’s attitude toward them.
Does he like people or, while he speaks, does he have a hidden dislike for his hearers? Is his smile genuine? Does he really mean what he says, or is he merely putting on an act? Typically, although not always, an audience can spot this.
Ethical speaking is not acting. Instead it is a sincere transmission of a person’s truthful thoughts and feelings. Let a speaker be fair with himself and others. If he desires to act, he belongs in live theatre. There the audience expect pretense, but a convincing presenter should reveal his true self to audiences.
When a speaker’s congeniality and friendliness reveal a genuine liking for people – all people – an audience captures his spirit and is predisposed to react positively.
Will Roger’s passion for people – all people – was contagious. His genuine attitude, “I never met a man I didn’t like,” was highly persuasive and added much to his worldwide popularity. Although Rogers was a humorist and his speeches were
not always supposed to be persuasive, his personal quality of friendliness and congeniality is a convincing element which inspires an audience to recognize a presenter as a human being. And this of course is required before a person can wish to have his ideas and feelings acknowledged.
Listeners are normally willing to like a presenter who appreciates them. On the other hand they might ignore an unfriendly presenter.
Whenever a speaker does not like a particular person in his audience, his hatred or wrath is sensed by other listeners, causing them to question silently, “Why are you angry at me?” -
This is somewhat like an manager who, after having an disagreement with, his wife, passes his unpleasant disposition around to everyone in the office. Or like a businessman in a speaking training course who.stated, “I hate all females!” ‘His declaration was sincere. The hatred was clearly evident in his face and tone of voice. He really hated just 1 individual, but – his ex-wife who had left him suddenly to marry another man. However because his wife was a female he had shifted his hate for her to all women. And in fact the men in the audience sensed his undesirable attitude which is surely not a persuasive element in public speaking.

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What is your conclusion like? Do you tailor the ending depending on your reason for speaking?

If for example the objective of your presentation is only to make people to believe, or to feel inspired and not specifically to do something (which in turn is a type of persuasion), a presenter may want to vary the conclusion by using an suitable quotation from a poet, from the Holy Bible,or from an expert on his subject matter.
As an example, in a speech named Develop a Better Sense of Humor, a speaker’s chief purpose was to show his audience the worth of humor; to assist them to feel they ought to develop a sense of humor and make them ready to do so. In fact he attempted to create an attitude rather than a need to dash to a shop for the latest joke book. Thus he finished using these statements:
So why not make humor a part of your daily living? It provides a sparkle to the eye and warmth to the heart. It brings a grin, which Henry Ward Beecher called “A light in the face.”
It goes from you to those you love and back again and again. It’s an inspiring, quickening, God-given, spiritual tonic for mind, body and soul.

Let’s accept humor into our own daily living by embracing as part of our life’s beliefs a portion of a prayer written in the Chester Cathedral in England:
Give me a sense of humor, Lord; Give me grace to see a joke, To get some happiness from life, And pass it on to other folk.

An excellent way to conclude a presentation to motivate is to follow the structure of a strong dramatic short story. Build to an intensive finish, and close on a high note. Without being melodramatic “wave the flag,”, or “sow purple patches.” Or make bands play in their souls and their feet tap to, the music as you close your speech in a blaze of glory and inspiration.
There’s perhaps no “correct” length for the closing of a speech. However the finishing should be brief instead of drawn out. Not to short, however, to seem choppy or abrupt. It ought to be full enough for an audience to feel the end has arrived. There ought to be a feeling of completeness in audiences’ minds.
Some presenters declare, “Now in conclusion,. . . ”
Stating this may not necessarily be prudent. For the reason that generally when people hear that phrase they will reach, in their thoughts at least, for their hats. Other individuals proclaim, “Hooray, hooray!” And they overlook a significant part of the speech.
Presenters who state, “Now to conclude,” and then speak all night, are merely lieing in public.
Some presenters don’t know when to finish. A regular story is told about a presenter who talked on and on and on. Ultimately he said, “Maybe I am speaking too long, but I forgot to bring my watch tonight.” .
Whereupon a worn out listener explained, “There’s a calendar behind you, mister.”
A quick opportinity for a speaker to give up his popularity is to form a practice of talking beyond his allotted time. One effective presenter said he constantly observed the three S’s of public speaking: Stand up, Speak up, and Shut up!

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Do your speeches end up with only a pair of tattered socks to show for all the effort and time?

