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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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.

You can find interesting stories to use in public speaking in newspapers. But, how do you change them to be more interesting for use in a speech?

A human interest story can be made a lot more fascinating by organizing it in a way which particularly is attractive to audiences.
Musicians know that the kind of arrangements they perform will certainly have an impact on audiences’ reception of their tunes. Similarly the arrangement of a story is essential. Occasionally a public speaker will be able to improve a story he hears or reads prior to using it in a speech.
Observe the following story as it appeared in several daily papers:

307 Pounder Drops To 170 All for Love

Atlanta – Marvin “Fat” Samples, a parking lot worker, fell in love – all 307 pounds of him.
The object of his affections was attracted but insistent. “Chop off 127 pounds,” she said, “and we will see.”
Samples did exactly that, going on a rigid diet plan and getting his
bodyweight right down to a hundred and eighty in only eight months time. Maxine, an attractive redhead, said yes and they were married.
The bridegroom did not quit. He kept on staying on a diet and today weighs a mere 170. How did he do it?
“I simply ate steak and tomatoes,” Samples said, “and drank all the black coffee I wanted.”

Here is a love story. A heart throb with a hint of humor. 300, seven pounds of human interest. It’s interesting as the reporter wrote it. However one public speaker thought he could make this story more fascinating. Here’s the way he shared it:
Marvin “Fat” Samples a parking lot attendant of Atlanta, fell in love – all 307 pounds of him, with a gorgeous hazel-eyed brunette, named Maxine.
Parked in a jalopy, beneath a full moon, and in a magnolia-scented lane, Fat took her peach pickin’ hand and just like a lovesick hippopotamus, drawled, “Max, Darling, will yuh all marry me?”
The lovelight in her eyes said yes, but pride compelled her tongue to say, “Chop off over one hundred pounds, Big Boy, and we will see.”
What exactly did Fatty do?
He ate lean beef and tomatoes rather than potatoes and fat pork. And following 8 months of half starving, the poor fellow lost 127 pounds, nearly enough lard to fill a bushel basket.
Then he popped the question once again.
She gave him the once over and said, “Yes, sir-ee!”
They were married. And he adored her so much that to please her he voluntarily lost another ten pounds. However – maybe as of this very second, Fats is at the refrigerator looking for yet another beloved pork sandwich!
How does this differ from the news story?

I’ll answer the question in my next post. If you are looking to be more interesting public speaker or presenter check out our free e course in the box on the right and get it direct to your in-box.

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.

Here is an example of someone who tried to speak in a different accent and someone who spoke naturally and the impact it has on being persuasive or not

For instance, a college student talked with a decided eastern accent. Although he’d perfected this accent well, and he was a clever actor, his speaking wasn’t natural for him. Investigation uncovered that this student was a native mid-westerner however that he hated his “hill-billy” environment. He signed up at Harvard University, but after a few months went back to his native haunts. He brought back with him, however, the Harvard method of talking. Even now he has continued speaking in that manner, most likely not realizing his unnatural-ness, clever as it is, has detracted from his ability to persuade. Once in class he said, “My ten-year-old son said, ‘Fathah, if I talked like you the boys just wouldn’t play with me at all.’ So I haven’t encouraged him to talk like me because evah pe’son must be himself!”
Audience members want to feel that a presenter is genuine, trustworthy, and dependable. And in most cases, however not at all times, they can tell when he lacks those particular qualities. No matter how loudly a public speaker yells, “I am sincere, honest, and dependable!” or no matter how much he purposely attempts to impress individuals with his virtues, his persuasive efforts will usually be fruitless unless those commendable qualities are an ingrained part of his personality. The very fact that a speaker tries consciously to impress his honesty upon an audience may be proof that he lacks this attribute.
Capable personality articulates a subtle, sub-conscious, yet a highly persuasive, language.
For instance, by no stretch of the imagination can Homer Osborn, a grower in Southern Indiana, have been called a 2nd Winston Churchill. He didn’t know the power of words, neither was he very skilled in presenting! However he did possess some basic personal qualities which added definitely to his persuasiveness when from time to time he did address people in his community:
1.    He was as genuine as a gold nugget.
2.    He thoroughly believed every thing he explained.
3.    He was very humble but believed in himself and in others.
4.    His honesty, frankness, truthfulness, courage, earnestness, and optimism induced people to trust and to really like him.
5.Even though he never attended college, his knowledge and good common sense was admired.
6.People knew they could rely upon him and what he said as certainly as they might anticipate a sunrise in August.
7.    He had a firm, sensible faith in God to Whom he turned for extra wisdom and strength.

