Art Of Great Speaking

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The preparation of your material not only must be thorough, but also must be personal, because to discuss a subject effectively at a management meeting or to present it to a group convincingly and speak with confidence it is important to project your own self into your talk.

Nobody likes to listen to a ghost-written address read with the zest of a secretary reviewing last month’s minutes; such an impersonal speaker wastes his listeners’ as well as his own time.

Ghost-writing is practiced by public characters that either have little or nothing to say—or who do not know how to express their own ideas. These people simply hire better informed or more articulate characters to provide them with language and also ideas.

When a ghost-written composition appears in print or is passed off as oratory, the public is deceived into believing that it is an authentic discourse which originated in the mind of its putative author who, in fact, is nothing more than a literary microphone or megaphone.

Many individuals are full of good words—so they become ghost-writers—but a good speech requires not only superb language but also a thorough knowledge of the subject. The subject may be foreign to the ghost-writer, and to cover any deficiency he may resort to pious platitudes, but fancy phrases are no substitute for lack of knowledge of the sub¬ject. That knowledge a speaker must possess personally in order to present his ideas interestingly and convincingly.

An audience wants a speaker to speak with confidence, conviction and sincerity.  Perfect English is not required for effective public speaking or presentations. The audience want the presenters to know their topic and deliver a speech that is worth while to them.

Ghost-written speeches do have their place, but to enable the presenter to speak with confidence they must have input into the writing so that it reflects their knowledge and personality. In this way they will develop into a confident public speaker.

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Being able to speak with confidence is a highly respected skill, but it is usually the opposite to this that people focus on when they asked to speak – they look for what could go wrong, not how to make it go right. Outlined here is a method that can help all speaker to speak with confidence and deliver a more effective speech.
When a person agrees to give a speech, his first problem is to determine how to go about preparing and delivering the speech. Although each speech situation is different in many respects from every other speech situation, the over-all task is the same: to give a speech that is worth while in purpose, acceptable to the audience, and to some degree skillful. The way in which a speaker goes about accomplishing this task, like the task itself, is nearly the same in all speech situations. This way of going about one’s task is best described as method. Intelligence, it is said, is knowing what can be done in a given situation. Wisdom is knowing how to go about it. Wisdom is the prac¬tical aspect of knowledge. In this respect, the practical aspect of speech training is the method used to prepare and deliver a speech.
If a person is faced with a problem which he does not know how to solve and if leaving this problem unsolved leads to dire consequences, the person will usually have a sinking feeling and become panicky. This is exactly what may happen to us when we are asked to give a speech. If we do not know how to go about preparing or delivering an acceptable speech, we anticipate embarrassment and loss of prestige. In another situation, in which we know how to go about solving our problem, our fear subsides and we lose ourselves in the process of solving the problem. The more sure we are that our solution will work, the less we are afraid. So when we are asked to give a speech, if we are sure we know how to go about preparing and delivering one, our fear will subside and we can lose ourselves in the preparation of our remarks. Good preparation will allow us to   speak with confidence and often with pleasure.

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Public speaking is like private conversation with more people present. Private conversation can be used to help develop the ability to speak with confidence in public speaking. It will also help with conversation skills.

Two areas that will benefit are the ability to speak expressively and being more enthusiastic. Conversation is usually “safer” than public speaking and will give you the opportunity to be more confident in these skills before trying them out in public.

Vivid Speech

Each day there are  numerous opportunities to engage in public speaking because every conversation is, in a way, a speech. Why not make your everyday conversations vital, vivid, and realistic? When you speak with one person or to groups of people color your words and ideas so they will appeal to hearers’ natural senses. Make your word pictures so vivid an audience can feel, hear, and see them as clearly as a talking picture on the wall and you’ll be an interesting, persuasive speaker.

Enthusiasm

When you speak show enthusiasm for it is highly contagious and if you enjoy your subject and your audience, the audience will reflect the same feeling toward you and your subject. So in daily conversations,  or in any human relationship, give yourself completely, and you will find that the enthusiasm you give to others will be reflected back to you many fold.

The emotion of enthusiam will help any speaker be more convincing. Developing a more expressive way of speaking both in the words and how you use your voice will help you to be a more interesting speaker. Practicing during private conversation gives a more “secure” environment to develop the ability to speak with confidence and persuasiveness by trying out new things to expand the”comfort zone.”

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Being able to speak with confidence is a problem for many people.  Confident public speaking  is something that is in the reach of most people.

One of the keys to confident speaking is to talk or present on a topic that you are interested and are knowledgeable about. By mastering your topic you can master your audience.

