ORAL SKILLS
3.1 Introduction
Speech is an attribute peculiar to human
beings only. The process of leading others is quite complex and intricate.
Successful leaders are those who cannot only think logically, but also possess
the ability to put across their ideas precisely and effectively. Effective
speech making is a social and professional requirement of a military leader.
The
ability to face the audience with confidence is not impossibility. It is not a
gift bestowed by providence on only a few individuals. Many men who afterwards
become famous speakers were, at the outset of their careers beset with
self-consciousness and almost paralyzed with stage/audience fright. Do not
imagine that your case is unusual. You may always experience this
self-consciousness just before you begin, but in a few seconds it will vanish completely.
3.2 Essential
Elements of Successful Public Speaking
When
a speaker has a real message in his head and heart and an inner urge to share
it with others, he is most likely to deliver it forcefully and effectively. But
with a bit of deliberation and by keeping in mind the following essential
elements of public speaking, he can improve his performance a lot:-
(1) Preparation
What
is preparation? Setting down of some mechanical sentences on paper? Memorizing
some phrases? Not at all! Real preparation means digging something out of
yourself, assembling and arranging your own thoughts. Do not sit and try to
manufacture or cook your speech in thirty minutes or so. A speech must grow.
Select your topic early and think over it, brood over it, sleep over it and
dream over it. Discuss it with friends and make it a topic of conversation. Ask
yourself all possible questions concerning the topic. Put down, on a piece of
paper, all thoughts and keep searching for more.
After
you have done independent thinking and drawn as much from your memory as
possible, go to the library and do some reading. Go through a Dictionary of
Quotations and books on similar topics. Collect far more material than you
intend to use.
Once
you have gathered enough material, arrange your thoughts in logical sequence.
No infallible rules can be given for the arrangement of ideas and construction
of speech. Each address presents its own particular problems. You may, however,
keep following points in mind while arranging your material:-
(a) Introduction and conclusion should not
be disproportionately long.
(b) No single idea or point should be too
elaborately dealt with.
(c) Important ideas should receive more
detailed treatment and less important ideas should not be given prominence.
(d) One part of speech should grow
logically out of the others. It should not sound like a disjointed jumble of
details.
No
speaker can ever be fully prepared unless he has thoroughly rehearsed/practiced
his speech. You should try to rehearse under simulated conditions in the
presence of some friends to overcome stage/audience fright. Instead of
memorizing the lines, try to learn the ideas and the sequence in which they are
to be delivered.
(2) Language
The
language of speech should not be overlooked or given secondary importance under
any circumstance. In fact the overall impact and force of a speech depends more
on language than its thought contents. Diction and sentence construction must
be given particular attention. Use of stereotype phrases should be avoided. Try
to be precise, exact and distinctive. Do not use remote words only to impress
your audience. The phonetic aspects of languages viz pronunciation, accent and
intonation carry equal significance. A couple of words mispronounced may mar
the entire speech.
(3) Delivery/Presentation
The
performance of a speaker is judged by the delivery of the speech. Fluency,
poise, control of voice and coordinated movement of the body help in the
delivery of good speech. These attributes combined with self confidence and
knowledge of the subject makes an outstanding speaker.
(a) Voice Quality
A
good voice is varied, clear, understandable and pleasing. Unlike singing tones,
speech tones are short and precise. Therefore, a speaker does not need a big
lung capacity. An effective speaker learns to control the pressure exerted on
the vocal cords by the air in the lungs. By exercising this control he varies
the strength of his voice and gives it power and delicacy as he wishes. Lack of
this control, on the other hand, results in the lack of power, jerkiness or a
wheezy tone.
Tension
in the throat causes strain and results in soreness. A tense throat also causes
the loss of tone flexibility. A pleasing voice comes from a relaxed throat
coupled with the breath control mentioned above.
(b) Confidence
Confidence
comes from preparation. Compare the way you feel when you are asked a question
in the class the answers of which you do not know, with the feeling that you
have when you know the answer. Confidence in a speaker is manifested by an
erect but comfortable posture, free from dependence on chairs, or other
artificial support. A confident speaker’s movement is easy, free from fidgeting
or jerkiness. He has direct straightforward eye contact with the audience. His
voice is clear and energetic. Stage fright should not be confused with lack of
confidence. All speakers suffer from stage fright at least in the beginning.
