Lesson 1.

THE NATURE OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

Public speaking is a process of imparting ideas, sharing insights, and giving information to broaden
one's comprehension and experience. It is a kind of communication matter that involves a speaker
delivering prepared speech to an audience through both oral and visual symbols. It is both an art and
science. An effective public speaker artfully crafts a message while relying upon time tested principles of
human communication.

Elements of Communication

1. Source. A public speaker is a source of information and ideas for a target audience. The job of the source
or speaker is to encode or translate the ideas and images in his or her mind into a system of symbols that
will be recognized by an audience. The speaker may encode into words or gestures.
2. Message. The message in public speaking is the speech itself both what is said and how it is said.
3. Channels. A Message is usually transmitted from sender to receiver via two channels: visual and
auditory. Audience members see the speaker and decode his or her nonverbal symbols - eye contact,
facial expressions, postures, and dress If the speaker uses any visual aids, such as graphs or models, these
too are transmitted along the visual channel. The auditory channel opens as the speaker speaks.
4. Receiver. The receiver of the speaker's information or ideas is the individual audience member. The
receiver's task is to decode the speaker's verbal and nonverbal symbols or codes back into a message.
5. Noise. When something interferes with the communication of a message, we call it noise. Noise may
either be external or internal. External noise is a form of physical noise. Internal noise may stem from
either physiological or psychological causes
6. Feedback. One way in which public speaking differs from casual conversation is that the public speaker
does most or all of the talking. However, public speaking is still interactive. Without an audience to hear
and provide feedback, public speaking serves little purpose. Therefore, skillful public speakers are
audience centered.
7. Context. The context of a public speaking experience is the environment or situation in which the
speech occurs. It includes elements such as the time, the place, and speaker's cultural traditions and
expectations. Each speaking context is considered as unique.

Essential Qualities of an Effective Speaker

1. Sincerity. This is revealed by being natural, which is a simple thing in theory but often so difficult to
carry out as you wrestle to master nervous tension. Showing at the right time, the proper amount of
enthusiasm and vitality; being assured in manner and voice because of the grasp you have on the subject
your spontaneous reaction to any incident (from an interruption by a member of the audience to your
knocking over your cards) each will reveal it Speak not only from the head speak from the heart
2. Friendliness. Friendliness begets friendliness. It must be a natural one. It particularly illustrates the
direct connection between the eye and the voice. A twinkle in the eye automatically causes a twinkle in
the voice. Friendliness, therefore, is apparent in this dual way, a lubricant to mellow solemnity to pleasant
seriousness and to carry through dull facts enjoyably
3. Authority. This is something you cannot command in speaking; you can only persuade. Authority is
attained by the interlocking of all the positive principles, namely: quality of fact and thought, of language,
of delivery, all stamped by the speaker's personality. It is a blend of conviction and intelligence.
Conviction is revealed, for example, by showing that you really believed what you are saying is interesting
and important; more particularly by disclosing that it is the result of your personal thinking and feeling.
Intelligence, on the other hand, will be manifested by speaking from your own observation; by the range
of your voice and the choice of your language

Guideposts on Becoming an Interesting Speaker

1. Put your own personality into your speeches:

 Talk about your own feelings about the subject.
 Talk about your reasons for arriving at conclusions.
 Bring something from your own personal background that no one else could, even stories from
your childhood.
“It's the uniqueness of your own personality in the speech that makes
the difference."

2. Think outside of your area of expertise. About 30% of your reading should be outside your field
3. Paint word pictures for the audience:
 Use analogies.
 Use interesting facts and figures.
 Use ideas to inspire the audience.
4. Remember that the "like" factor is very important in communication. These qualities should become
part of your message:
 Optimism
 Friendliness
 Honest interest in other people
 Honest interest in subject matter other than your area of expertise.
"People want to believe, want to be persuaded by, want to be influenced by people they like."
5. Get practice on a videotape or have an honest session with people who know you. Ask them these:
 "What don't you like about me?"
 "What do I do that really irritates you?"

Ethical Standards in Public Speaking

1. Tell the truth. This one may be the most important guideline. Communication depends on a bond of
trust between the parties involved. An audience that consents to listen to you is extending you its trust.
Consequently, if people believe you are lying to them, they will reject you and your ideas. If during your
speech they believe you are telling the truth, but later learn that you have lied, then you are likely to lose
your credibility in later speeches. But telling the truth means more than avoiding deliberate, outright lies.
Credible communicators do not twist facts. When facts are well documented, you can make the most of
them; when the facts are weak, acknowledge potential weakness. Many times your honest “I don't know,
but I'll find out” will enhance credibility far more than deflecting a comment or using irrelevant
information as true. Don't use it until you have verified it. Ignorance is seldom accepted as an excuse.