After a presenter has gained attention and interest, convinced his listeners and activated desire, he has merely to close his speech by telling or showing his listeners how to proceed, and making it simple for them to do it.
People might believe and feel they ought to do things, nevertheless fail to, because a speaker fails to make it easy for them to take action.
For instance, a presenter who was in a training course for entrepreneurs, spoke one evening on Donate Blood for the Red Cross. The listeners surely thought and felt they ought to do this as they voted the speech the best one of the evening.
However next time, when the same speaker delivered another speech, he started by saying, “Last week you selected my speech on Donating Blood for the Red Cross the best of the evening. However I don’t believe it was a very good presentation. Do you realize the reason why? Mainly because not one among you gave a pint of blood to the Red Cross. I have been watching for your names in the newspapers.”
The speaker might have been somewhat responsible for this as he did not tell the people when and where to donate blood.

Be specific, especially when concluding a speech, as a college student (Bob Hill) was when he spoke on Donate Your Unwanted Clothes to the Indians. Robert was really serious. He was sincerely interested in Christian missions for the Indians. He finished his presentation by saying, “I’m planning to distribute a piece of paper now, as well as a pencil to anyone who requires it. On this paper write your name and address; plus the time I am able to “pick up your disused clothes in a truck next Saturday.”
This speech got results. Everybody in the large course signed the paper. And according to reports, he got “a few hundred dollars ” worth of clothing for needy Indians.
Robert Hill not only got the attention and curiosity of his audience, but he also convinced them, activated feeling, informed them exactly what to carry out and made it straightforward for them to do.
How much clothing would have been given if the speaker had simply said, “The first occasion you have send your disused clothing to the Indians?” That finish would not get a dirty handkerchief.

If he’d said, “Bring your old clothing to class Wednesday for the Indians,” he may gotten a well used sweat shirt or else a pair of ragged socks.

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Do you think about the audience when you are preparing your speech?

The choice of content and its method of delivery should harmonize with the nature and desires of an audience. A speech on “Try Enthusiasm” for seniors in a care home, or for an audience of housewives, for instance, would likely vary tremendously from the one prepared for youthful driven entrepreneurs.
But always the basic principle is the very same. Dream tales, either genuine, true, or sensibly created are utilized. A vivid appeal is presented to the natural senses – feeling, seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling. Wanting and possessing could be added. Vibrant, actual, life-like pictures are cast in frames of audiences’ wants or desires. These images, although colored beautifully and made extremely attractive, are sensible. They don’t conflict with the logic which was presented in the conviction phase. They could and can occur.
“Wants awaken intellect,” said Wendell Phillips, 1 of America’s finest speakers. And whenever wants are stimulated naturally the mind is affected. A combination of both qualities is required for the most successful persuasion. Hardly ever will a human being act on a intellectual stimulus on it’s own. Instead he / she is likely to express, “Indeed, that’s a great concept. It really makes sense. I believe it.” But he will do simply nothing at all regarding it. Obviously ‘there are exceptions, nevertheless the majority of persons won’t take action unless they really feel as well as they think they should. But when a man or woman both feels and thinks he should act he normally will. Especially whenever he thinks and feels intensely.
Of course when stimulating desire the ethical speaker is truthful with his / her listeners, as he is when appealing to their intellects. A speaker that persuades individuals for unhealthy reasons is actually as guilty of criminal offense morally as a thief who forces someone at gun point. In any enterprise or profession integrity or dishonesty is always a decision. Regrettably, some speakers are deceitful. It appears, however, that any kind of success “won by means of deceitful, untruthful speaking must be the most sneaking, dishonorable action in the world. An unethical, deceitful speaker not only lies to his listeners, but he also lies to himself due to the fact he tries to make himself believe he is telling the truth.
Although a few modern speakers against the truth might be attempting to persuade by utilizing speech chicanery countless 1000′s of individuals are making use of persuasion every day to inspire, to teach, or to assist individuals help themselves. The former set deserves zero listeners. The second are most worthy of our support and motivation.

To summarize think about your audience and tailor your speech accordingly. Also make sure you speak for the right reasons – to help not hurt your listeners.

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The ability to transfer your emotions and feelings to your audience is key to being more persuasive in your public speaking.