You can overcome this with practice.
(c) Eye
Contact
The first thing a speaker must
endeavor to do, when addressing an audience, is to make them feel that he is
talking to them and not to the ceiling or furniture in the room. The main
purpose of speech making is communication of ideas. It will be worthwhile for a
speaker to watch his audience to see whether they are getting his point. It
not, he may like to modify his speech so that it is clearly understood. While
speaking, a speaker must try to forget about himself and concentrate upon
getting his audience to understand and agree with him.
(d) Posture
The posture of a speaker is important.
A good posture for a speaker is the one which is comfortable without being
slouchy. It should be erect without being stiff. In short, a good posture
should give an impression that the speaker is alert and understands what he is
doing.
(e) Rate
of Speech and Pauses
The speed of utterance should be such
that makes it easier for the audience to understand. Weighty or complex matters
should be presented slowly so that the audience has more time to comprehend. On
the other hand when a speaker is attempting to describe a rapid sequence of
events his speed should be more.
Pauses are primarily a device for the
punctuation of spoken thought. Just as punctuation marks separate written words
into thought groups, pauses of different lengths separate the words in speech
into meaningful units. Haphazard use of pauses, therefore, may be confusing to
the audience. A speaker should ensure that the pauses come between the thought
groups and not in the middle of them.
(4). Style
While
talking to the audience one has to be enthusiastic and forceful, but to become
unnatural and to create dramatic effect is not desirable at all. Be conscious
of your gestures and posture etc. But do not resort to dramatization because
speech is something different from stage performance. Unnecessary dramatization
causes distraction that hinders effective communication.
3.2.1 Miscellaneous Elements
(i) Come
before your audience with an attitude that suggests you are glad to be there.
Do not show any signs of being jittery or nervous.
(ii) Dress neatly and attractively. The
consciousness of being well-dressed heightens one’s self-respect and
self-confidence.
(iii) Do not speak when you are tired. Rest and
store up a reserve of energy because people always cluster around the energetic
speakers.
(iv) Crowd your audience together. No group is
easily influenced when it is scattered.
(v) The opening of a talk is highly
important, for the minds of audience are fresh. The introduction ought to be
short. Wade right into the heart of your subject with minimum possible words.
(vi) Closing of a speech is really its most
strategic element. What is said last is likely to be remembered longest. Do not
end with: “That is about all I have to say”. Stop, but do not talk about it.
3.2.2 Points to Remember
Good public speaking requires
thorough preparation, thrilling start, logical main body and thought-provoking
ending.
3.2.3 Some Don’ts
The following 17 “Don’ts” are useful
for a speaker:-
(i) Don’t preach in platitudes. Let your
speech scintillate with original and unique conceptions.
(ii) Don’t take yourself too seriously. Wit
has a rousing sting. Laughter and tears are closely allied, and both help to
make an impression upon the audience.
(iii) Don’t deal in generalities. Let your
address bristle with specific facts and illustrations of human interest.
(iv) Don’t drop to the rude or commonplace.
The feelings of an audience are sentence are sensitive and demand courtesy and
respect. Use standard language.
(v) Don’t imitate the peculiarities of some
orator. The peculiarities in him may become faults in you. Beware, therefore,
of imitating another’s peculiarities.
(vi) Don’t tell your audience all. Leave a few
details to the intelligence of the audience. A story should lead to the climax
by gradual stages. The audience should be permitted to do the laughing or
weeping.
(vii) Don’t
Shout.
(viii) Don’t
mumble.
(ix) Don’t
fidget.
(x) Don’t
apologize.
(xi) Don’t
make noises such as “er” or “um”. Speak.
(xii) Don’t
forget to watch the effect of your speech as you go along.
(xiii) Don’t speak too quickly. Let the audience
get a chance to appreciate your points.
(xiv) Don’t be
personal. Personal remarks spoil the effect of the whole speech.
(xv) Don’t
introduce stale jokes, hackneyed quotations, or well-known anecdotes.
(xvi) Don’t
quote facts or figures which you cannot verify.
(xvii) Don’t, above all, forget the end. A good
ending is even more important than a good beginning. Never draw your speech
out. The good effect of many flights of noble oratory is lost because the
orator does not known when and where to finish. Never “talk your hearers
tired”. Always leave your audience” wanting more”.
