Grace Sohoel-Goldberg

MIT Public Speaking

Preparation

Speech is what you do with sound

o Before and while speaking, take deep breaths from your diaphragm
NOT you upper chest
o Stand in a comfortable position, not straight or slumped
Voice creates and impression
o Pitch correct breathing will help you create a lower pitch
o Inflectiondont end sentences with upward tone or sarcasm
o Articulationdont blur words, practice saying difficult words
o pronunciationseparate words when you talk so that they are
understandable
o say only word, do not say um, uh,er or aaah
get your voice ready
o practice breath control
avoid throat breathing
o find you natural standing body position
o watch what you eat before you talk
avoid dairy products
o practice your speech
o get your voice to stretch
practice talking louder

Writing

you will probably read/ glance at your speech

o but dont read off of the page
o adjust your notes to the actual situation
o write how you talk
o avoid clichs
o give yourself written aural hints (stage directions)
o write or type in LARGE font
o read statistics, do not memorize them!!
Not trustworthy
Speaking from memory
o Only do it if
You have a real talent for it
You relate better to live audiences
You have given the speech many times before
The occasion is informal
o Do not do a brain dump think about what you are saying
Do not speak automatically
o Do not ramble

Grace Sohoel-Goldberg

o Have notes just in case

Do what works best for you

Mapping the Content of your speech

The visible structures

o Outline what will be told
o Let the audience know where you are going
o Count or use numbers!
o Refer back to what you said earlier
o Use repetition
o Assign responsibility do not be vague
o Give credit where credit is due for quotes
o Create a motif
Ask yourself these questions
o Does the evidence you give lead to the conclusion?
o Are you preachy?
o Are you going in chronological order?
o Do the events or date build to the climax?
Be concreate and be metaphorical
o Make analogies
o Tell a story
o Show spatial relationships
o Give details
o Dont hang an entire speech on the hook of a single metaphor
Check the time discreetly as to not go on for too long and lose interest
Reiterate your major points to get your point across
Dont fade away, have a strong last sentence

Writing & Speaking Elements

In both writing and speaking, get the intro and background details out of the
way before talking about the subject
Always have a strong ending
Layout for a speech:
1. Introduction
2. Speaker introduces topic themselves
3. Overhead, demonstrations, etc.
4. Repetition of topic
5. Anecdotes or stories
6. Separation of sections or ideas
7. Counting off of items
8. Change of topic
9. Reference back to previous topic
10.Explanation of words and ideas
11.Connection of ides
12.Summary/ending

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The Audience & You

What to know about your audience

o What is their background and knowledge?
o What is their mood?
o Who are they?
o What might you need to update on your speech for them?
o What questions will they have?
o What are possible disruptions?
Knowing yourself
o Know your view on the subject
o Be honest!
o Make eye contact
o Dont focus on errors
o Be friendly

Using Visuals

YOU are a visual by being the speaker

Talk while you do stuff
Keep demonstrations simple
Keep visuals simple
Avoid annoying the audience
o Do not read to them
o Use a pointer, not your hands
o Stand on your dominant side
o Make sure the equipment works
Heighten interest by doing one thing at a time
Chose the right time to give out handouts
Practice with visuals
ALWAYS PREP everything AT LEAST one day before