Proficient public speaking requires a thorough knowledge of your subject matter. Your perfectly pitched voice may be pleasing to the ear; you may be a master of delivery and have a fine command of the English language. Despite all these attributes your performance still might be a flop if you are not thoroughly conversant with your subject.

This lack of thorough subject knowledge is the rock that wrecks more public speakers’ ambitions than any other. Veterans of the hard roll and fruit cup circuit frequently pop up with a talk at the sight of a breadcrumb, but often their urge to be heard is hardly worthwhile because they don’t know what they’re talking about.

Audiences are quick to sense it when your knowledge of your subject is superficial and your speech goes over like a lead balloon. Contrariwise, a person may not be considered a first-rate speaker and yet be much in popular demand because he is a recognized leader in his field and knows his subject thoroughly.

By knowing about your topic it is easier to speak with confidence. The knowledge you have on the topic gives you a rational reason to be confident. And in many cases you are merely expanding the private conversations you have had on the subject. Knowledge is power and it is that power that makes it easier to confidently speak.

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To speak with confidence and persuasion a speaker feels that everyone in their audience deserves his very best efforts. Rather than think, “People are suckers. I’ll give them as little as possible,” he believes, “In my audience today are the most important, most deserving people in the world. They are giving me a portion of their lives and. in return deserve the very best of everything I have to offer.”
Naturally, when a person truly likes people his friendliness will become evident in various ways. The tone of his voice, his eyes, facial expression, and general bodily action will reveal his friendliness. This should never be checked or consciously withheld. A speaker should let his honest, feelings show by freely-feeling “out loud.”
A mistake some speakers make is to draw a friendship circle and consider only those people who fall within the circle to be friends. The most influential persuasive speaker feels that every¬one is his friend. He approaches each audience with a positive mental attitude that all the listeners will believe him and re¬spond favorably because they really want to.
Compare this attitude with a negative mental approach such as, “I know you don’t want to believe me. Your minds are set. You’re contrary. But what I am going to say is true. You’ll have to believe me whether you want to or not.” This attitude of course tends to put listeners on guard, causing them to build an invisible wall between themselves and the speaker. And they may say mentally, “Wait a minute, old boy, we don’t have to believe anything, least of all what you are saying.”
When a speaker steps out before an audience feeling that, instead of being on trial, they and their ideas are completely accept¬able, their self-confidence immediately starts encouraging this positive condition. Of course his liking and respect for the audience prevents his self-confidence from becoming extreme or reaching the point of egotism.
Confidence builds more confidence. Notice how this works when a team has a big rally in a baseball game. Two or three hitters smack the ball, another walks. The winning spirit is there. With added self-confidence and enthusiasm batters step up to the plate. The opposing pitcher loses some self-confidence. He thinks of the clubhouse and a shower. He sees his name in the losing column on the local sport page. All these influences have their effects.
Similarly, when a speaker steps out on a platform already feeling a winning spirit, his attitude definitely encourages that effect. Of course the opposite result is suggested when he comes out defeated before he begins.
We look upon a winner as being a happy, friendly, smiling person. Notice a team that has just lost an important basketball tournament. The players are a picture of gloom, dejection, and defeat. But see the happy winners! In a somewhat similar man¬ner, a speaker who feels themselves to be a winner will look like one. Their smile, however, will come from deep within. It will be natural, not tacked on. There will be nothing artificial or insin¬cere about him because he has a deep interest in his subject, and an eager desire to share it with listeners he likes and deeply respects.
Any “put on” manner will be resented by audiences. As Cecil B. DeMille said, “Affectedness in speech is the worst fault of all … Be yourself; your individuality is the most precious thing you possess. Let your voice be forthright and honest.”
Be your best natural self.
Friendliness and a positive approach to the audience gives the impetus to a speaker to do their best. It is this desire to help the audience is the spur to overcome any nerves and speak with confidence for successful and effective speakers.

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Talking enthusiastically upon a subject which a person knows well and is deeply interested in sharing will help overcome timidity to speak with confidence and persuasively.
For example, at a large university a physical education major, built like an All-American fullback, enrolled in a speech course. One wouldn’t think a big he-man like him would, tremble in his socks when he stood before a speech class. But he did.
His face took turns being pink and white as he grasped his notes in trembling vice-like fingers, and stumbled through a speech which he didn’t really want to deliver in the first place.
Wanting to help him control that demon, fear, his teacher suggested that next time, instead of talking from notes he talk on some subject which he knew by “heart.” Not a memorized talk, but one which would bubble right out of his nature.
Would he talk about something he really knew, and knew he knew?
He could, and did.  Next time he talked about tumbling. . And could he tumble? All over the place, and talking all the while.
Now there were no trembling hands, no shaking in his socks, no dry bones rattling or thick tongue because the speaker was too busy communicating vital ideas to be afraid. What a vic¬tory over fear!
When getting started choose a topic you know well and interested in and it is much easier to speak with confidence. When you do not believe in what you are speaking about it is difficult to speak with conviction and you are more likely to be timid than confident.