When a speaker is intensely interested in his subject and has a burning desire to share his ideas and feelings with an audience, an emotional condition which psychologists call empathy usually occurs.
Empathy means a direct, complete communication of one’s thoughts and feelings into another person or persons. A contagious emotional effect from the speaker is necessary before this type of communication can occur. Of course a speaker must have a large supply of sincere feeling himself before he can hope to transmit it to other people. Giving someone the measles without having the disease yourself would be difficult. Similarly how could a speaker expect to share something with an audience which he doesn’t have himself? That would be just as reasonable as one child with empty hands saying to another, “Here, share my candy.”
Notice how empathy works at a local high school basketball game. Jasper, an old rival, is playing the home team, Hunting-burg. The teams are evenly matched. The score see-saws. All the players are intensely interested in winning. Even when a player
shoots a foul he may try to guide the ball into the goal after it has left his hands! ,
Fans in the stands watch the ball. They are almost riding with it. They lean forward and watch breathlessly as the ball, a victim of gravity, hangs momentarily on the hoop.
It falls in! Ardent home fans yell, applaud, throw up their hands gleefully, or even jump up and down for joy.
If the ball rolls out, the fans will still react, but in a different manner. Groans, moans, frowns, and various gestures of disgust become evident. But five seconds later they’re “heart over head” for the home team again. Empathy exists because the players and the fans are thoroughly living every moment o£ the game. The fans catch the spirit of the players, and the players in turn may be inspired by the fans. As in any type of effective emotional communication it is a two-way process.
Now picture another situation. A professional basketball team is playing the home boys. It soon becomes evident to the local fans that their team cannot even come close to winning.
The score is 43 to 18. The home team, in spirit, has given up because they are convinced they cannot win. The professional team, being so far ahead is simply coasting. Their ability is not even challenged. No one really has a deep interest in the game. So empathy, which was a vivid reality when the two high school teams played, is now completely missing.

My next post will provide some more explanation how you can use empathy to persuade your audience in public speaking.

Stories from your personal experience can be a great way to illuminate your speech and the point you are making, but your life does not have to be the only source of stories for your public speaking as illustrated below:-

A speaker told a story in which Henry David¬son, a bank clerk in Chicago, saved $5,000 by thinking quickly.
This happened when a man came into the bank and calmly offered a check to be cashed for $5,000. It was payable to “Cash” and was signed, God Almighty!
Davidson knew at once that a hold-up was being staged in an indirect way. But calmly he asked, “Would you like it in hundreds?”
“Yes,” was the hoodlum’s reply.
Then, with about three times as much vocal force as usual, the clerk said, “IT IS A PLEASURE TO CASH A CHECK FOR $5,000, ESPECIALLY FOR GOD ALMIGHTY!”
As Davidson hoped, this unusual statement attracted the attention of another clerk who saw what was happening. He called an officer who arrested the disappointed thief.
The speaker had read this illustration in a magazine. He gave the name and date of the publication. The story was true. And it directly supported his point: Thinking quickly is a worthwhile habit.
In addition to personal illustrations a speaker can use stories he has read. Daily newspapers are an excellent source for human interest stories. Some of the illustrations in newspapers may not be quite as accurate as an income tax report, but by and large, reporters tell the truth as they see it. And their stories must be interesting or people would not bother to read them.
Human interest news stories which are most helpful for a speaker may not be the headline news, but more likely they will
be the smaller items, either on the front page or somewhere
within the newspaper.    .  .
When checking a newspaper for speech material a speaker should, of course, have the theme of his speech in mind. For instance, a speaker who is interested in making inspirational or “self help” speeches would probably have little need for a story about disease or suicide, whereas a medical doctor might need illustrations on those subjects.

There are many other sources of material for your public speaking. When looking and choosing stories for your speech keep in mind they are interesting, relevant and haven’t been over used

There are a number of things an effective speaker will check to reduce the number of things that may compete with them when speaking.

As a favorable appearance can be helpful, an able speaker is always clean and neat. And he never wears anything so unusual that it attracts prolonged attention from an audience. No wise speaker will invite unnecessary competition against the persuasiveness of his ideas and feelings.
This competition may come in other ways, too. Pictures, or novel items such as a stuffed deer’s head or college pennants on the wall behind a speaker may attract some listeners’ complete attention. A row of dignitaries sitting behind a speaker can be¬come a distracting element. One person may lean over and whisper to another, or even if one scratches his nose he will get some attention which he really doesn’t deserve. When a speaker can he should tactfully move people and clap-trap from behind him. The platform and everything around it should emphasize the speaker’s ideas rather than steal attention from them. At least, insofar as possible, the setting should favor the speaker’s purpose.
Physical conditions in an auditorium can definitely influence persuasion. Naturally when people are shivering they are not in a very agreeable mood. And when a room is too warm or air is stale listeners may become drowsy. Obviously persuasion doesn’t thrive in a sleepy atmosphere. Also uncomfortable chairs, chairs that are too soft, or poor lighting may make persuasion more difficult than it would be under ideal conditions.
Of course a speaker may not always be able to control these conditions but he should be constantly alert to make the entire setting as conducive as possible for persuasion.