3.3 Debate
Debate
is the formal presentation of arguments and evidence to support a view-point on
a particular subject or to oppose someone’s views. The essence of a debate lies
in presentation of arguments and counter arguments. This is where it differs
from public speaking.
Debates are generally held on
controversial (debatable) topics. The debaters have to choose whether to
support the given statement or to oppose it. Thus, there have to be two teams
in a debate unlike public speaking which is essentially a solo performance.
Each team in the debate is headed by a leader who is traditionally required to
open the arguments on behalf of his team. There can be as many speakers in a
team as time permits. However, in a 40-minute period it is only possible to
listen to the arguments of about six speakers. Hence in the PMA we usually have
a team of three speakers for the motion and three against it. The speakers from
the two teams speak alternately, first for the motion and then against it.
Debates in the PMA are conducted on
the lines of parliamentary debates. The class becomes the House; a cadet is
appointed the President of the House; there is a leader of the House and also a
leader of the opposition. The entire proceedings are conducted by the Cadet
President.
3.4 Persuasive Speech
Persuasive Speech has five major components. Brief
description of each is given below.
(1) Begin
with an Attention Step that is an
(a) Opening
statement of interest (use one or more of the following):
(i) A
rhetorical question
(ii) A
startling statement
(iii) A
quotation
(iv) An
illustration or story
(v) A
reference to the subject
(vi) A
reference to the occasion
(b) Motivate
audience interest in your subject by alluding to: (use one or more of the
following):
(i) The
practical value of the information for your audience
(ii) A
reason to listen
(iii) The
audience’s sense of curiosity
(iv) Establish
your credibility by:
(v) Alluding
to any first-hand experience you may have had
(vi) Alluding
to sources of information you have consulted
(c) Provide
orienting material by: (use one or more of the following):
(i) Previewing
main points
(ii) Defining
any technical terms that you will be using
(2) Need Step
There are potentially two kinds of needs
(your speech uses one of these):
(a) To
urge a change-point out what’s wrong with present conditions
(b) To demand preservation of present
conditions-point out the danger of a change
The
Need Step is developed by:
(i)
Illustration: Tell of one or more incidents to illustrate
the need
(ii)
Ramifications: Employ as many additional facts, examples,
and quotations as are required to make the need convincingly
impressive.
(iii) Pointing:
Show its importance to the individuals in the audience.
(3) Satisfaction Step
The Satisfaction Step presents a solution. It
is developed by (use one or more of the following):
(a) Statement of solution: a
brief statement of the attitude, belief, or action you wish the audience to
adopt.
(b) Explanation:
Make sure that your proposal is understood.
(c) Theoretical demonstration:
show how the solution logically and adequately meets the need pointed out in
the need step, point-by-point!
(d) Practical experience:
actual examples showing where this proposal has worked effectively or where the
belief has proven correct.
(e) Meeting objections: forestall
opposition by showing how your proposal overcomes any objections which might be
raised.
(4) Visualization
Step
The visualization step must stand the test of
reality. The conditions you describe must be at least realistic. The more
vividly you make the situation seem, the stronger will be the reaction of the
audience. There are three methods of visualizing the future. (use one or more
of the following):
(a) Positive: Describe the conditions
if your solution is actually carried out. Picture the listeners in that
situation actually enjoying the safety, pleasure, or pride that your proposal
will produce.
(b) Negative: Describe conditions if
your solution is not carried out. Picture the audience feeling the bad effects
or unpleasantness that the failure to effect your solution will produce.
(c) Contrast: Combination of (a) and
(b). Begin with the negative method (undesirable situation) and conclude with
the positive method (desirable solution).
(5) Action
Step:
This step is developed by (use one or more of the
following):
(a) Restatement
of main idea and summary of main points.
(b) Statement
of specific action or attitude change you want from the audience.
(c) A statement of your personal intent to
take the course of action or attitude recommended.
Also, a concluding
statement to recapture interest should be added. (A reason to remember)
3.4.1 Persuasive Speech Outline Format
(a) Topic
A topic has specific
purpose and/or proposition, as described below.
(i)
Specific Purposes: A list of what you
want to accomplish throughout your speech.
(ii) Proposition: a combination
of your thesis statement and what action you want your audience to take.
