tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78045246423405992162024-03-13T21:53:02.376-07:00Motivational Speaker TrainingSelf Improvemen2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16139322094306902492noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804524642340599216.post-30687947555897711712011-09-14T05:44:00.000-07:002011-09-18T07:24:12.064-07:00Your First Public Speech<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zr2cLbtoKuk/TmTGUNGxZ0I/AAAAAAAAADI/MXFuBYk8CQI/s1600/red-microphone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zr2cLbtoKuk/TmTGUNGxZ0I/AAAAAAAAADI/MXFuBYk8CQI/s320/red-microphone.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Imagine you’re in a classroom. Who do you think speaks excellently? You may select those who look smart or those who often recite in class. You may think that these people are actually more confident than you think they are. Or perhaps, they are born speakers and you are not. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, it may surprise you that they’re probably thinking the same thing about you! They may also feel that you are a born speaker and envy you because they have fears in public speaking. Some may have special interests in public speaking, but most people do not know anything about it. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then again, you may actually be a good speaker without realizing it. It pays to find out by actually doing it and by seeing yourself doing it. You may be just like this student during his first speech in class.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He needed to prepare a long speech. Two weeks before, he had started writing his speech. He could not sleep at night. In fact, the night before his speech, he did not sleep at all. However, when he finally did his speech and saw it on video, he realized that it was not as bad as he expected it to be. He did not experience the usual symptoms of speech anxiety, such as going blank while speaking, or speaking very softly and hearing chuckles in the audience. Through the video, he discovered that he has actually improved in public speaking.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If no video of your speech is available yet, you can watch yourself speak formally in front of a mirror. </span> </div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: avoid;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Preparing Yourself to Speak</b></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are the basic rules of public speaking:</span></div><ul><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Gain an understanding of who you are.</i> Discover your own knowledge, capabilities, biases and potentials.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Gain an understanding of your audience.</i> Ponder upon what the audience wants to hear, what provokes their interest, what they believe in and what they want to know.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Gain an understanding of the situation.</i> Consider how the setting of the place and other unforeseen factors could affect the way you deliver your speech.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Anticipate response from the audience.</i> Make sure you have a clear purpose in mind so that the audience will respond in the way you want them to.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Search for other sources of information.</i> There might be more materials available for you to make your speech more colorful.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Come up with an argument that is reasonable.</i> Make sure that the purpose of your speech is supported by clear and reliable data to formulate a sound argument.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Add structure to your message.</i> Organize your ideas so that the audience will not have a hard time following and digesting your ideas. </span> </div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Talk directly to your audience.</i> Make sure the language you are using is one that your audience is comfortable with. Consider the occasion in delivering your speech.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Gain self-confidence through practice.</i> It is only through practice can you effectively present your speech. Master the flow of your presentation by repeatedly rehearsing it. That way, you can have command over your speech.</span></div></li>
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</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: avoid;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Becoming a Good Public Speaker</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You have probably heard professors give boring and monotonous lectures. Dull presentations clearly point that a lot of people do not give much importance to good speeches. These speakers may even be unaware that they are boring or ineffective because they lack knowledge about the basic characteristics of a good speech. Hence, to prevent this pitfall, you must remember some basic principles. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">. Respect the variety of the audience.</span></b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Good speakers do not look down on their audience. They consider the audience as equals. They know that the listeners have different backgrounds; hence communicating to each of them effectively would also entail different methods.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before actually organizing a speech, you have to take into consideration your audience. Consider such things as age, gender, and cultural backgrounds. What do they know about your topic? What are their beliefs and values? By looking at these factors, you can choose a topic that suits them and style your speech in the way you feel would be most effective.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The whole experience can be more enjoyable if you prepare well for the individual and cultural differences of your audience. For example, will both male and female listeners appreciate the information you will prepare? Would your Hispanic audience be comfortable with the language you’re using as much as the Native Americans would? Would some of your comments offend the senior citizens while addressing the younger generation? The more you know about the audience, the better the chances that you will capture their attention and the more you can make your speech fit their situations. They would feel comfortable listening to you and you would have a better interaction with them. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Know as much as possible about listening.</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Successful communication does not only depend on good speakers; it depends on good listeners as well. It is a two-way process. If the speaker prepares a very polished speech, it would be useless if the audience does not listen. Know also how to “listen” to the gesticulated reactions of your audience. How comfortable or uneasy they look speaks volumes in terms of their interest or comprehension.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Organize carefully to improve understanding and recall.</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The best presentations are those with interconnected ideas that flow smoothly from one idea to the next. It is effective because the listeners will be able to follow your arguments and will not get confused along the way. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Three parts of a well-organized speech:</span></div><ul><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Introduction:</i> Capture the attention of your audience, boost their interest, and give them a background of your topic.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Body:</i> Start with your main ideas. Keep them organized and support them with visual and verbal aids as much as possible.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Conclusion:</i> Provide a recap of all your points and join them together in a way that will create an impact on your listeners, making them remember your points.</span></div></li>