Please visit http://www.selfconfidentspeaking.com for more information on how to speak with confidence and a free preview of The Art of Great Conversation.

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When you lack confidence in your ability to speak with confidence it is too easy to start with an apology or with “Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking…” Don’t, they get you off on the wrong foot with the audience. The audience will wonder why they bothered turn up and there are plenty of intereting way to start and get your audience’s attention.

Here are 5 interesting ways to get your audience’s attention:

1. A question which causes an audience to think. People become alert when they are asked to alert. Even a sleep member of the audience will sit up and pay attention when they are asked a question.

2. Start with a quotation.  A relevant quotation gets you off to a good start. It is an effective beginning because people will think you are knowledgeable in your topic.

3. A topical opening. You begin by referencing that has happened in the recent past.

4. Start with a story. Everyone likes a good story – it does not neccessarily have to be a funny one but it does have to be an interesting one.

5. Start with a fact stated in an interesting way. This gets you started straightaway into your speech.  For example, for a speech to a bird protection society “Oil is a killer and a very painful death it brings. It is estimated that twenty-six thousand birds at least died in agony along this part of the coast last year because of it, and we know that this can be avoided.”

The way you choose to open your speech will depend on the circumstances and your own style. Try a variety of openings to build up your repertoire and experience.It is this way that will give you the ability to speak with confidence.

To find more information ongetting your peech started and speak with confidence please vist http://www.selfconfidentspeaking.com to get a free preview of The Art of Great Conversation.

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People have grown up listening, reading and watching stories – at bedtime as a child, on TV, in books, on film and now the internet. People like stories.A person that can speak with confidence when telling a story will quickly win over their audience’s interest and maintain it. If they do it right.

But stories can sometimes fall flat. Here are some great tips to avoid that:-

1. Be relevant – to truly hold the audience attention it needs to support or illustrate a point that is being made, otherwise it may leave them confused.

2. The best story-starters implant anticipation, participa­tion, curiosity, or an “I’ll let you in on the dirt” feeling.

3. Don’t drag out your story; reduce your words to bare essentials.

4. Put interesting, picture-making details into his stories. He uses specific, concrete words that create vivid images rather than a blur of mental fog e.g. Listeners can see a fat man waddle or wobble easier than they can see him go to the front door of his cabin.

5. The primary source of your material is your own experience. Observe what is going on around you find plenty of material for your speech. A person who takes a keen interest in life can find more and better material than the jaded bored world traveler who takes no interest in what is happening around them.

6.  Keep a pen and notebook handy to note down the  happenings, don’t rely on your memory. In this way you will soon have a storehouse of stories that you can call on to use in your speeches and presenter.

A person who can speak with confidence takes the time to find interesting stories and ensures they are relevant to their speech. It doestake more time to include interesting stories into a speech but the results are worth it.

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Before preparing your speech, bear in mind the organ­ization and the type of audience to be addressed. There are many different types of audiences within every com­munity. A group of girl scouts will probably not be interested in the same things as a sales conference. Without completing your speech preliminaries you may undermine your ability to speak with confidence because of your lack of research and preparation.

A popular speaker addresses highly intelligent gather­ings of professional people, literary groups, etc., one day; the next, a football banquet, Scout Rally, or a convention of salesmen. In each instance the audience must be taken into consideration both in the speech to be delivered and the manner in which it is to be presented.

It is important to decide whether your remarks should be light or heavy, moderately serious or hilariously funny. Ask yourself: Why did they invite me? What do they want to hear from me? What do I know of their organization? Which anecdotes will please them most?

If this is a return engagement—did something interest­ing occur at the earlier meeting? Would some personal experience especially appeal to this gathering? Did they suggest a topic? And what is their particular interest in it?

Find out who is to introduce you and what would serve best as an “ad lib” opener. Well in advance, send publicity material to the organization concerning you and your speech.

In this way you will know what your audience in interested in and you can craft a speech that will be worthwhile to them. And the audience will be properly primed as to who you are. This provides you with a good reason to speak with confidence to your audience.

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