Art Of Great Speaking

Being able to develop self-confidence doesn’t usually happen at once.

An able showman, having complete self-confidence and not depending upon a canned speech, has the ability to ad-lib when unusual circumstances occur.
For instance, when a college professor was introduced as a speaker for an audience of business executives he didn’t get any applause. In fact, his audience just sat and looked as though they were angry for having to be present.
Of course the speaker expected some applause, but when he didn’t get any he completely changed the beginning of his speech. Instead of starting immediately with an illustration, as he had planned, he applauded himself as he said, while grinning widely, “Why shouldn’t I applaud me? The good Lord knows if any¬one needs encouragement I do!”
Then, entirely unplanned, he continued with this illustration:
College professors can be dull. I know! — because two of us were on a speaking program recently. One’s bad enough, but think of two!
Well, he spoke first, and I went to sleep.
Then I spoke and he went to sleep.
Now I don’t blame him for going to sleep, of course, but why did that buzzard have to snore?
A fat man in the second row grinned. Other listeners loosened up a bit. And soon they willingly listened to a speaker they thought would not be worth hearing. The speaker had used showmanship to get interest. What would have been the effect if he had showed himself displeased with his audience, if he had reprimanded the listeners for their lack of courtesy or enthusiasm?
A tactful, persuasive speaker recognizes adverse conditions instantly and adjusts harmoniously to them.
Abraham Lincoln, for example, became highly successful in winning the goodwill of unfriendly audiences. Notice his speak¬ing approach to some people in Southern Illinois who had seriously threatened to “nail his hide on a barn door” if he tried speaking to them against slavery:
Fellow citizens of Southern Illinois, fellow citizens of the State of Kentucky, fellow citizens of Missouri — I am told there are some of you here present who would like to make trouble for me. I don’t understand, why they should. I am a plain, common man, like the rest of you; and why should I not have as good a right to speak my sentiments as the rest of you? Why, good friends, I am one of you. I am not an interloper here. I was born in Kentucky, and raised in Illinois, just like the most of you, and worked my way along by hard scratching. I know the people of Kentucky, and I know the people of Southern Illinois, and I think I know the Missourians. I am one of them, and therefore ought to know them; and they ought to know me better, and if they did know me better, they would know that I am not disposed to make , them trouble. Then, why should they, or any of them, want _ to make trouble for me? Don’t do any such foolish thing, fellow citizens. Let us be friends, and treat each other like friends. I am one of the humblest and most peaceful men in the world —would wrong no man, would interfere with no man’s rights. And all I ask is that, having something to say, you give me a decent hearing. And, being Illinoisans, Kentuckians, and Missourians — brave and gallant people — I feel sure that you will do that. And now let us reason together, like the honest fellows we are.

Understanding your audience is an important part of succeeding as a public speaker. If you want to learn more about being a successful public speaker, try out our free e-course delivered direct to your inbox by typing your name and email into the box to the right and get sent direct to you.

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.