When you speak in public you want to put forward the best you but not a “fake” you. If you are struggling with public speaking or presenting at work or speaking up in meetings, try out our free e-course on speaking with confidence by typing your name and email address in the 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.

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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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Public speaking gestures are important in conveying your message effectively. What does your body language say about you?

There’s no 1 certain way to make any gesture. However UP and OUT (within reason obviously) are helpful terms to remember and use in connection with gestures. Actions that are up and out can be easily observed by an audience. Such actions are also usually far more positive and powerful than modest unsure motions made close to a speaker’s body. Then, also, when hands and arms move on a high sphere they are closer to the speaker’s facial area, which usually enables an audience to obtain a unified emotional impact from the hands, arms and face.
Whenever possible ideas ought to be illustrated with bodily action. For instance, whenever a speaker tells about the huge bass which got away he can picture the idea with facial and bodily action – if he can reach that far!
1 need not be absolutely exact when doing illustrative movements. They may be portrayed just as accurately as 1 readily can. Obviously the pace of the movement is going to be governed from the feeling that the idea encourages. “The train crawled around a bend,” will incite a far different sort of movement than, “A jet crashed in to the building!” As with all effective bodily action this is simply a case of talking naturally and openly with the muscles.
Healthy, successful gestures are not planned, even though at the beginning a student speaker might have to force his body and face, along with his tongue in order to tell his story. Nevertheless he needs to encourage body language right up until it becomes so natural he won’t need to give it second thought.
A presenter who refuses or fails to use natural gestures is similar to a boxer with a hand behind his back, or like somebody speaking through a television set that has no image. Such a speaker will be lacking a visual appeal which will certainly take away from his ability to persuade.
William Shakespeare reminds us, “Action is eloquence; the eyes of the ignorant are more learned than their ears.”
Perhaps the same could be said in all honesty regarding the very clever listeners in an audience, too.
And Demosthenes, who has a high ranking amongst speakers of all time stated, “The first qualification of the orator is action; the second, action; and the third, action.”
Act! – but as naturally when you would play your best game.

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Gestures in public speaking out to be natural but there are some natural gestures to avoide.

Sometimes a person, sensing that gestures of any style can enhance his presenting, makes continual pointless motions with his hands. This naturally is annoying for audience members and worse than no gesturing. A speaker need not feel obliged to make overt motions continuously. Frequently his hands ought to hang in a natural way at his / her sides, but always his / her entire body ought to be in a condition of readiness to gesture. Once this condition prevails he will “believe” and respond sensibly with his body.
Any form of doodling, both with or without a pencil, is an irritating behavior that a few speakers have. The speaker who shuffles his paperwork, removes and restores his / her spectacles periodically, rattles the change in their own pocket, scratches his scalp regularly, twirls his / her key chain, drums the stand with his / her fingers, gives his hands dry wipes, paces in a routine as he / she speaks, or even makes any unnecessary motions repeatedly, actually creates needless competition for himself. Clearly such movements shortly attract attention from a crowd and might result in listeners to think only -when is he going to cease that.
Generally, however, whenever a speaker is vitally interested in communicating ideas to an audience he / she will have neither the interest nor time to engage in distracting physical mannerisms. But even a professional speaker may have established a distracting habit so firmly he can continue it while seriously communicating. In such a case his / her coach or someone else should call his attention to the habit. Next, by becoming painfully aware of the mannerism, he / she could defeat it.
Any inclination a speaker might have to wrap himself/herself up should be avoided. Holding a speaker’s lectern and hanging on, for instance, will occupy the hands to such an degree they simply won’t bother to produce any illustrative or emphatic movements. Clasping the hands in front of the body, at the rear of the back, or folding the arms are habits that motivate a presenter to make use of little if any bodily action. A successful speaker isn’t like a soldier at parade rest, or an Indian chief during a peace treaty. However his manner is similar to that of an able boxer in boxing ring that is constantly prepared to move any part of his/her body harmoniously with the particular situation.