2. Keep your information in perspective. Many people get so excited about their information that they
exaggerate its importance. Although a little exaggeration might be accepted as a normal product of human
nature, but when the exaggeration is perceived as "distortion" most people consider it the same as lying.
For instance, suppose a speaker discovers that capital punishment has lowered the murder rate in a few
states, but in many other states the statistics are inconclusive. If the speaker asserts that statistics show
capital punishment deters crime, then that would be distorting the evidence. Because the line between
some exaggeration and gross exaggeration is unethical.
3. Resist personal attacks against those who oppose your ideas. There seems to be an almost universal
agreement that name calling, and other irrelevant personal attacks are detrimental to a speaker's
trustworthiness. Responsible listeners recognize that such tactics do not contribute to the speaker's
argument and represent an abuse of the privileged status the speaker enjoys.
4. Give the source for all damning information. Where ideas originate is often as important as the ideas
themselves, especially when a statement is damning. If you are going to discuss wrongdoing by individuals
or organizations, or condemn an idea by relying on the words or ideas of others, provide the sources of
your information and arguments. Moreover, because the mention of wrongdoing brings communication
to the edge of what is legally defined as slander, speakers should be aware of the legal as well as ethical
pitfalls of withholding sources.
5. Disclose the complete picture. Speakers can try to manipulate an audience's perceptions by phrasing
points in such a way as to ignore or put a positive spin on information that is damning to their case. While
they may console themselves with the thought that they have not told outright lies, knowingly suppressing
unfavorable information does misrepresent the facts and violates the audience's trust

Lesson 2
VOICE AS A MEDIUM OF EFFECTIVE SPEECH DELIVERY

Speaking to be Understood
There are three important aspects of vocal delivery in order to be clearly understood by a target audience.
1. Volume. The fundamental purposes of your vocal delivery is to speak loudly enough so that your
audience can hear you. The volume of your speech is determined by the amount of air projected through
your larynx or voice box. Volume refers to the softness or loudness of a speaker's voice.
2. Articulation. The ability to make speech sounds clearly and distinctly is articulation. Without distinct
enunciation or articulation of the sounds that make up words, your listeners may not understand you or
may fault you for simply not knowing how to speak clearly and fluently.
Many errors in articulation result from a simple flaw laziness. It takes effort to articulate speech sounds
clearly. The best way to improve your articulation of sounds is first identify words or phrases that you
have a tendency to slur or chop. Once you have identified them, practice saying the words correctly
3. Pronunciation. Whereas articulation is concerned with the production of sounds, pronunciation refers
to the sounds that form words in standard English.

Guideposts in the Effective Use of Voice

To make an effective use of your voice, keep the following guide posts in mind.

A. Articulation and Pronunciation

1. Good articulation is the art of speaking so that every sound is clear and distinct. Vocal sound does not
become speech until you have modified it by articulation. Articulation can be improved by:
a. Moving your lips and tongue. Much indistinct articulation comes from lazy forming sounds.
b. Taking particular care in forming sounds at the beginning and ending of words.
c. Rehearsing aloud. Tape record yourself and note any por tions of your remarks that are difficult
to understand.
 d. Watching for feedback from listeners who tell you they were not able to distinguish certain
sounds.
2. Good pronunciation is achieved when the sounds that make up a word are uttered in a manner that
needs the standards of the educated people in a community of which you are a part of. Pronunciation can
be improved by:
a. Thoughtfully studying and analyzing the pronunciation of words by those around you, with
particular attention to the way persons on radio and television pronounce words.
b. Looking up familiar words and their pronunciations in a dictionary.
c. Making a list of words you have difficulty pronouncing and practice saying them correctly, using
a tape recorder. It will be helpful if you have a recording of each word pronounced correctly to
compare with your pronunciation. You do not want to practice words incorrectly.
B. Rate and Pitch
1. The rate of speech is the number of syllables you speak per
minute. Effective use of speaking rate can be achieved by:
a. Striving to vary the rate with which you speak. While you are seeking variety, avoid speaking
either so fast that your listeners cannot follow or so slowly that your audience becomes bored.
b. Matching the variations in rate to the content of what you are saying.
c. Practicing timely use of pauses to emphasize important points.
2. The pitch of your voice is the highness or lowness of the sounds
you make based on the frequency of the vibration of your vocal
cords. Effective use of pitch in speaking can be achieved by:
a. Matching the pitch of your voice with the content of what you are saying. For example, you
generally end a question by raising the pitch of your voice.
b. Striving for variety in pitch to keep your voice lively and interesting. A monotone has no
variation in pitch
c. Using variation in pitch as a means of providing emphasis.
d. Supporting your voice with sufficient breath and remaining relaxed as you speak so that the
general pitch of your voice is near its best, natural level.

C. Loudness
1. To speak effectively, you need to control the volume or loud
ness of your voice so that it is appropriate for the setting and
purpose of your speech. Effective control of loudness can be
achieved by:

a. Making sure that you are speaking loudly enough to be heard easily by all those you are
addressing. Watch those with whom you are speaking for feedback that tells whether they are
able to hear you.
b. Using enough energy as you speak to form all the sounds clearly. Some of the breathing
processes that help you achieve clear articulation help control loudness.
c. Using sufficient variety in the degree of loudness to maintain interest and to match the content
of what you are saying
d. Controlling the loudness of your voice by using the abdominal muscles to push air up out of
your lungs.

Lesson 3
EFFECTIVE USE OF GESTURES, PLATFORM, MOVEMENT, NOTES, AND VISUAL AIDS