(b) Attention Step: keeping
the audience’s attention
(c) Need
Step: convincing the
audience that this is a problem that affects them and that your change is
necessary
(d) Satisfaction Step: how the
audience will benefit from this change
(e) Visualization
Step: verbally picture for the audience what their future will be like
if they accept your proposal and/or deny your proposal
(f) Action
Step: specifically tell what actions the audience should take
3.4.2 Sample Persuasive Speech Outline
Topic: Milk: It REALLY does
do a body good
Proposition: Everyone should drink
3 glasses of milk everyday in order to live long and healthy life.
Specific Purposes: The specific purposes of the above mentioned topic are
·
To
inform classmates the health benefits to drinking 3 glasses of milk per day
·
To
inform classmates of the problems associated with not drinking milk
·
To
persuade students to actually drink 3 glasses of milk per day
·
To
inform classmates of ways to fulfill the 3 glasses of milk if drinking milk is
a problem for them.
Attention Step:
- Run through a
list of common things mom tells you to do everyday to stay healthy. For
example: drinking 8 glasses of water, all your fruits and vegetables,
brushing your teeth after every meal, drinking 3 glasses of milk per day.
- Ask how many
follow each of these everyday.
Need Step:
(1)
Milk
contains many of the essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs to
function daily, such as
Calcium: most important,
helps build and maintain strong bones. Also vital for nerve function, muscle
contraction, and blood clotting.
Protein: Important for a
number of bodily functions.
Vitamin
A:
Maintains normal vision and skin.
Vitamin
B-12:
Essential for the growth and health of the nervous system and is involved in
blood formation.
Vitamin
D:
Promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, and influences bone
mineralization, the strengthening of bones.
Potassium: Regulates the
body's fluid balance and blood pressure, muscle activity and contractions.
Phosphorus: Helps generate
energy in the body's cells and influences bone mineralization, the
strengthening of bones.
Niacin: Keeps enzymes
functioning normally and helps the body process sugars and fatty acids.
Riboflavin: Helps produce
energy in the body's cells and plays a vital role in the development of the
nervous system.
- These
vitamins and minerals are found in many of the other foods we eat however
not all in one quantity like it is with milk
- Drinking
milk is the most natural way to fulfill your body’s needs for these
vitamins and minerals
(2)
Calcium is the most important
mineral found in milk
(a) Helps with the formation of healthy
teeth and bones
(b) Aids in key functions of the heart,
blood and nerves
(c) Basically keeps the body overall running
smoothly to be able to perform daily functions
(d)
One glass of milk contains about
30% of you’re body’s daily need of calcium, this is why the National Institutes
of Health recommend to drink three glasses of milk daily in order to receive
the proper amount of calcium
(e) Also, adding more calcium to your diet
decreases your risk of kidney stones
(3)
Calcium is also extremely important
to be included in your diet now to help prevent future health problems, -
osteoporosis
(a)
Bones still taking in calcium until
age 35 – teenage years are most important to be getting calcium in now
(b) Osteoporosis, which is defined as a
progressive disease that causes bones to become thin and brittle, making them
more likely to break.
(c) Can reach the point where the bones in
your hand break with a firm handshake
(d)
One of America’s top diseases,
effecting 10 million Americans with 34 million Americans having reduced bone
mass, which is more than 75% of the population
(4)
Teenage year’s most important time
to be drinking milk to prevent osteoporosis; however no one really seems to be
listening to this:
(a) 88% of teenage girls and 60% of teenage
boys have low calcium intake
(b)
Just in our class only 1 person
drinks 3 glasses of milk per day, rest have low calcium intake
(5)
“But Milk is gross cant I just take
some other supplement and drink soda and juices all the time?”
(a) May not like the taste of milk, talk
about some other solutions later
(b) Don’t replace milk with liquids such as
sodas and juices because health problems such as obesity, tooth decay, caffeine
dependency and weakened bones are associated with drinking too much soda and
sugary juices.