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Is your public speaking and your business presentations emotional? Or do you think emotion is unprofessional?

Just as a neat business letter has margins so does effective emotional speaking. Usually you will find threads of control. However these threads by no means turn out to be cables which choke out reasonable feeling. Many speakers, nevertheless, with regards to these analogies use only margins and cables. They talk as though their hearts were on holiday.
An additional cause of this tragedy may be because some adults believe that expressing any emotion is childish and immature, or that honest feeling will make them appear weak and ridiculous. So having been indoctrinated with this mindset for years, although they are tempted to express emotion from a speaker’s platform, they manfully suppress it.
But surely the millions of individuals who watch dramatic programs on Television every day, for example, indicates that emotion is popular and not to be feared. Feeling is natural, easy, and satisfying. What would remain if all feeling were removed from life? Life consists largely of the emotional experiences people have although some of those experiences may be as simple as the taste of ice cream.
When a speaker is willing to express freely the natural emotional content of his material his body will respond, also naturally, to the emotion. A twinkle in his eye, a smile, frown, nod of the head, lifting of an eyebrow, a shrug of the shoulders, shaking of a fist, opening of the hands, even a kick of the foot, or any one of many other overt actions might become a component of the speaking. Also small muscles that cannot be seen moving are contributing to the total speaking effect. In fact whenever a speaker willingly “lets his feelings show” he could make an extremely effective “speech without visibly moving a muscle!
But more likely most people who are honestly showing their feelings do use considerable overt bodily action. Obviously these movements ought to never be definitively planned, and as individuals walk in different manners, so will their physical expression of ideas differ.
For instance, each of five speakers may express “Get out of here!” in a different way. One may point a stern forefinger toward an imaginary door as he spoke. Another may make an open sweep with his hand, and the third may jerk a thumb over his shoulder toward a back door. The fourth speaker’s eyelids narrow as he slightly moves his head toward the door. The final speaker might stamp a foot and reach out as if he would choke anybody who refused to get out. There isn’t any 1 particular right way to express an emotion physically. Every speaker should feel deeply, then “do just what comes naturally.” But he should willingly do without restraining the doing.

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My previous post on stories in public speaking highlighted how important they are. They do need to have real human drama to keep your listeners engaged.

Now getting back to the daily news: McSimpson Elected Fire Chief. So what? It is merely a routine item. Wait until Mac begins chasing after fires. Then maybe he will be fascinating good enough to read about.
But here’s one that may be interesting: Attorney Fined for Shooting Newsboy.
It is morbid, but different. One wonders why it occurred.
Reading the piece, however, revealed that the title is the most interesting part of this story. The attorney said the shooting was an accident. And the boy lived.
That’s all there was to it. There was really no drama, no conflict, little action. No real human interest. Therefore the speaker passed it, realizing a story should be a lot more than strange or unusual to be beneficial.
Here is one a couple of pages over: Hidden Mike’ Found in Auto Trunk.
This does not sound unusually interesting, and the heading does not indicate exactly what the story is about. But it hints mystery. So he read:
Dover, Ohio – Farmers at nearby Newcomerstown were telling a good story today about a “hidden mike.” “Mike,” a coon hound owned by Kenneth Welch, was hidden accidentally for ten days in the trunk of an automobile.
The dog leaped into the trunk when Paul Miller was making a delivery at Welch’s farm, and Miller closed the trunk with out realizing “Mike.”
Welch made several searches for the dog and advertised his loss.
Miller said he used his car daily while Mike was in the trunk and even made one trip returning to the Welch farm. But he never heard a bark.
A bit fragile when found, “Mike” came around rapidly when given water and food.
This is an unusual bit of real life which might be used to reveal that treasures can be unseen right at a individuals feet – the theme of Acres of Diamonds, a speech by Russell Conwell, that audiences paid a total of approximately seven million dollars to listen to.

