Thursday, February 2, 2012

Knowing Speaking

By Hilde Kiedrowski


The art of public speaking is a difficult one for many people, though it frequently pops up time and time again as one that must be at least learned, if not mastered. This fear comes probably more from the planned aspect of public speaking, which is the major difference between it and the spontaneous oratory that occurs all the time at meetings and parties.

Beyond simply getting over the fear of speaking in front of an audience, the public speaker must also be effective at getting his message across in a manner that will attract and hold an audience. It takes a natural facility with the subject matter, hard research, and picking the right audience for your topic, sure, but just as important is that you present this topic with a real excitement and energy.

No matter what audience you are speaking to, you have to keep in mind that they are only human, like everyone else. From the incredibly rich to the devastatingly poor, and from the most powerful politician to the non-voter, each person is similar to every other in terms of interest, life goals, and more. By showing his audience that he is well-versed and knowledgeable about his topic, even an audience of strangers can be won over with little extra effort. Since a sense of humor is inherent in almost every human being, it makes sense that appealing to that emotion would be an effective tool in public speaking. This is one big reason why humor is a tried and tested staple of the orator's handbook.

We switch subjects slightly now to focus on a more nuanced technique of public speaking; I am referring to the technique called of self introduction. Without a proper context, a self introduction will be seen as a very forward and over-confident way to start a presentation. In most situations, you will have already received a fine and formal introduction by another speaker. There are times, though, when you may not have a speaker to introduce you, or the speaker fails at his task. Your introductory speaker could suffer from the same flaws in this field as you used to have, and his introduction will not fully do you justice. A weak introduction will leave your audience doubting your qualifications and credentials, which speaks again to the need for your expertise to shine through in any public speaking situation.

This is where a good ability in self introduction will come in handy. Though it may come off as bragging, it is really just your efforts to save your performance from being sabotaged by another speaker.

You can take back control over your presentation by opening your talk with a little anecdote that both amplifies your capabilities as an expert and demonstrates your ability to speak confidently.

By utilizing the techniques outlines above, you will be able to ensure that your next public speaking engagement will go well no matter what circumstances come your way.




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