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</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Use language effectively.</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Keep it short. The simpler the language you use, the more powerful and interesting your speech will be. Too many words expressing a single idea will only confuse the audience and will make your argument weak. By keeping it short but accurate, your audience will remember what you will say and they will appreciate it.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. Sound natural and enthusiastic.</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The problem with first timers is they either memorize the speech verbatim or rely on too many flashcards for their notes. These can make the speaker sound unnatural. Talk normally to people so they would listen more to you. By being natural and enthusiastic, it would be like discussing a favorite subject with your friends. Basically, avoid putting up a “speaking disguise” when you talk. Treat it like an ordinary conversation with your usual companions.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>6. Use high-quality visual aids.</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A simple text containing key phrases and pictures is an example of a visual aid. Usually, visual aids (Chapter 10) can be anything that supplements your speech. It will greatly help your listeners to follow the flow of your ideas and to understand them at a faster rate. It also gives credibility to your speech, which makes you feel more relaxed and confident throughout. However, avoid making poor visuals because they become more of a distraction than support. Treat visual preparations with equal importance as the speech preparation itself.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>7. Give only ethical speeches.</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Accuracy is very important. It would be difficult for your audience to make informed choices if the information you give is false or vague. Research to ensure credibility and clarity. Avoid plagiarism, falsification and exaggeration of your information. Also, when trying to persuade, do not manipulate, deceive, force, or pressure. Develop good arguments through sound logic and concrete evidence. This is ethical persuasion. Once information is falsified, it becomes unethical because it prevents listeners from making informed choices. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Basically, good speakers aim to change the beliefs, values, or attitudes of the audience through clean persuasion.</span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
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</div>Self Improvemen2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16139322094306902492noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804524642340599216.post-81861565428303702912011-09-12T06:01:00.000-07:002011-09-15T18:38:49.340-07:00Become A Confident Speaker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7bE820RQ5uk/TmTIEGV4u1I/AAAAAAAAADM/rRP8BWP2wgs/s1600/confident-speaker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7bE820RQ5uk/TmTIEGV4u1I/AAAAAAAAADM/rRP8BWP2wgs/s1600/confident-speaker.jpg" /></a></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No matter how interested and experienced we may be in public speaking, anxiety cannot be avoided. We experience it especially as the day of the speech gets closer. We start to ask questions that make our stomachs churn. For example: Will the audience like me? Will my mind go blank when I begin to speak? Have I prepared adequately? </span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If the thought of delivering a speech makes you nervous, you are not alone! According to a commonly quoted survey, more people are afraid of public speaking than they are of dying. People who experience a high level of apprehension while speaking are at a great disadvantage compared to more conversational, confident people. </span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Individuals who confidently express themselves are viewed as more competent. They also create a better impression during job interviews and are more likely to be promoted than apprehensive people. </span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Confidence develops a positive impression while anxiety creates a negative one. When we speak, we are communicating in three ways - verbally, visually, and vocally. Our verbal delivery may be clear and well organized; but when we are anxious, the audience will likely notice more our negative vocal and visual signs (for example, lack of eye contact, poor posture, hesitant delivery, and strained vocal quality). Yet, when we are confident and our verbal, visual, and vocal signals are in unity, we look more credible. </span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> If we want people to believe us when we speak, if we want to improve the impressions we make, we need to boost our confidence. This chapter will give you some tips on how to manage speech anxiety to give more confident and professional deliveries.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Call it speech anxiety, stage fright, or communication apprehension; you have to understand it for numerous reasons. First, speech anxiety can incapacitate you. Second, misconceptions about it can strengthen your anxiety. Finally, knowing the strategies for managing speech anxiety can help lessen your apprehension.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Factors Contributing to Speech Anxiety</b> </span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speech anxiety is not new – it’s been around for as long as people have been talking to one another. Most speakers who have experienced speech anxiety know the importance of being calm and confident when speaking. </span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some feel nervous while others stay calm and relaxed when speaking. Factors in speech anxiety differ from person to person. But general factors apply to all of us. </span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Knowing the causes of speech anxiety is the first step in managing it effectively. Many anxiety-generating factors affect nearly all of us, including:</span></div><ul><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Poor preparation</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inappropriate self-expectations</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fear of evaluation</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Excessive self-focusing</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fear of the audience</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not understanding our body’s reactions</span></div></li>
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</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: avoid;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Misconceptions about Speech Anxiety</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No one would agree that experiencing speech anxiety is enjoyable. However when we better recognize why our bodies respond as they do, we become more prepared to face our anxieties.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let us examine some misconceptions and how to counter them. </span></div><table border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="0" style="width: 590px;"><colgroup><col width="280"></col> <col width="280"></col> </colgroup><tbody>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="280"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Myth / Misconception</b></span></div></td> <td width="280"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Reality</b></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="280"><div align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Everyone will know if a speaker has speech anxiety.</span></div></td> <td width="280"><div align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Few, if any, will notice. So keep the secret to yourself and start acting confident.</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="280"><div align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Speech anxiety will intensify as the speech progresses.</span></div></td> <td width="280"><div align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s all up to you. Mostly, a well-prepared speaker will relax as the speech progresses.</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="280"><div align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Speech anxiety will ruin the effect of the speech.</span></div></td> <td width="280"><div align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you let it, it will. On the contrary, speech anxiety may improve a speaker’s effectiveness.</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="280"><div align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. The audience is inherently hostile and will be overly critical of what we do.</span></div></td> <td width="280"><div align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most listeners are polite especially when the speaker is obviously trying to do well.</span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: avoid;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Strategies for Managing Speech Anxiety</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every speaker has to know the different strategies available for managing speech anxiety. As you give speeches, you learn strategies that work especially for you. Let’s look at some strategies that have been very effective to many speakers.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1. Be Well-Prepared and Practice Your Speech.