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In public speaking stories play a big part in drawing your listeners in, if they are interesting. But where can you find them?

A speaker who’s serious about giving inspirational talks reviewed a daily paper for subject matter. He wanted “WHAT SO?” stories instead of those that might cause audiences to yawn and say, “So what?”
Glancing at the first page the speaker noticed news about politics, crime, weather, and people killed in accidents. But this was just not the kind of news he wanted.
He turned the page and read: 3 Pay Fines on Traffic Charge.
So what? Nothing strange, taking into consideration the way some individuals drive today. . . .
Now what’s that? Ladies Aid Society Meets. So what? Maybe pink tea is going to be served. Such uneventful meetings occur frequently around the world.
At a peek the speaker knows he need not read those items.
But there is an unusual one – Man Pays $555.38 For Turkey Dinner. WHAT! SO?
Why? (Tell us much more!) Most likely this story could be different, unusual. The reader’s curiosity was aroused. Upon reading through the story he found that a guy, red with anger, had screamed at a waitress, “I won’t pay $12.88 for a chicken dinner!”
The angry customer stormed and ranted until the police arrived. He then paid $12.88 for the meal, plus a fine of $542.50 for dis-orderly conduct. In fact an overall total of $555.38 for a turkey dinner.
This is action. Human nature at work in an abnormal way. It is a little bit of real life to support a concept: An out of control outburst might be costly.
Upon examining his files, this speaker discovered he had forty-two stories about this subject alone. This is a common one:
Jim’s Burned Up – And So’s His Car By Anderson, S. C. – It was 103 in the shade here and James McDowell 22, was out in the sun half the day attempting to fix the carburetor on his 1946 car.
He couldn’t fix it. So he purchased a dollars worth, of gasoline, sloshed it on the car, and tossed a match onto it. Then he relaxed in a rocker on a nearby porch, remarking, “Let ‘er burn.”
The breach of “a city ordinance against starting a fire near a home cost him a $525 fine.
Within this story the speaker found unusual action, genuine human interest. He used it in a speech called: Spin your top – don’t “blow” it.

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Vocal power can help in getting across oyur ideas and concepts in public speaking as well as conversation.

Forming a habit of taking a few very deep breaths every day will promote a speaker’s vocal power. Force by itself, or loud speaking, is not good of course except if it suits the event. Sometimes a whisper will be more successful than a shout, but each speaking voice ought to have what is oftentimes referred to as vocal “presence.” That is, a speaker’s voice should tag him as being a real person, one who has sufficient spirit and force in his speaking to generate attention.
A great demonstration of vocal presence can be seen in the recorded voice of a radio announcer at the Greyhound Bus station in Chicago. This man announces the arrival and departure of numerous buses. When he says, “May I have your attention please?” the listener hears a friendly, yet powerful voice which immediately grabs his attention and holds it. Occasionally someone may add an announcement in rather weak, non-committal tones. The contrast is vivid, highlighting the value of voice presence.
Each day everybody has numerous chances to participate in public speaking because each and every conversation is, in a way, a speech. Why not make your daily conversations vital, vivid, and realistic? When you speak with one individual or to groups of people color your words and phrases and concepts so that they will appeal to hearers’ natural senses. Make your word pictures so vivid an audience can feel, hear, and see them as plainly as a talking picture on the wall and you’ll be a fascinating, persuasive speaker.

