Art Of Great Speaking

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.

If you want to know more about how to develop your personality for public speaking, check out our free e course by entering your details on the right.

Are you a more persuasive speaker when you know who you are talking to?

Obviously an able persona is more effective as a persuasive force when audience members know the speaker personally. But even when a public speaker is unknown these excellent personal characteristics will create to some degree at least, favorable impressions.
Conversely poor character traits will detract from persuasiveness.
By way of example, a college student named Dean, was a red-haired twenty-four-year-old ball of human dynamite. He was neither tall nor very short yet keg-chested having a mouth just like a miniature Grand Canyon. Whenever he spoke he bounced across the stage as if he were an Indian rubber ball. He pounded the table with his freckled fists. Sometimes he hopped on to the table and shook an accusing forefinger at his listeners as he talked. He was high in volume and beneficial. He thundered, pleaded, and tried hard to convince, but most individuals, especially those who knew him would not yield to his persuasion.

The reason why? Due to the fact public speaker was animated and enthusiastic? Absolutely no. Those characteristics are effective except if they call attention to themselves rather than the concepts and emotions a speaker wants to convey.
Did Dean not convince because he was eccentric? Absolutely no, not so much because of that but mostly as he didn’t win over people as being an able, sincere individual.
He gave a talk in favor of truthfulness but while he spoke, his mail was stuffed with bills he did not intend to take care of. Among his themes was unselfishness. However , he bought himself expensive suits while his wife and children were made to wear little better than rags.
This may be an excessive scenario but it’s true, and a vivid indication of the fact that just what a someone is may well shout so loudly people will not be able to hear what is being spoken.
Another illustration of this truth is the situation of Professor Z.
Z tags him nicely, as he is the sleepy, elbows-on-the-desk-chin-in-hands kind. A Ph.D. taught to the tips of his gray, thinning hair. Frail, slightly bent, having an apologetic, slouching gait, and a “have I a right” facial expression: His tone of voice is weak and without substance. He speaks with an odd nasal twang. He is an only child, many miles away from mom, yet at the age of 35, still in her kitchen apron pocket. Unmarried.
Observe him in the college dining area, shyly eating boiled eggs sent to him from mom via parcel post! Dr. Z will need to have his special vitamins. Or see him at the merest hint of rain grab his hat, raincoat, overshoes, and umbrella. He must not expose himself to a drop of water.
Then watch him  lecturing to his class. He talks of tough historical characters and their acts, but the class can’t become excited about his speech since they can’t sense he is an able, self-assured, grown-up individual.

What do you think? Can fake it until you make it? May be, may be not. I do know you can become a confident and effective public speaker if you apply yourself. If you want some tips and hints check out our free e-course on public speaking by entering your details in box to the right.

How do you feel when you are about to speak in front of an audience?

When a public speaker walks out in front of an audience believing that, as opposed to being on trial, he and his ideas are completely acceptable, his self-confidence immediately begins motivating this positive condition. Of course his liking and respect for the audience prevents his self-confidence from turning into severe or reaching the stage of egotism.
Confidence builds more confidence. Notice just how this functions when a team has a significant rally in a baseball game. 2 or 3 batters hit the baseball, yet another walks. The successful spirit is there. With extra self-confidence and eagerness the batters step up to the batting zone. The opposing pitcher will lose some self-confidence. He thinks about the clubhouse and a bath. He sees his name in the losing column on the neighborhood sports page. Every one of these influences have got their effects.
Likewise, whenever a public speaker steps out on a platform already possessing a winning spirit, his attitude definitely promotes that result. Obviously the opposite outcome is suggested when he arrives beaten just before he begins.
We see a victor as being a content, pleasant, smiling person. Notice a team which has only just lost a significant baseball competition. The players are an image of gloom, dejection, and defeat. But look at the delighted winners! In a somewhat comparable manner, a public speaker that feels himself to be a winner will appear like one. His smile, nevertheless, will come from deep inside. It will be natural, not added on. There will be nothing artificial or insincere about him because he has a deep affinity for his subject matter, and an keen want to discuss it with listeners he likes and sincerely 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 finest natural personal self.
When we purposely try to replicate somebody, or proceed through our life playing a part as though we were perpetually in a play, our personalities basically do not ring true, and dislike instead of persuasion is the outcome of our speaking endeavors.

If you want to learn more about speaking with ease to any size audience, please check out our e-course by entering your details to the right of this post.

Speech delivery is both vocal and visual. It is a reflection of the speaker’s personality. Your personality is your desire to being pleasing to others. Public speaking practice will develop your personality.

Your delivery should be natural but like many natural things it is capable of being developed. A  tree’s natural beauty may be improved by pruning the bad branches. Your natural delivery can be improved by working on your bad habits and enhancing your strengths. 

It may sound contradictory to say that you should deliver your speech naturally and then suggest you should improve your delivery. However this isn’t as bad as it sounds.

Improving your personality/delivery  comes naturally too. Because all people of good thoughts do not want to offend. If it is pointed out that talking too slow or too quickly is irritating they will naturally improve their personality in this respect.