Getting a checklist together can help you make sure conditions help you speak in public with persuasiveness and confidence.

What is the best way to make a good impression in public speaking? Is it how you dress or how you act?

Listeners start forming opinions, at least, subconsciously, the very second they see a speaker. When he comes out briskly and starts his speech immediately curiosity (about him) alone will grab an audience’s attention. Then he is a fresh exhibit. But when a speaker sits on a platform in view of an audience for a period of time before he speaks the novelty is gone. And he may have to undo many erroneous ideas listeners have already formed about him.
When a speaker walks out in a lively manner and evidently happy because he is going to speak, the impression he makes is usually favorable. Obviously people expect him to be well-dressed, suitable for the occasion. Neither ornate nor seedy appearance is appreciated. Above all, a speaker should avoid anything about his or her dress that would attract undue attention to itself. Otherwise the effect will be distracting.
A woman, for instance, in a public speaking course for business and professional people, delivered a speech while wearing a huge, jet-black floppy-brimmed straw hat. She was slender which emphasized the size of the hat all the more. As if the hat were not ornate enough, she wore, attached to it, a red rose about the size of a boxer’s fist. Her habit of nodding her head as she spoke kept the hat brims flopping and the rose taking bows. Could anyone be expected to remember what she said?
Speakers who are not sure they know harmonious color combinations for clothing should check with somebody who does know. Obviously clothing should fit well and be of good, although not necessarily the most expensive, quality.
Proper clothing will make favorable impressions. Clothes along with the face and figure constitute the appearance. And a speaker’s appearance is important. But not nearly so important as a college senior rated it recently in a speech comprehensive examination. He rated it as a speaker’s most persuasive quality.
Nonsense! A speaker’s attitude, his love for people, his animated, enthusiastic spirit are far more persuasive than his personal appearance. Consider, for instance, a few highly persuasive speakers such as Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mahatma Gandhi, or Jesus. Was their persuasiveness a result of band-box grooming or elaborate clothing?

In my next post I’ll discuss some distractions that can get in the way of persuasive public speaking and what to do about them.

What does it take to be able to be persuasive in public speaking. Do you need to be swallowed by a whale or struck by lightning to be interesting?

Perhaps only two people in the world —Jonah and James Bartly — should have chosen to talk about “Being swallowed by a whale,” because only they have had that experience. The story of Jonah is well-known. And authentic government records in great Britain reveal that James Bartly was swallowed by a whale after the big fish upset his boat, east of the Falkland Islands, in the South Atlantic, in February, 1891. After living in the whale’s stomach about fifteen hours he was rescued by fellow workers.
He lived for fifteen years to tell about the event.
Fortunately a person does not have to be struck by lightning or be swallowed by a whale in order to have a suitable theme for a speech. By taking inventory of his experiences almost any-one can find at least a few subjects upon which he has earned the right to speak. Hobbies, special interests, likes, dislikes, pet peeves, ambitions, fascinating places, or admirable people often suggest suitable topics.
Although a speaker need not know everything about his subject he should know as much as possible. At least he should know more than the average person in his audience will know about it. Knowing his subject well, let him then give his entire self to expressing it with conviction and feeling.
William Jennings Bryan frequently told his daughter to think what she was going to say, then to “say it with feeling!” Quintilian, a master teacher of speaking said, “It is the heart and energy of soul which makes speakers eloquent.” Effective speaking is not a namby-pamby, mumble-jumble, lukewarm affair. It is a sincere sharing of a portion of life with other thinking and feeling people.
To have this earnest attitude toward sharing ideas a speaker must truly feel that everything he says is really worth sharing. “Impress yourself with the truth and importance of what you expect to say,” said William Norwood Brigance, a modern authority on public speaking.
Realizing that when people listen to a speech they are contributing a portion of their lives should motivate a speaker to say something really worthwhile.
One student speaker said, “When I step onto a platform to make a speech I imagine I am a fighter in the ring and that I must make every second count.” Another serious student said, “I speak as though I had only one minute to live.”
When a speaker sincerely feels he has serious, but pleasant and congenial business with an audience, his manner commands respect and attention from that audience. As he continues eager-ly sharing his entire self, this respect and attention becomes deeper. Audiences are strongly inclined to think and feel with him. Persuasion is at work.

Would thinking about public speaking in this way help you to be more persuasive?