Being able to have vocal presence and to speak with confidence in public speaking  and conversation is something anyone can achieve if they want to do. Click on speaking with confidence to find out more.

You need to show some caution in the language you use in public speaking to make sure you don’t upset your audience,

Seasoning your speech with a appropriate slang expression or inventing a phrase may add interest and color to your presenting. But avoid the “youse guys” or poolroom style of speaking. That may add color, as well, but the wrong kind of color for an typical audience.
A slight grammatical error or a mispronounced word will not kill a spirited speech. An occasional flaw in speech marks a speaker as being human. A number of mistakes, however, will distract hearers. So studying English grammar is helpful because most people can make sufficient mistakes accidentally to give us the human touch. Comprehending all of the fine points of grammar may not be required, yet everybody should learn to speak without making grammatical errors that stand out just like a black eye on a blonde.
Continuously attempting to express life-like ideas and feelings while reading aloud will make a speaking voice more expressive. Read out loud from the classics or the comics, from the Bible, plays, the news, poetry – anything, constantly making the thoughts live.
An additional way to put effective vocal expression into speaking would be to emphasize the key words in a sentence.
Pay attention to this statement: A child caught ten fish in the city lake. As “child” and “ten” are the most important words and phrases within this sentence they ought to get more vocal force compared to other words.
However look at this sentence: The man threw a bag of gold into the city lake. In this instance the element of interest isn’t who, or how many, but what and where.
A little thought and practice will enable a speaker to form the habit of “punching” or “squeezing” essential words when he speaks. Abraham Lincoln did. When he spoke, the conjunctions and prepositions flowed easily – however when he came to a key phrase he stressed it. This emphasis requires increased spirit along with more vocal force.

Lincoln took the time and effort to season his speeches appropriately. When you are public speaking, don’t think you should. This will help to make you an exceptional presenter and speaker.

As with most things, force in public speaking can be abused and lose its effectiveness.

At times force is misused, like when a speaker feels he must stress everything in his presentation. Thus he uses as much force when talking about a bag of peanuts as he or she would when telling of a crazy elephant’s rampages. This produces a monotony of force. It is somewhat like putting an exclamation point after every sentence on a page or shouting “Wolf!” when only a mouse has shown up.

A radio news commentator at one time exclaimed, “It’s happened! Yes, it’s happened at last! They’ve finally done it!”
Naturally his claims got attention. Listeners wondered exactly what had occurred. Had yet another war been announced? Had taxes been decreased?
The commentator continued, “Yes, it’s happened! They’ve raised the price of an ice cream cone from a nickel to a dime!
What a catastrophe!
This speaker’s force kept attention and interest, but certainly listeners felt let down emotionally when they discovered he had linked so much tragedy to a fragile ice cream cone. Be reasonable with hearers’ feelings but do not think twice to excite them in vital, sensible ways.
Another error, common regularly for young presenters, is the practice of rushing with words, rushing to the conclusion of a presentation. Obviously there is no one proper rate for any person to talk, but a speaker should remember that words, like bullets from a rifle, are fired only once. They are not respoken or reread and too much rushing may not give an audience time to get the full meaning of the speech. This is especially true when a speaker’s material is rather complicated.

I’ll post more in a few days on using your voice in public speaking to maintain and get interest from oyur audience.