(c) Today our obese society drinks twice as
much milk as they do soda according to a 1998 study – maybe if our society
began to drink more milk we would not be so overweight
Satisfaction Step:
Everyone should try
to drink one glass of milk with each meal of the day
·
Because
of the enormous health benefits
·
And
to help with your health down the road
·
Because
it really is simple to make a daily habit
Visualization Step:
All
become healthier people; since osteoporosis is a growing problem in America
Action
Step:
What
everyone can try to do is drink 3 glasses of milk per day, one with each meal;
start slow at first, work your way to it with the help of following tips:
(1)
If you don’t like the taste of milk try flavored milk, sell chocolate and
strawberry milk everywhere, or you can also try drinking smoothies and
milkshakes
(2)
If you’re afraid milk is too fattening then drink skim milk, studies found on
whymilk.com show that drinking three glasses of milk per day can help you loose
weight
(3)
If you’re lactose intolerant than there is soy milk and lactaid that you can
add to milk in order to make it able to be consumed
(4)
If you really want to have nothing at all to do with milk then take calcium
supplements, or labels on certain dairy products that this is equal to one
glass of milk, although milk is a much better choice its better than nothing.
3.5 Public Speaking
In the art of public speaking, overcoming one’s nerves is
often thought to be as the biggest hurdle. Let’s see how this matter can be
resolved.
3.5.1 Overcoming Nerves
We have just
discussed how a complete lack of nervousness is undesirable. What about the
other extreme? Is too much nervousness bad for you? Of course it is, especially
if you are so frightened that you forget what you were planning to say, or if
your breathing is so labored that you cannot get your words out. Your goal is
to keep your nervousness under control, so that you have just the right amount
– enough to energize you, but not enough to cripple you. How can you do this?
By paying heed to the following tips for the three phases of speechmaking – the
planning stage, the period immediately before the speech, and during the
speech.
By giving time and energy to planning your
speech, you can bypass many anxieties.
(1) Choose a Topic about which you know a
Great Deal
Nothing will get you
more rattled than speaking on a subject about which you know little. If you are
asked to talk on a topic with which you’re not comfortable, decline the
invitation (unless, of course, it is an assignment from an instruction or a
boss who gives you no choice). Choose a topic about which you know a lot (or
about which you can learn by doing extensive research). This will give you
enormous self-confidence; if something terrible happens (for example, you lose
your notes), you can improvise because your head will be filled with
information about the subject. Also, familiarity with the topic wills all you
to handle yourself well in the question-and-answer period after the speech.
(2) Prepare
Yourself Thoroughly
Here is a piece of
advice given by many experienced speakers: The very best precaution against
excessive stage fright is through, careful preparation. You have heard the
expression, “I came unglued.” In public speaking, solid preparation is the
“glue” that will hold you together. Start your preparation far in
advance of the speech date, so that you have plenty of time to gather ideas,
create an outline, and prepare speaking notes. Then practice, practice,
practice, practice. Don’t just look over your notes – actually stand up and
rehearse your talk in whatever way suits you: in front of a mirror, into a tape
recorder, before a family member or friend. Don’t rehearse just once – run
through your entire speech at least four times. If you “give” your speech four
times at home, you will find that your fifth delivery – before a live audience
– will be smoother and more self-assured than if you had not practiced at all.
3) Never
Memorize a Speech
Giving a speech from
memory courts disaster, Winston Churchill, the British prime minister who is
considered one of the greatest orators of modern times, learned this lesson as
a young man. In the beginning of his career, he would write out and memorize
his speeches. One day, while giving a memorized talk to Parliament, he suddenly
stopped. His mind went blank. He began his last sentence all over. Again his
mind went blank. He sat down in embarrassment and shame. Never again did
Churchill try to memorize a speech. This same thing has happened to many others
who have tried to commit a speech to memory. Everything goes smoothly until
they get derailed, and then they are hopelessly off the track.
Even
if you avoid derailment, there is treason for not memorizing: you will probably
sound mechanical, like a robot with a tape recorder in its mouth. In addition
to considering you dull and boring, your audience will sense that you are
speaking from your memory and not from your heart, and they will question your
sincerity.
(4) Imagine
Yourself Giving an Effective Speech
Let yourself daydream
a bit: picture yourself going up to the lectern, nervous but in control of
yourself, then giving a forceful talk to an appreciative audience. This
visualization technique may sound silly, but it has worked for many speakers
and it might work for you. Whatever you do, don’t let yourself imagine the
opposite – a bad speech or poor delivery. Negative daydreams will add unnecessary
fear to your life in the days before your speech, and sap you of creative
energy – energy that you need for preparing and practicing.