</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nothing can make you feel more anxious than knowing that you are not well prepared. After all, isn’t your anxiety all about looking stupid in the eyes of your audience? Poor preparation will guarantee this. </span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To prepare adequately, first, try to know your listeners beforehand (if possible) and organize your speech and visual aids for this specific group.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next, prepare easy-to-follow notes. Using these notes, practice your speech three or more times from start to end – speaking out louder each time. Mentally thinking through your speech is not the same thing as actually speaking in front of the audience. For instance, if you will be standing during your speech, stand while practicing. If you will be using visual aids, practice using them. As you practice, time yourself to check if you have to shorten or lengthen the speech. </span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lastly, expect possible questions and prepare answers for them. Knowing that you are well prepared will help lessen much of your apprehension.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2. Warm Up First.</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speakers are no different from singers who warm up their voices, musicians who warm up their fingers, or athletes who warm up their muscles before a performance. Before giving a speech, you’ll need to warm up your voice and loosen your muscles. Various techniques can help you do this. For instance, try singing up and down the scale, the way singers do before a concert. Read aloud a note or a page from a book, changing your volume, pitch, rate, and quality. Do some stretching exercises such as touching your toes and rolling your head from side to side. Practice different gestures such as pointing, pounding your fist, or shrugging your shoulders. Just like musicians and athletes, these warm-up exercises will help you relax and will make sure that you are prepared to present at your very best.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3. Use Deep Breathing.</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One fast way to calm your anxiety is through deep breathing. This involves taking in deep breaths through your nose, holding it while you count to five, and then slowly exhaling through your mouth. As you exhale, think that the pressure and nervousness are slowly draining down your arms and out your fingertips, and down your body and legs and out your toes. Repeat the procedure a second or third time if necessary. </span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>4. Prepare an Introduction That Will Relax You and Your Audience.</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most speakers find that once they get a favorable audience reaction, they will relax. This is why several speakers begin with humor – it relaxes them and their audience. If a humorous introduction is improper or you are uncomfortable with humor, sharing a personal experience is another alternative. Whatever you prefer, make your initial moves work so you can feel comfortable throughout your speech.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>5. Focus on Meaning.</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rather than worrying about how you look or sound, or about whether you are impressing your listeners, focus your energy on getting your meaning across to your audience. In other words, be sure your listeners are following the order of your speech and understanding your ideas. Pay close attention to their nonverbal feedback. If they look confused, explain the concept again or add another example. A speaker who is focusing on the audience soon forgets about being anxious. </span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>6. Use Visual Aids.</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Visual aids make listening easier for your audience and increase your confidence as a speaker. They make it practically impossible for you to forget your main points. If you’re unsure of the next point, just put up your next visual aid. Moreover, using visual aids such as posters, flipcharts, or actual objects not only can add eye-catching movements to your presentation, but can also keep you fully engaged in your presentation, so you’ll be bothered less by your appearance.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>7. Develop a Positive Mental Attitude. </b> </span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With positive imagery, you develop a positive, vivid, and detailed mental image of yourself. When you visualize yourself speaking confidently, you become more confident. In your mind, you can simulate feelings (of pride, for instance) even when no real situation exists. Obviously, positive imagery alone will not give you the outcome you want unless you prepare and practice your speech.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Positive self-imagery can be used in many aspects in life. It can help us manage apprehension in job interviews, problem-solving discussions, testing situations, or any circumstances in which our confidence needs a boost. </span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To succeed in public speaking, you have to visualize yourself as a successful speaker. No amount of talk, encouragement, or practice will make you successful if you deem yourself an anxious or ineffective speaker.</span></div>Self Improvemen2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16139322094306902492noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804524642340599216.post-1227305203678657722011-09-11T15:10:00.000-07:002011-09-17T18:26:53.271-07:00Choosing A Speech Topic<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dHkb48C2KEE/TnKPQCzRZ6I/AAAAAAAAAFg/w1jyxnICmeY/s1600/choosing-a-topic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dHkb48C2KEE/TnKPQCzRZ6I/AAAAAAAAAFg/w1jyxnICmeY/s400/choosing-a-topic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In some instances, speakers are given a specific topic. But, most of the time, you will be given a general type of speech with the choice of specific topic left up to you. Once you have identified what type of speech you will be making, follow these guidelines in choosing a specific topic:</span></div><ul><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><b>Choose a topic you already know a lot about.</b> </i>You will feel much more relaxed and confident talking about something you know about instead of browsing the Reader’s Digest and selecting a topic that you know nothing about. </span> </div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><b>Choose a topic you are interested in discussing.</b></i> You may know a good amount about many topics but you may not be very interested in them. Avoid these topics. It is hard to interest the audience in a subject matter that doesn’t interest you.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><b>Choose a topic that you can make interesting and/or beneficial to your listeners.</b></i> Your audience doesn’t have to be interested in your topic before you speak but they must be when you are finished speaking. If you analyze your potential listeners, you must have a somewhat good understanding of their interests.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><b>Choose a topic that suits the requirements of the assignment.</b></i> Be sure you know the type of speech, the time constraints, and any other requirements, and choose your topic accordingly. </span> </div></li>
</ul><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You may also want to conduct a self-inventory to help you come up with possible topics. Ask yourself the following:</span></div><ul><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What are my intellectual and educational interests?</span></div><ul><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What do I like to read?</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What interesting things have I learned from television?</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What particular courses, or topics covered in courses, have specifically interested me?</span></div></li>
</ul></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What are my career goals? What do I hope to do in my life?</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What are my favorite leisure activities and interests? What things do I do for fun that others might like to learn more about or take part in?</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What personal and social concerns are significant to me?</span></div><ul><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is going on in my life that bothers or affects me?</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is happening outside my immediate world that is unfair, unjust, or in need of improvement?</span></div></li>
</ul></li>