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In public speaking the pace or speed of your speaking is important, especially the variety of it

Read the sentence below silently. Then read it aloud, trying to picture with your tones, face, and body language exactly what took place:
The ancient automobile chugged as though each turn of the wheel could be the last. But slowly, very slowly, it crept up the mountainside.
It reached the top and then began down. Faster, and faster, and faster, it went. On and on it rushed just like a blurred black streak to the turn at the foot of the mountain. Then suddenly the automobile swerved from the road and crashed into a big tree!
While you speak about the trip up the mountain your rate of speaking will certainly be slower than once you talk about the sprint down. This demonstrates an important aspect of variety, change of rate, or variation in speed during a speech.
When an idea calls for a change of rate, vary the speed of your speaking, not robotically, obviously, but in keeping with the natural concept of the idea that is being expressed. When you talk about a fast thrilling game of football, make the players move with your voice and manner. But if you talk about idle sheep in a field, naturally your voice is going to be lazy and slow. It is as fundamental as that, but many speakers totally neglect this important principle of variety and say everything at about the same rate.
When you say, “The car crashed into a tree!” make it sound like a crash, nothing like a kid peeling a banana. This is another essential kind of variation in speaking – force, or lack of it.

I’ll be writing more in my next post about variety in public speaking to capture the audience’s attention. If you want to learn more about speaking with confidence please check out the resource here: speaking with confidence

Variety in your voice helps to keep your public speaking interesting. No-one likes listening to a dull monotone voice.

Thoroughly feeling a talk puts interesting natural variety in a speaker’s tones. And how refreshing variety is! Change, change, CHANGE. Appropriate variety holds interest, stimulates thinking, and revives an audience’s spirits.
Using variety is not a new idea. About two hundred years ago, William Cowper, a poet, said, “Variety’s the very spice of life.” And although this truth is time worn, some speakers still do not realize its value or surely they wouldn’t continue torturing audiences with monotony.
Variety’s The Very Spice of Life. Keep this truth handy and use it when you select and arrange materials for a speech. Also, when you practice, make that speech “live” through vocal in¬flection, variation of force, rate, and bodily action.
Get variety in your speaking by coloring your vocal tones with feeling to match your ideas.
Say, “The knife was sharp,” and as you speak, feel a sharp, bright blade cutting your finger.
Now say, “The old ax was dull.” And picture yourself sweating while trying to chop a tough green log with a rusty, ragged-edged ax. Feel the hopelessness of ever chopping that green log with a dull ax. When a speaker can mix a generous portion of feeling with his thoughts, his words will surely be expressive. Usually a dull, monotonous speaker is one who gives little thought and no feeling to the ideas he expresses.

If you think about what you are going to say it will help to variety to your voice. By caring what you are saying will help you be more expressive in your public speaking. It you want to find out more on confident public speaking please enter your details on the right and receive a 7 day course on confident public speaking plus hints and tips.

My previous post on public speaking voice was about don’t be boring. In this post here is tip to help put more feeling into your public speaking voice.

Speakers can put restful variety into their speaking by thoroughly feeling the ideas they express, and by willingly letting this feeling show freely in their tones.
Seeing mental pictures of expressed ideas will help a speaker put expressive color in his tones. For practice, say, as you toss an imaginary handful of feathers into the air, “Light as feathers.” Mentally see the light feathers fluttering in the air. Feel and show the lightness in your tones and speaking manner.
Now say, “Heavy as lead,” as you mentally see yourself seriously struggling to lift a big- bag of lead. Suit your bodily action to the thought as you say the words. Do this several times. As you say these words is your vocal tone different than it was when you said, “Light as feathers?”
Say “smooth” and make it sound smooth. Say “rough” and and notice the difference.
A speaker once told about the wash rag his mother used on him when he was a child. He paused and then said, “ROUGH,” as if a garden rake was being pulled over his face. Although this was only a simple thought, the speaker’s manner of expressing it gave variety to. his tones. It was very effective.
The tragic fact is that some speakers show no variation of feeling in their tones. They say everything alike. We are all too familiar with that type of talking.
Lively tones spring from a lively interest in life. So many effective speaking habits stem from that basic principle of being deeply interested in what we say and having an eager desire to share this interest. Will a speaker who is highly enthusiastic and excited about his subject ever speak in monotones? How could he?

To help you:- take an interest in life and practice using your voice to reflect what you are saying you will have a more interesting public speaking voice without thinking when in front of an audience.