Notice that the daydream I am suffusing
includes nervousness. You need to have a realistic image in your mind: picture
yourself as nervous, but nevertheless in command of the situation and capable
of delivering a strong, effective speech.
This
technique, often called positive
imagery, has been used by athletes for years. Have you ever watched
professional golf on TV? Before each stroke, golfers carefully study the
distance from the ball to the hole, the rise and fall of the terrain, and so
on. Many of them report that just before swinging, they imagine themselves
hitting the ball with the right amount of force and watching it go straight
into the cup. Then they try to execute the play just as they imagined it. The
imagery, many pros say, improves their game.
Positive
imagery works best when you can couple it with believing that you will give a
successful speech. Is it absurd to hold such a belief? If you fail to prepare,
yes, it is absurd. But if you spend time in solid preparation and rehearsal,
you are justified in believing in success.
(5) Know That Shyness Is No Barrier
Some shy people think
that their shyness blocks them from becoming good speakers, but this is
erroneous. Many shy introverts have succeeded in show business. Shy people tend
to be excessively preoccupied with themselves, focusing on what listeners think
about them rather them rather than concentrating on the message.
(6) Plan Visual Aids
Research shows that
using a visual aid helps reduce anxiety. Visual aids such as slides or overhead
transparencies can help you in two ways:
(1) you shift the
audience’s stares from you to your illustrations, and
(2) you walk about and move your hands and
arms, thereby siphoning off some of your excess nervous energy. Whatever
illustrations you decide to use, make sure they are understandable,
appropriate, and clearly visible to everyone in the room.
(7) Make Arrangements
Long before you give
your speech, inspect the place where you will speak and anticipate any
problems: Is there an extension cord for the slide projector? Do the windows
have curtains so that the room can be darkened for your slide presentation? Is
there a chalkboard? Some talks have been ruined and some speakers turned into
nervous wrecks because at the last moment they discover that there isn’t an
extension cord in the entire building.
(8) Devote Extra Practice to the
Introduction
Because you are likely to suffer the greatest
anxiety at the beginning of your speech, you should spend a lot of time
practicing your introduction.
Most
speakers, actors, and musicians report that after the first minute or two,
their nervousness moves to the background and the rest of the event is
relatively easy. Perhaps happiness is too strong a word for what you will feel,
but if you are a typical speaker, the rest of your speech will be smooth
sailing once you have weathered the turbulent waters of the first few minutes.
In
continuation to various pre-speech tips discussed so far, here a few more
to be taken care of just before delivering the actual speech
(9) Verify Equipment and Materials
On the day of your
speech, arrive early and inspect every detail of the arrangements your have
made. Is the needed equipment in place and in good working order? If there is a
public-address system, test your voice on it before the audience arrives so
that you can feel at ease with it. Learn how to adjust the microphone.
(10) Get Acclimated to Audience and Setting
It can be frightening
to arrive at the meeting place at the last moment and confront a sea of strange
faces waiting to hear you talk. If you arrive at least one hour early, you can
get acclimated to the setting and chat with people as they come into the room.
In this way, you will see them not as a hostile pack of strangers, but as
ordinary people who wish you well.
Henry
Heimlich is the creator of the famed Heimlich Maneuver for rescuing people who
are choking. Even though he frequently gives lectures throughout the world, Dr.
Heimlich says, ‘I am always a little nervous wondering how a particular
audience will accept me and my thoughts. It is good to meet some of the
audience socially before lecturing to them in order to relate to their cultural
and intellectual backgrounds. You are then their ‘friend.’
(11) Use Physical Actions to Release Tension
We have seen that
adrenaline is beneficial, providing athletes and public speakers with wonderful
bursts of energy, but it also has a bad side. When your body goes on red alert,
you get pumped up and ready for action, but you also get trembling hands and
jittery knees. If you are and athlete, this is no problem because you sill soon
be engaged in vigorous physical activity that will drain off excess nervous
energy. As a public speaker, you lack such easy outlets. Nevertheless, there
are several tension releasers you can use:
(1)Take a few deep
breaths. Be sure to inhale slowly and exhale slowly.
(2) Do exercises that can
be performed quietly without calling attention to you. Here are some examples:
·
Tighten
and then relax your leg muscles.
·
Push
your arm or hand muscles against a hard object (such as a desktop or chair) for
a few moments, then release the pressure.