</ul><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: avoid;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Narrowing Down the Topic</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once you have chosen your general topic, you are ready to narrow it down on the basis of your listener’s interests and needs. Here are the steps to follow in narrowing down a topic:</span></div><ol><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Choose potential speech topics (from self-inventory).</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Consider situational factors.</span></div></li>
</ol><ul><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Familiarity</i>:</b> Will my listeners be familiar with any information that will help me select a topic? </span> </div></li>
</ul><ul><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Current events</i>:</b> Can I select a topic to emphasize current events that may be of significant interest to my audience?</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Audience apathy</i>:</b> Can I encourage my audience to be less apathetic toward vents that are totally relevant to me?</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Time limits</i>:</b> Do I have enough time to discuss the topic sufficiently?</span></div></li>
</ul><ol start="3"><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Consider audience factors.</span></div></li>
</ol><ul><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Previous knowledge</i>:</b> What do my listeners already know?</span></div></li>
</ul><ul><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Common experiences</i>:</b> What common experiences have my listeners encountered?</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Common interests</i>:</b> Where do my interests and my listeners’ meet?</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Relevant diverse factors</i>: How diverse are my listeners? </span> </div></li>
</ul><ol start="4"><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Select your tentative topic. </span> </div></li>
</ol><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some examples of narrowing down may be seen below:</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><table border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="0" style="width: 590px;"><colgroup><col width="88"></col> <col width="118"></col> <col width="142"></col> <col width="184"></col> </colgroup><tbody>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="88"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>GENERAL TOPIC</b></span></div></td> <td width="118"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>NARROWED DOWN</b></span></div></td> <td width="142"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>NARROWED DOWN FURTHER</b></span></div></td> <td width="184"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>NARROWED DOWN EVEN FURTHER</b></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="88"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Career Choices</span></td> <td width="118"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">career choices of graduates of top American schools</span></td> <td width="142"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">career choices of graduates of top American schools in the last 5 years</span></td> <td width="184"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">factors affecting the career choices of MBA graduates of Wharton School of Business in the last 5 years</span></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="88"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Southeast Asia</span></td> <td width="118"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">security problems in Southeast Asia</span></td> <td width="142"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">roots of terrorism in Southeast Asia</span></td> <td width="184"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">cooperation among governments of Southeast Asia in addressing the problems of terrorism</span></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="88"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Housing </span> </td> <td width="118"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">housing projects in the last 10 years</span></td> <td width="142"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">housing projects in City X</span></td> <td width="184"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">financing problems in the housing projects in City X</span></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: avoid;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Determining Your Exact Purpose</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The basic purposes of public speaking are to inform, to instruct, to entertain, and to persuade. These four are not mutually exclusive of one another. A speaker may have several purposes in mind. It may be to inform and also to entertain. Another speaker may want to inform and at the same time convince, stimulate, or persuade. Although content, organization, and delivery may have two or more purposes, most have just one central purpose.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speeches that <i>inform</i> offer accurate data, objective information, findings, and on occasions, interpretations of these findings. Those that <i>instruct</i> teach the audience a process or a procedure based on information provided in the speech. Those that <i>entertain</i> provide pleasure and enjoyment that make the audience laugh or identify with delightful situations. Finally, speeches that <i>persuade</i> try to convince the audience to take a certain stand on an issue, an idea, or a belief, by appealing first to reason through logical arguments and evidences, and to the emotions by moving statements.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: avoid;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Identifying the Objectives of the Speech</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An objective is more limited and specific than a purpose. It may target behavior or thought. What does the message communicated in the speech expect to accomplish? What response does it invite from the audience? Does it want to convince the listeners to support a cause by joining a movement? Does it want the listeners to buy a certain product or use a certain service? Does it want the listeners to modify their behavior through a process presented? Does it want to move the listeners to laughter and later to reflection about a significant social issue? Does it want to provide accurate and credible information to lead them to a decision? As answers to these questions are given, speech objectives can be identified and stated.</span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are some examples:</span></div><table border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="0" style="width: 590px;"><colgroup><col width="184"></col> <col width="94"></col> <col width="268"></col> </colgroup><tbody>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="184"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Topic</b></span></div></td> <td width="94"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Purpose</b></span></div></td> <td width="268"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Objective/s</b></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="184"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Call for Support for Dependence of Old Age</span></td> <td width="94"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to persuade</span></div></td> <td width="268"><div align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The speech will seek pledges of effort, time, or money to help establish an institution to support dependency of old age.</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="184"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why My Goal in Life Is to Become a Lawyer</span></td> <td width="94"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to inform</span></div></td> <td width="268"><div align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After hearing my speech, the audience will understand why my dream is to become a lawyer.</span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div>Self Improvemen2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16139322094306902492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804524642340599216.post-16558908409922322232011-09-09T15:20:00.000-07:002011-09-12T02:30:46.821-07:00Speaking To An Audience<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VHpxJtbQo3c/TmX2Brr3URI/AAAAAAAAAFU/aq9qAWWYlbQ/s1600/man-giving-speech.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VHpxJtbQo3c/TmX2Brr3URI/AAAAAAAAAFU/aq9qAWWYlbQ/s320/man-giving-speech.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The more you know about your audience, the better you will be able to connect your topic to them. Audience analysis is not difficult. It basically requires knowing your audience well so you can organize your verbal, visual, and vocal delivery to suit their situations. When analyzing an audience, you aren’t trying to deceive, control, or force them; you are just making sure your speech suits them and keeps them interested. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speeches need to be audience-centered; so audience analysis is a must. Design presentation – content, organization, and delivery – is influenced by the kind of audience expected at the presentation so make sure they understand the meaning and significance of the message. For effectiveness, a speaker should know the following:</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. Who are the listeners?</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Try to take note of the general age, range, male-female ratio, educational background, occupation or profession, race, ethnic background, religion, geographical or cultural environment, civil status, income level and assets, group and organizational memberships, etc. of your audience.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. What do they want from you?</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Are they there to receive instructions? Do they want current issues explained? Do they also want to have fun? Do they need information? Have they come on their own or were they required to attend? </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Voluntary audiences are likely to be homogeneous; they have things in common. Classroom students make up an involuntary audience; they are heterogeneous. They vary in many ways.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. What is the size of the audience?</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> How large is the audience? Is it an audience of 20 or 200? In a classroom, you would be speaking to around thirty students. But in other settings, you may be speaking to a smaller group (like a buzz group) or a bigger group (like a rally).</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audience size may add to anxiety and may affect speech delivery, more so in the use of visual aids, the type of language you use, and so on. Overall, you want to speak more formally with larger groups.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Where is the venue of the presentation?</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Will the venue be a room? What kind of room will it be - a conference room, a hall perhaps, or a small meeting room? </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you speak in a classroom, you are speaking in a familiar, comfortable setting. You know whether there is an overhead projector, whether the lights can be dimmed, and so on. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you do speeches, you will learn more about other settings for public speaking, like outdoor stages, or mall and hotel lounges. You may be curious to know how it feels speaking while standing at floor level. Try to learn about podiums, technological support, microphones, the sound system, and so on. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Audience analysis can be done before the presentation, though most times it happens during the presentation itself. A sensitive speaker receives a great deal of information from listeners as the talk is being given. Often, the cues are nonverbal, such as attentiveness, facial expressions, restlessness, passiveness, or apathy. When these signs show, he can be flexible enough to adjust or modify to do a better job. Shifting places, gestures, voice changes, or maybe even audience involvement can prove to be useful.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here’s an example of audience analysis:</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Topic:</b> A Call for Support for Dependence of Old Age</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Purpose:</b> To Persuade</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Objective/s:</b> The speech will seek pledges of effort, time, or money to help establish an institution to support dependency of old age.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Audience Analysis:</b></span></div><table border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="0" style="width: 590px;"><colgroup><col width="268"></col> <col width="292"></col> </colgroup><tbody>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="268"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Who are the listeners?</span></td> <td width="292"><ul><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Heads/officers of civic, religious and business communities in the city</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Almost equal ratio of men and women who are professionals, with high educational attainments and high earning capacity, leaders in their specific fields, dominantly Christian audience with 65% Catholics, 85% married, American and American-Chinese, some Asians</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Active in social and civic works</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In touch with current political, social, and religious issues</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In touch with prevailing business and government situations</span></div></li>
</ul></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="268"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. What do they want from you?</span></td> <td width="292"><ul><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Basically interested in a topic that is relevant to their group or organization</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Desire to get more information about dependency of old age, and to know more about what the speaker is going to propose/request</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Want enough bases to decide whether or not to support</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Came in response to a formal invitation</span></div></li>
</ul></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="268"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. What is the size of the audience?</span></td> <td width="292"><ul><li><div align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">50 people</span></div></li>
</ul></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="268"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Where is the venue of the presentation?</span></td> <td width="292"><ul><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Medium-sized case room with fixed upholstered seats in a semi-circle</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2-ft elevation in the front for the speaker</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Very good acoustics</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Electronic devices for presentations</span></div></li>
</ul></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div>Self Improvemen2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16139322094306902492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804524642340599216.post-66954683459293455792011-09-06T06:26:00.000-07:002011-09-06T14:23:36.184-07:00Overcoming Speech Anxiety<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NbkMI4IAL3E/TmT8wO2R2PI/AAAAAAAAAEw/_uOLhDeJHac/s1600/speech-anxiety.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NbkMI4IAL3E/TmT8wO2R2PI/AAAAAAAAAEw/_uOLhDeJHac/s320/speech-anxiety.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You will benefit at the beginning of your speech if you free yourself from two misconceptions: </span> </div><ol><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Effective speakers are born, not made; it is hopeless to try being one if you were not gifted with a God-given ability.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For most people, fear and nervousness are impossible to overcome; it is useless to even try.</span></div></li>
</ol><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let’s take a look at each of these false assumptions. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: avoid;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Are Good Speakers Born and Not Made?</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You don’t actually believe this, or you wouldn’t be reading this book. Everyone is born a baby, and babies can’t speak. The “born speaker” myth is an alibi for not attempting. People who believe it simply want to save their face from the disgrace speech blunder may bring. It is a fact that practice makes perfect.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A speaker is one who speaks to others for a reason. When you were two or three years old and first said, “Mommy, I need a glass of water,” you were making a speech. Actually you’ve been making speeches from the time you could talk; the difference is that you didn’t treat it then as what you now dreadfully call “speech.” </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can become a good speaker if you have these tools:</span></div><ol><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A voice.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Basic language construction: i.e., a working vocabulary and grammar.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Something to say.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A need to express your ideas to others.</span></div></li>
