How to become a good public speaker?

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[Announcements] [Introduce Yourself] [ICT] [Prasekolah] [LINUS] [KSSR] [UPSR] [PMR] [SPM] [STPM] [School] [Classroom] [Clubs & Uniformed Bodies] [JPN] [SPA] [SICT] [SPP] [SPS] [SPPK] [SPSPK] [SPI] [SPsK] [JNJK] [PPD] [Program] [Computer & Internet] [Let's Hear It From You] [Membergroup]

[Monna Kiaw]

 ???Can anyone tell me that how to become a good public speaker?? Especially for the section 2...

[Fiona Toh]

What are you referring when you said section 2?
hope these help.
First, you must know the purpose of your speech


1. To inform   
•   Convey factual information, using clear examples and supporting materials.
•   Aim: develop ideas, pass on information or show how something works or can be done
•   Balance the content and discussion to achieve an unbiased and objective presentation

2. To persuade   
•   Establishes a need in audience and explains the action required to satisfy the need
•   Aim: influence the audience, to change their attitude or bring them around to a particular point of view

3. To entertain   
•   Uses a variety of techniques such as humour, anecdotes, examples and quotations around a common theme, so that the audience enjoys the presentation

Why do we have stage fright?
•   Unfamiliar situation – rarely speak to audience/stranger
•   Lack of confidence – feel others are better
•   Fear of looking foolish – they will forget, stumble or say the wrong thing
•   Sense of isolation – being the center attraction
•   Self-consciousness – aware of the insufficient grammar, inaccurate accents, unattractive voice and image
•   Fear of consequences – fear of being judged

What can you do to release anxiousness/ tense?
1.   Relax your body – take a deep breath
2.   Relax your voice – loosen up your vocal cords by humming or going through vocal sounds e.g. AEIOU
3.   Try and ‘defuse’ the situation – talk to people who appear threatening and imagine them in a ridiculous position
4.   Practice – can practise on each other in small informal group / listen to themselves on tape
5.   Rehearse in front of a mirror. Ask a friend to watch a practice session with all you visual aids. If possible, practice in the actual presentation room.
6.   Check all your equipment
7.   Don’t let a mistake shake your confidence. Perfection is not possible. If something goes wrong, just keep going. Your audience may not even what happened.
8.   Breathe deeply and drink water. Right before you begin speaking, breathe slowly several times; deep breathing will relax your entire body.
9.   Prepare – ex-USA President Lyndon Johnson has said: “The most effective antidote to stage fright ….speech making is total monkish preparation”
Prepare is one of the 3Ps used to overcome fear. 3Ps include:
•   Planning
•   Preparing
•   Presenting

Planning your speech
•   Failing to plan is planning to fail
•   Set your objectives to determine your goal, general purpose and specific purpose
•   Know your audience
•   Brainstorm to get your ideas down on the paper
•   Consider the allocated time
•   Make your own notes
•   Put your ideas into structure – speak coherently and develop themes without losing attention

Preparing
Besides preparing your speech, you need to prepare your delivery/presentation as well as your choice of visual aids.

A) Preparing your speech
Speech is divided into three parts:
•   Introduction
•   Body
•   Conclusion

I)   Introduction
Importance of introduction:
1.   Introduction is the first impression your audience have of you.
2.   Introduction is used to attract your audience’s attention and shifting their thought to prepare them to listen to your speech.
3.   Introduction works as a transition to your main points

You should use your introduction to:
•   Welcome your audience
•   Introduce your subject
•   Outline the structure of your presentation
•   Give instruction about questions


1.   Welcoming your audience   
•   Good Morning, ladies and gentlemen
•   Good Morning, gentlemen
•   Good Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen
•   Good afternoon, everybody
2.   Introducing your subject   
•   I am going to talk about…
•   The purpose of my presentation is to introduce our new range of….
3.   Outlining your structure   
•   To start with I’ll describe the progress made this year. Then I’ll mention some of the problems we’ve encountered and how we overcame them. After that I’ll summarize my presentation (before concluding with some recommendation)
4.   Giving instructions about questions   
•   Do feel free to interrupt me if you have any questions
•   I’ll try to answer all of your questions after the presentation
•   I plan to keep some time for questions after the presentation

II)   Body
•   is the ‘real’ presentation
•   should be well-structured, divided logically
 

III)   Conclusion
•   Shall be clearly marked
•   Shall not be merely peter out / end with thoughtless remarks like “Well, I guess that’s about all I have to say” Or “Okay, that’s it. Are there any questions?”
•   Use conclusion to:
   Sum up
   Give recommendations if appropriate
   Thank your audience
   Invite questions


Summing up   
To conclude…
In conclusion…
Now, to sum up…
So let me summarize/recap what I’ve said
Finally, may I remind you some of the main points we’ve considered

Giving recommendations   
In conclusion, my recommendations are…
I therefore suggest/ propose/ recommend the following strategy
Thanking your audience   
Many thanks for your attention
May I thank you all for being such an attentive audience