·
Press
the palms of your hands against each other in the same way: tension,
release…tension, release…
·
3.5.2 During the Speech
Here are some important pointers to keep in
mind as you deliver a speech.
(1) Pause a Few Moments before Starting
All good speakers
pause a few moments before they begin their talk. This silence is effective
because it is dramatic, building up the audience’s interest and curiosity; it
makes you look poised and in control; it calms you; and it gives you a chance
to look at your notes and get your first two or three sentences firmly in mind.
Many tense, inexperienced speakers rush up to the lectern and begin their
speech at once, thus getting off to a frenzied, flustered start. In the back of
their mind they have the notion that silence is a terrible thing, a shameful
void that must be filled up immediately. To the contrary, silence is a good
breathing space between what went before and what comes next. It helps the
audience tune in to the speaker and tune out extraneous thoughts.
(2) Deal Rationally with Your Body’s Turmoil
If you are typical
beginning speaker, you will suffer from some or all of the following symptoms
as you begin your talk:
(a) Pounding
heart
(b) Trembling
hands
(c) Shaky
knees
(d) Dry,
constricted throat
(e) Difficulty
in breathing
(f) Quivering
voice
(g) Flushed
face
You usually duffer
the greatest discomfort during the first few minutes of a speech, but then
things gets better. If, however, your symptoms get worse as you go along, it
might be because your mind has taken a wrong path. Your mind tells your body
that disaster is upon you, and your body responds by feeling worse. This, in
turn, increases your brain’s perception of disaster. The mental trick is to
remind yourself that nervousness is an ally that can help energize you. Tell
yourself that you’re keyed up enough to give a food speech.
(3) Think of Communication, Not
Performance
Regard your task as
communication rather than performance. Speakers who suffer from excessive
anxiety make the mistake of thinking of themselves as performing for listeners,
whom they see as hostile evaluators. Such people say, “The audience will
ridicule me if I make a mistake. I’ll be embarrassed to death.” But in fact
audiences are more interested in hearing what you have to say than in analyzing
or criticizing how you say it. Audience usually ignores errors and awkwardness
as long as they get something out of a speech.
When speakers stop
worrying about “How well am I performing?” and start thinking about “How can I
share my ideas with these people?” two things usually happen:
(a) their anxiety
comes down to a manageable level and
(b) their delivery improves dramatically. By
treating speechmaking as are nodding in agreement or giving you looks of
appreciation. Let your eyes go to them frequently, for they will give you
courage and confidence.
If you are an
inexperienced speaker, you may get upset if you see members of an audience
whispering to one another. You may wonder, “Are these it’s even worse: you ask
yourself, “Did I say something foolish? Is there something wrong with my
clothes?” if this happens to you, keep in mind that your rude listeners are
probably talking about something other than the quality of your speech or your
personal appearance. Most likely, they are just sharing some personal gossip if
by chance they are whispering about something that they agree with you 100
percent.
What if a listener
stands up and walks out of the room? For some inexperienced speakers, this is a
stunning personal setback, a cause for alarm. Before you jump to conclusions,
bear in mind that the listener’s behavior is not necessarily a purpose to your
speech: he or she may have another meeting to attend or many need to use the
rest room or may have suddenly become ill. But what if the listener is indeed
storming out of the room in a huff, obviously rejecting your speech? In such a
case, veteran speakers advise not to worry about it. On controversial subjects,
you’re bound to have listeners who are not in agreement with you – unless you’re
giving them pure, unadulterated pap. Trying to win over every member of the
audience is an impossible and thankless task. Remember, there were those who
disagreed with wise, kind Socrates.
(4) Act Poised
To develop confidence
when you face an audience, act as if you already are confident. Why? Because
playing the role of the self-assured speaker an often transform you into a
speaker who is genuinely confident and poised. In various wars, soldiers have
reported that they were terrified before going into combat, but nevertheless
they acted brave ion front of their buddies. During the battle, to their
surprise, what started off as a pretense became a reality. Instead of
pretending to be courageous, they actually became so. The same thing often
happens to public speakers.
(5) Look Directly at the Audience
If you are frightened
of your audience, it is tempting to stare at your notes or the back wall or the
window, but these evasions will only add to your nervousness rather than reduce
it.