</ol><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You have been using these tools for years. You have been saying something to others, several times everyday, and under these conditions, you call it “conversation.” Conversation is talking to a few. Public speaking is, essentially, talking to a larger group. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your audience is merely a group of individuals. You can talk easily with one or two individuals. So just think of public speaking as talking to individuals all at the same time - or talking to the group as to one person.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: avoid;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Can You Conquer Fear?</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are three solutions to help you reduce fear and make it work for rather than against you: </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. Accept it as nature’s way of helping you.</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You don’t need to be terrified of fear when you accept it as nature’s way of protecting you and helping you. Recognize it. Don’t condemn yourself for having it. We all feel fear. Whether your fear stems from the thought of standing alone by yourself on stage before hundreds of people, or even from the thought of getting upstage to speak, <i>keep in mind that you are responding normally</i>. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Athletes are nervous before an important competition; musicians tremble before a concert; performers experience stage fright. Seasoned speakers never get rid of apprehension before speaking, nor do they want to. An experienced actor once said: “I used to have butterflies in my stomach every time I stand in front of an audience. Now that I know how to make them work for me, they fly in formation.”</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Knowing that you are subject to a normal and common human response, you can drive out the strongest factor contributing to your fear: <i>You can stop condemning yourself for being unusual.</i></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Psychologists tell us that fear is not the real obstacle. We feel awkward or ineffective because we think fear is improper. It is not fear itself but your feeling about it that disappoints you. Franklin Roosevelt’s note on the speech of Henry Thoreau sums it up: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” As soon as you know this and recognize it, you are on your way to self-mastery.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fear is nature’s way of preparing you for danger, real or fancied. When you face a new or different circumstance, or when many are watching you and you don’t want to mess up, nature does something great to help you, if you recognize the help rather than being disappointed by it. Nature adds the adrenaline in your blood stream. It speeds up your pulse and your responses. It increases your blood pressure to make you more alert. It provides you with the extra energy you need for doing your best. Without the anxiety there would be no extra effort. Identify fear as a friend. Recognize it and use it well.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Analyze Your Fear.</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your next step in mastering fear is easy and effortless. Analyze your type of fear. Fear is a tool for protection. What are you protecting? You are worried about your self-esteem. In public speaking there are only three dangers to self-esteem: </span> </div><ol><li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fear of yourself – fear of performing poorly or not pleasing your self-esteem.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fear of your audience – fear they may tease or laugh at you.</span></div></li>
<li><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fear of your material – fear you have nothing sensible to say or you are not well prepared. </span> </div></li>
</ol><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fear of yourself (a) and fear of your audience (b) are very much connected. It is possible to be pleasing yourself while failing to satisfy your audience. Aiming for audience approval is often a better alternative because, if you succeed, you are in fact also pleasing yourself. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But in aspiring to satisfy your audience you must never compromise your message. Sometimes you may have to give a message to people you know are particularly opposed to it. This calls for courage. Don’t fear to disagree. Good speakers have done so and have proudly walked off the stage successfully. Honest beliefs equip a speaker and give force to the speech.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Make use of what you have learned.</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You now know that fear, nature’s secret weapon, can actually help you succeed. You found you were not really afraid of fear but of yourself, your audience, and your material. Now, use your knowledge. Here’s how you can: </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>a. Hide your negative feelings from others</i>. If you lack self-confidence, hide it. Letting the audience know it won’t help you in any way. Never discuss it. This will just make you feel worse. Act confidently. It will rub off on you. You will look the way you feel. Ever heard of the scared boy who walked past the cemetery one night? As long as he walked casually and whistled merrily he was all right. But when he walked faster, he could not refuse the temptation to run; and when he ran, terror took over. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don’t give in. Stay calm and relaxed. Enjoy your talk and your audience.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">b. <i>Assess your condition reasonably</i>. Think of the reasons why you were called to speak. Among other possible speakers, you were chosen. Whoever asked you had confidence in you, or you would not have been chosen. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You are thought of as a competent, good speaker. And you know your topic. You know more about it than your listeners do. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your assessment reveals that you are prepared to do well and that you have the benefit over your listeners. When you accept this, your confidence will show to your audience. It will make them believe in you and in your speech.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">c. <i>Assess your audience reasonably</i>. They want you to do well. Listeners suffer along with a speaker who is having difficulty delivering, and they do not enjoy suffering. They would much rather react and criticize; that would give them a good time. So consider your audience rather than yourself. Win their interest, and you will be more confident, and everybody will be happy.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another way of putting this: Focus on a good message and speech delivery. You will make the audience happy with this and you will succeed in your mission. Do the first well, and the second will follow. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">d. <i>Assess your material reasonably</i>. Fear of speech material is the easiest to conquer since the solution is simple: knowledge and preparation. Knowledge and preparation dispel fear, but by themselves they do not automatically assure the delivery of a successful speech. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A good start is when you recognize you don’t need to be afraid – of yourself, your audience, or your material. And as you succeed in making speeches, you will soon say, “I <i>can</i> do it because I <i>have</i> done it often.”</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div>Self Improvemen2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16139322094306902492noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804524642340599216.post-36552099560332115242011-09-01T22:18:00.000-07:002011-09-01T22:25:01.302-07:00Public Speaking and You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pOriAxCslqk/TmBm7PeH1PI/AAAAAAAAAB8/tLCfdYZTv0c/s1600/public-speaker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pOriAxCslqk/TmBm7PeH1PI/AAAAAAAAAB8/tLCfdYZTv0c/s320/public-speaker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 32px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 32px;">Some people are born speakers. Most are not. Hence, you are not alone when you say that you do not enjoy making speeches and speaking in front of a large audience. Stage fright is inevitable. Actors are always nervous to a certain degree before every play.