Do’s
   Establish a clear objective
   Talk about what your audience expects you to talk about
   Organise the information
   Use notes or key words to assist
   Have a strong opening and close
   Make it interesting
   Use your voice for effect
   Keep it simple
   Use visuals which improve impact and clarity
   Handle equipment professionally
   Speak with sufficient volume and intonation
   Use summaries to link the parts
   Think about the cultural environment
   Dress for the occasion
   Prepare and practice before hand
   Be confident and relaxed
   Balance spontaneity against preparation
   Handle questions positively

Don’ts
   Make assumptions about the venue and facilities-check
   Present information which is too complex for the audience
   Talk for too long
   Tell irrelevant anecdotes or inappropriate jokes
   Speak too quickly
   Use too many visuals
   Photocopy small text onto overhead
   Read from scripted text or visuals
   Block your audience’s view of visuals
   Talk with your back to the audience
   Use distracting mannerisms
   Forget to summarize at the end

[Monna Kiaw]

wah..there's a lot of it...thank you for that..i believe that it is quite useful for me...the "section 2" is impromtu speech...(if i have not mistaken...)...sorry for that....

[Omar Alli Othman]

What are you referring when you said section 2?
hope these help.
First, you must know the purpose of your speech


1. To inform   
•   Convey factual information, using clear examples and supporting materials.
•   Aim: develop ideas, pass on information or show how something works or can be done
•   Balance the content and discussion to achieve an unbiased and objective presentation

2. To persuade   
•   Establishes a need in audience and explains the action required to satisfy the need
•   Aim: influence the audience, to change their attitude or bring them around to a particular point of view

3. To entertain   
•   Uses a variety of techniques such as humour, anecdotes, examples and quotations around a common theme, so that the audience enjoys the presentation

Why do we have stage fright?
•   Unfamiliar situation – rarely speak to audience/stranger
•   Lack of confidence – feel others are better
•   Fear of looking foolish – they will forget, stumble or say the wrong thing
•   Sense of isolation – being the center attraction
•   Self-consciousness – aware of the insufficient grammar, inaccurate accents, unattractive voice and image
•   Fear of consequences – fear of being judged

What can you do to release anxiousness/ tense?
1.   Relax your body – take a deep breath
2.   Relax your voice – loosen up your vocal cords by humming or going through vocal sounds e.g. AEIOU
3.   Try and ‘defuse’ the situation – talk to people who appear threatening and imagine them in a ridiculous position
4.   Practice – can practise on each other in small informal group / listen to themselves on tape
5.   Rehearse in front of a mirror. Ask a friend to watch a practice session with all you visual aids. If possible, practice in the actual presentation room.
6.   Check all your equipment
7.   Don’t let a mistake shake your confidence. Perfection is not possible. If something goes wrong, just keep going. Your audience may not even what happened.
8.   Breathe deeply and drink water. Right before you begin speaking, breathe slowly several times; deep breathing will relax your entire body.
9.   Prepare – ex-USA President Lyndon Johnson has said: “The most effective antidote to stage fright ….speech making is total monkish preparation”
Prepare is one of the 3Ps used to overcome fear. 3Ps include:
•   Planning
•   Preparing
•   Presenting

Planning your speech
•   Failing to plan is planning to fail
•   Set your objectives to determine your goal, general purpose and specific purpose
•   Know your audience
•   Brainstorm to get your ideas down on the paper
•   Consider the allocated time
•   Make your own notes
•   Put your ideas into structure – speak coherently and develop themes without losing attention

Preparing
Besides preparing your speech, you need to prepare your delivery/presentation as well as your choice of visual aids.

A) Preparing your speech
Speech is divided into three parts:
•   Introduction
•   Body
•   Conclusion

I)   Introduction
Importance of introduction:
1.   Introduction is the first impression your audience have of you.
2.   Introduction is used to attract your audience’s attention and shifting their thought to prepare them to listen to your speech.
3.   Introduction works as a transition to your main points

You should use your introduction to:
•   Welcome your audience
•   Introduce your subject
•   Outline the structure of your presentation
•   Give instruction about questions


1.   Welcoming your audience   
•   Good Morning, ladies and gentlemen
•   Good Morning, gentlemen
•   Good Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen
•   Good afternoon, everybody
2.   Introducing your subject   
•   I am going to talk about…
•   The purpose of my presentation is to introduce our new range of….
3.   Outlining your structure   
•   To start with I’ll describe the progress made this year. Then I’ll mention some of the problems we’ve encountered and how we overcame them. After that I’ll summarize my presentation (before concluding with some recommendation)
4.   Giving instructions about questions   
•   Do feel free to interrupt me if you have any questions
•   I’ll try to answer all of your questions after the presentation
•   I plan to keep some time for questions after the presentation

II)   Body
•   is the ‘real’ presentation
•   should be well-structured, divided logically
 

III)   Conclusion
•   Shall be clearly marked
•   Shall not be merely peter out / end with thoughtless remarks like “Well, I guess that’s about all I have to say” Or “Okay, that’s it. Are there any questions?”
•   Use conclusion to:
   Sum up
   Give recommendations if appropriate
   Thank your audience
   Invite questions