Force
yourself to establish eye contact, especially at the beginning of your speech.
Good eye contact means more than just a quick, furtive glance at various faces
in front of you; it means ‘locking” your eyes with a listener’s for a couple of
seconds. Locking eyes may sound frightening, but it actually helps to calm you.
When you make contact with one other set of eyes, it’s connection; you can
relax and concentrate.
(6) Don’t Speak Too Fast
Because of nervous
tension and a desire to “get it over with,” many speakers race through their
speech. The key is to take it slow and easy. People in an audience have a
tremendous job of information-processing to do. They need your talk by
delineating down, pause, and guide the audience through your talk by
delineating major and minor points carefully. Remember that your objective is
to help the audience understand what you are saying, not to present your
information in record time.
To help yourself slow down, rehearse
your speech in front of friends or relatives and ask them to raise their hands
whenever you talk too rapidly. For the actual delivery of the speech, write
yourself reminders in large letters on your notes (such as “SLOW DOWN”). While
you are speaking, look at your listeners and talk directly to them in the same
calm, patient, patient, deliberate manner you would use if you were explaining
an idea to a friend.
(7) Get Audience Action Early in the Speech
It’s a bit unnerving
to see your listeners’ expressionless faces. In some speeches, you can change
those faces from blank to animate by asking a question. When the listeners
respond with answers or a show of hands, they show themselves to be friendly
and cooperative, and this reduces your apprehension. When they loosen up, you
loosen up.
(8) Eliminate Excess Energy
For siphoning off
excess energy during the speech, you can use visual aids (as mentioned above)
and these two these two tension releasers:
(a) Let your hands make gestures. You will
not have any trouble making gestures if you simply allow your hands to be free.
Don’t clutch note cards or thrust your hands into your pockets or grip the
lectern. If you let your hands hang by your side or rest on the lectern, you
will find that they will make gestures naturally. You will not have to think
about it.
(b) Walk about. Though you obviously should
not pace back and forth like a caged animal, you can walk a few steps at a
time. For example, you can walk a few steps to the left of the lectern to make
a point, and then walk to the right of the lectern as you speak.
(c) In addition to reducing tension,
gestures and movement make you a more exciting and interesting speaker than
someone who stands frozen in one spot.
(9) Accept Imperfection
If you think that you
must give a perfect, polished speech, you put enormous – and unnecessary –
pressure on yourself. Your listeners don’t care whether your delivery is
perfect; they simply hope that your words will enlighten or entertain them.
Think of yourself as merely a telegram messenger; the audience is more
interested in the telegram than in how skillfully you hand it over.
Making
a mistake is not the end of the world. Even experienced speakers commit a fair
amount of blunders and bloopers. If you completely flub a sentence or mangle an
idea, you might say something like, “No, wait. That’s not the way I wanted to
explain this. Let me try again.” If you momentarily forget what you were
planning to say, don’t despair. Pause a few moments to regain your composure
and find your place in your notes. If you can’t, say “where was I?” There is no
need to apologize. In conversation, you pause and correct yourself all the
time: to do so in a speech makes you sound spontaneous and natural.
If
you make a mistake that causes your audience to snicker or laugh, try to join
in. if you can laugh at yourself, your audience will love you – they will see
that you are no “stuffed shirt.” Some comedians deliberately plan “mistakes” as
a technique for gaining rapport with their audience.
(10) Welcome Experience
If you are an
inexperienced speaker, please know that you will learn to control your
nervousness as you get more and more practice in public speaking, both in your
speech class and in your career. You should welcome this experience as a way to
further your personal and professional growth.
One
student told her public speaking instructor at the beginning of the course that
she just knew she would drop out of the class right before her first speech.
She stayed, though, and developed into a fine speaker. She later got a
promotion in her company partly because of her speaking ability. “I never
though I’d say this,” she admitted, “but the experience of giving speeches –
plus learning how to handle nervousness – helped me enormously. Before I took
the course, I used to panic whenever I started off a talk. I had this enormous
lump in my talk just to get it over with.” But as a result of the course, she
said, “I learned to control my nervousness and use it to my advantage. Now I’m
as nervous as ever when I give a speech, but I make the nervousness work for me
instead of against me.”
In
your career, rather than shying away from speaking opportunities, seek them
out. An old saying is true: experience is the best teacher.
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