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Perhaps you think your career does not entail public speaking. Well, this is where you’re wrong because no matter what your job is, public speaking ultimately will come into the picture in some ways. This chapter, therefore, focuses on the significance of public speaking in our daily lives and on some specifics of the communication process.</span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: avoid;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: avoid; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Four General Types of Public Speakers</b></span></div></div><table border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="0" style="text-align: center; width: 590px;"> <colgroup><col width="100"></col> <col width="460"></col> </colgroup><tbody>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="100"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CATEGORY</b></span></div></td> <td width="460"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CHARACTERISTICS</b></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="100"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Avoider</span></td> <td width="460"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Does everything possible to avoid facing an audience. </i>In some cases, avoiders seek careers that do not involve making presentations.</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="100"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Resister</span></td> <td width="460"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Becomes fearful when asked to speak.</i> This fear may be strong. Resisters may not love to speak in public, but they have no choice. When they speak, they do so with great reluctance. </span> </div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="100"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Accepter</span></td> <td width="460"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Can do presentations but is not that enthusiastic to do them. </i>Accepters occasionally give presentations and feel good about them. Occasionally the presentations can be quite persuasive, and satisfying.</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="100"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Seeker</span></td> <td width="460"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Always looks for opportunities to speak.</i> Seekers understand that anxiety can be a stimulant that fuels enthusiasm during presentation. Seekers work hard at building their professional communication skills and self-confidence by speaking often.</span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>What Roles Can Public Speaking Play in Your Life?</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Success in public speaking can open a whole world of opportunities for you. It can help you conquer new frontiers. It can broaden your horizons through personal development, influence, and advances in your profession. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1. Public Speaking Improves Your Personal Development</b><b> </b></span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, realizing man’s self-worth ranks the highest. Giving speeches helps the speaker realize self-worth through the personal satisfaction he experiences whenever a good speech is given. The speaker becomes more confident especially when the audience responds positively. It also reduces anxiety when asked by an authority to speak in front of some people. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was once a student who dropped a course five times because he hated speaking in front of the class. But after a self-study on building up confidence, he decided to give public speaking a try and was successful. In fact, he came to enjoy the experience and even volunteered to give more speeches. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Through public speaking tools like research, conceptualization, and organization, you have a systematic and effective way of presenting your ideas; and thus, you will be able to express yourself better. You will also become more open to other people. Furthermore, speaking skills put you in a more significant role as you talk with people of high standing. Lastly, public speaking satisfies your sense of achievement when the audience accepts you warmly. This reflects your level of communication skills and acumen. All these contribute to your self-esteem. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: avoid;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2. Public Speaking Influences Your Society</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is not only you who can benefit from the art of communication but society as well. Most governments heed the voice of their citizens; with proper communication skills, you can represent the public in voicing out your rights and opinions. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An example of this would be a community discussion. Usually when a neighborhood holds regular meetings, it discusses certain issues or courses of action. In the discussion, various opinions are expressed and there you have a clear interplay of public speaking. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">People from all walks of life need to speak in public, whether formally or otherwise. From kids reciting in school, to folks in a town meeting, to citizens voicing out national issues; from a plain market vendor, to a president of a company. There is really no way you can avoid public speaking.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: avoid;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3. Public Speaking Advances Your Profession</b></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Public speaking can help in your career, and eventually, your finances. Usually, success is gauged by answers to questions like, “How long have you been in your job?” or “Do you hold an MBA degree or something similar?” However, researchers have proven that the best indicator of success in any profession is whether the person is often asked to give speeches. Those who give more speeches tend to have higher salaries than those who give less or no speeches. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Take this average engineer. She enrolls in a public speaking seminar that teaches two hours a week for six weeks. After two months, she is promoted to senior engineer! Her boss has been noticing her superb presentations.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The longer you work for an organization and the higher you climb the organizational ladder, the more your boss will ask you to preside over meetings and to give talks to the staff and subordinates or the clients. The higher your position, the more your responsibilities in leading people under you; and the more you must speak effectively. A manager once said, “From the chairman of the board to the assistant manager of the most obscure department, nearly everyone in business speaks in public or makes a speech at some time or the other.”</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aside from big organizations like IBM and General Motors, small organizations and businesses in the country also need workers who are good public speakers. Take the high school coach, for example. If he is not persuasive enough to tell the school board that new gym equipment is needed, the school athletes might have to bear with the old gym equipment.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the same way, if parents are not convincing enough when they complain about a school dress code, their children may end up still wearing uniforms in school. If salespeople cannot explain their products with a convincing sales pitch, then fewer people would buy their products. This is also true for nurses, doctors, firemen, police personnel and other professions. Even employees of General Motors meet regularly to make group decisions that they will present formally to management. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The bottom line is this: Whichever road you take, you will encounter instances that require you to speak in public. </span> </div>Self Improvemen2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16139322094306902492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804524642340599216.post-3955474130144679272011-09-01T22:02:00.000-07:002011-09-01T22:03:51.982-07:00Introduction To Public Speaking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AOAnHUtIqo8/TmBjWFX4yaI/AAAAAAAAAB4/cTF36zhVbCw/s1600/public-speaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AOAnHUtIqo8/TmBjWFX4yaI/AAAAAAAAAB4/cTF36zhVbCw/s320/public-speaking.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Communication is a vital key in this new century. It gives an edge to keep abreast with the fast pace of the times. Public speaking definitely works towards this goal. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The diversity of opinions today, which are often controversial, has increased the need for public speaking. People need to voice out their views to function well in society. For some four thousand years, public speaking has been the key in building and keeping a democratic society and way of life. Its influences are vast and affect almost all aspects of life, such as the way we think or act. It is also used in court proceedings, in congress, and even in the plain setting of a classroom.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Speaking in public can sometimes be a real challenge, if not a source of embarrassment; not only to normal people, but even to persons of high rank such as scholars, doctors, artists and entrepreneurs. They may have hesitations in facing an audience, often accompanied by sweaty palms, stuttering, and the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon. These dilemmas often cause untold problems to the speaker (especially in self-expression) and unpleasant effects to the audience. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You probably got this book because you are up for a speech delivery soon and you need valuable tips. Or perhaps, you saw the link between success and effective speaking, and have realized this can help you. Hopefully this book would do just that. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Technical terms or jargons in public speaking are explained here, and in a humane way, to help you grow as a good public speaker. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are scores of books on public speaking. But few really give practical help. This book aims to do what other books have not in terms of giving direct beneficial information. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Careful thought has been given to people who really love to speak publicly but do not have the luxury of time to prepare for such. This will help you make your next speech a great one, and become better with each succeeding speech. It aims to help people write and deliver an interesting, clear, and cogent speech quality. This book also tries to answer the questions and fears of the occasional speaker.</span></div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Included also in this book is a summary of experiences in public speaking, and how they have led to success. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aristotle said “a speaker needs three qualities – good sense, good character, and goodwill toward his hearers.” Thus, public speaking is also about developing speakers, and ultimately, decent human beings. </span> </div><div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whether the speech is short or long, the same rules apply, like the rule of <i>preparation</i>. The habit of preparing makes good speakers. Some would say that they speak from “inspiration,” when in fact they have been preparing their speeches all their lives.</span></div><div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div>Self Improvemen2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16139322094306902492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804524642340599216.post-55619395423356840152011-08-31T21:58:00.000-07:002011-09-15T16:52:13.335-07:00Motivational Speaker Training Q&A<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HKG_IJdzQvQ/TnKPogFv1mI/AAAAAAAAAFk/l5_Wj_mXpRA/s1600/q-and-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HKG_IJdzQvQ/TnKPogFv1mI/AAAAAAAAAFk/l5_Wj_mXpRA/s320/q-and-a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<i>Q: How do I manage fear, apprehension, stage fright, and speech anxiety?</i><br />
A: Gradually. These are very usual situations even for experienced speakers. Increased nervousness and rapid heartbeat before a speech are the coping mechanisms of the body. The more experienced you become, the better prepared you will be. Every one of us experiences this so it is good to breathe out the accumulated carbon dioxide in your lungs and breathe deeply before you begin your speech. Beginning your speech slowly helps decrease nervousness.<br />
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<i>Q: How do I capture and maintain the listener’s attention and interest?</i><br />
A: Remember the following:<br />
Establish eye contact with the audience.<br />
Do not talk if someone is walking down the aisle or if there is audience movement.<br />
Make appropriate pauses for the audience to catch their breath.<br />
Use interesting and powerful visual aids.<br />
Talk from personal experience and tell stories.<br />
Make your speech concise.<br />
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<i>Q: How do I know when the listeners are bored and inattentive?</i><br />
A: Observe the following:<br />
A lot of listeners sit with their arms folded.<br />
Vacant looks – no smiles or nodding of the head.<br />
Most of the people are yawning.<br />
Polite coughs which are more than usual.<br />
Nonverbal gestures like audience frequently looking at their watches, biting their nails, shuffling their feet, looking at each other, and worse, starting to exit the venue.<br />
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<i>Q: How do I develop my self-confidence?</i><br />
A: Practice. Practice is the key. Look for every chance to give a speech. The more you face the audience, the more you will develop self-confidence. Begin with very short speeches that last three to four minutes. Always bear in mind that a short speech can barely go wrong. Impromptu speeches make good practice. Concentrate and be natural. Do not try to pretend to be someone else. Master your topic. Believe in yourself. If you don’t, no one else will.<br />
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<i>Q: How much information must I gather for a speech?</i><br />
A: Your experience is your guide. Some need 60 minutes of information for a 5-minute speech. You will have to read widely. At times you have to conduct some research. The most important information is your personal experience. <br />
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<i>Q: Can I memorize a speech?</i><br />
A: Yes, you can. But don’t. Never memorize a speech. You are bound to miss out a line or two and worse, your speech will likely be insincere. Your listeners will discover anyway. Memorizing stops you from being natural. If you like, you may memorize a specific poem or a memorable quote.<br />
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<i>Q: Can I read a speech?</i><br />
A: Yes, you can. But don’t. That is the best technique to bore a listener. The only instance you read a speech is when you do it on behalf of someone else. Even when you do that, make it brief or summarize it. At the end of the summary, give out the entire speech in the form of a handout. The written language and the spoken language are different forms of expression. What is beautifully written may not sound beautiful when it is spoken.<br />
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<i>Q: Can I use notes during a speech?</i><br />
A: Yes, you can. But be sure that they don’t appear bulky. The worst thing a speaker can do is to pull out pages and pages of notes before a speech. Preparing 3” x 5” index cards is all right. Be sure your entire speech does not go beyond seven cards. A single sheet of paper with an outline of your speech is still the best. Be sure the letters on that single sheet are big enough to read.<br />
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<i>Q: How do I develop my speech? </i><br />
A: Never talk about one idea too long. If you have three ideas, allot equal time to each. The transition from one idea to the next must be smooth. Listeners must not wait too long for the next idea.<br />
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<i>Q: During an open forum, what do I do when a person gives a speech rather than a question?</i><br />
A: It is your responsibility to interrupt and say, “Excuse me, what exactly is your question?”<br />
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<i>Q: What do I do when I get a hostile question?</i><br />
A: Be cool. Be courteous and disagree with a smile by saying, “Perhaps I was not clear.” or “It’s possible you misunderstood.”<br />
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<i>Q: What do I do when someone has many questions in one question?</i><br />
A: Answer them one by one and begin with the easiest.<br />
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And lastly…<br />
Take time out to listen to as many speeches as possible. A good listener is a successful communicator. Don’t forget to take down notes when you listen to these speeches.<br />
Recognize speeches that you like and those you can’t stand. Examine the speeches you like, and there you will learn useful and helpful tips to develop your speech. Examine the speeches you dislike, and there you will learn what you should prevent.<br />
Communication is as greatly a manner of listening as it is of speaking.Self Improvemen2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16139322094306902492noreply@blogger.com3