Summing up   
To conclude…
In conclusion…
Now, to sum up…
So let me summarize/recap what I’ve said
Finally, may I remind you some of the main points we’ve considered

Giving recommendations   
In conclusion, my recommendations are…
I therefore suggest/ propose/ recommend the following strategy
Thanking your audience   
Many thanks for your attention
May I thank you all for being such an attentive audience


Do’s
   Establish a clear objective
   Talk about what your audience expects you to talk about
   Organise the information
   Use notes or key words to assist
   Have a strong opening and close
   Make it interesting
   Use your voice for effect
   Keep it simple
   Use visuals which improve impact and clarity
   Handle equipment professionally
   Speak with sufficient volume and intonation
   Use summaries to link the parts
   Think about the cultural environment
   Dress for the occasion
   Prepare and practice before hand
   Be confident and relaxed
   Balance spontaneity against preparation
   Handle questions positively

Don’ts
   Make assumptions about the venue and facilities-check
   Present information which is too complex for the audience
   Talk for too long
   Tell irrelevant anecdotes or inappropriate jokes
   Speak too quickly
   Use too many visuals
   Photocopy small text onto overhead
   Read from scripted text or visuals
   Block your audience’s view of visuals
   Talk with your back to the audience
   Use distracting mannerisms
   Forget to summarize at the end

Very interesting tips. Thanks. 

 

[Adeline Ong]

Thanks Fiona.

My lecturer once said that we need to imagine our audience to be as small as ants.  Then we were not be intimidated.  Confidence does play a lot.. Of course Ms Fiona's tips says it all.

Adeline

[Adeline Ong]

sorry, correction 'will not be intimidated' not 'were not ...' 'Ms Fiona's tips say' as to 'says'

Oh gosh, so many grammatical errors. Self-correction

Adeline

[Elsie Theng]

Thank you for the information.

[Siti Fatimah Ahmad]

Terima kasih.

Bahan dan tips ini amat berguna untuk saya membuat pembentangan dan menambahkan ilmu untuk yakin dan berani mengeluarkan idea.

[Richard Boon]

This is just to freshen up what Ms Fiona had mentioned earlier ...

...Why do we have stage fright? ...
•   Sense of isolation – being the center attraction
•   Self-consciousness – aware of the insufficient grammar, inaccurate accents, unattractive voice and image
•   Fear of consequences – fear of being judged
...

Making eye contact with the audience is really a task for beginners. And avoiding this might signal that the speaker is insincere or dishonest about what is being spoken. One would try to look away from his/her audience when speaking.

During a short course which I attended many years ago, the public speaking lecturer told us to "look at the listener's ears - not the eyes!". When on stage, try to look straight at the listener's ear, hence we are diverting from his/her eyes. Thus we can overcome our eye-to-eye contact fear. The audience might be unaware of this trick, but it works!

[Mazli Effendy Abd Jalil]

.During a short course which I attended many years ago, the public speaking lecturer told us to "look at the listener's ears - not the eyes!". When on stage, try to look straight at the listener's ear, hence we are diverting from his/her eyes. Thus we can overcome our eye-to-eye contact fear. The audience might be unaware of this trick, but it works!

A very good advice. Never really thought of that before. Might as well give it a try next year . Thanks for sharing.

[Gordon Malcolm]

To become a good public speaker, there are many information that we can look or seek in the internet and here is an example that can be useful too :

http://www.toastmasters-public-speaking.com/

[Habsah Ibrahim]

Thanks a lot to Cikgu Richard for your advice and thanks also to Cikgu Gordon for the toasmasters' site. I love this topic so much and looking forward for more information on it. Should there be some more of the members here share their knowledge on public speaking, it would be much appreciated. Thank you guys.

[Mohamad Rizuan Bin Sarbini]

Thanks to all

[Suhana Bt. Sarkawi]

WOW.. I am really amazed. Thank you for the tips. It helps me a lot!!

[Abd Rahman]

Nice discussion about this topic and thanks for the website.

[Mahmmud Kunaini]

Info yang sangat bermanfaat kepada guru-guru, terima kasih daun keladi.

[Mohd Sabli b Hj Badi]

Joining The Toastmaster's Club is really a great experience. I still remember in Miri back in the College years being brought to this group by our English lecturer inspired me to become a better teacher in terms of Speaking discipline, self confidence and most importantly the concept " Should Know what will come out form your mouth " and be responsible to convince and provide your audience with relevant and honest informations.

[Habsah Ibrahim]

Joining The Toastmaster's Club is really a great experience. I still remember in Miri back in the College years being brought to this group by our English lecturer inspired me to become a better teacher in terms of Speaking discipline, self confidence and most importantly the concept " Should Know what will come out form your mouth " and be responsible to convince and provide your audience with relevant and honest informations.

Yes..Cikgu Sabli. I was just about to reply on same idea just now. Well, joining toasmaster's club is fun and you will improve a lot in speaking skills. 

[Mahmmud Kunaini]

Minta maaf, saya masih kurang jelas dengan toastmaster' club ni. Tolong jelaskan lagi.

[Widea Angela Binti Takip]

what is toastmaster's club?

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