Student: Grant Mitchell
Student ID: C9901028
Subject: Contemporary Communications - LCB121
Lecturer: Lloyd Irwin
Title: Training Manual - How to Present a Speech
No. Words: 2828
Due Date: Tuesday 15th June 1999
Submission Date:
Purpose of this Manual
The purpose of this training manual is to teach Christians in leadership training some of the basics of public speaking in a Christian context, whether it be preaching or teaching. In particular this manual has been written with the intention of incorporation into a "Leadership Training School" which equips Christian leaders with a range of skills. It should be taught in a single 2 hour session, or two 1 hour sessions, with some follow-up at the start of the next session.
Presentation of a Christian Speech [Refer Overhead 1]
In speaking our task is God-promotion not self-promotion. Neither is speaking an opportunity for people pleasing. The only way to resist the powerful temptation to please people is to remember the simple truth that, first and foremost, we’re called to be faithful.
In helping to this aim this manual will deal with the following issues of presenting a speech:
The First Moments - Dealing with Fear [Refer Overhead 2]
Our fears are justified - there is nothing wrong with being nervous. It is your body's natural way of preparing you to speak.
Walk around. Go to the bathroom. Check your clothes, your hair. Use up the excess physical energy.
Use positive words and stop thinking negatively. There may be people out there who know more about your subject than you do, but make it so that there is no one in the audience more enthusiastic about the subject than you are.
Have those first words ready to go. This will help to avoid false starts.
The final result of the talk is not merely in the speaker's skill alone, but in the hands of the Holy Spirit. Pray about your subject, pray for the people, pray for yourself, then trust God for his support and direction.
The First Moments - Good Start [Refer Overhead 3]
It is important to dress appropriately. The audience you are speaking to will dictate what is appropriate. The only general rule to apply regarding appearance is sensitivity. The right appearance means the right appearance so far as the audience is concerned, the appearance that will best help them to understand and accept what you are saying, without distracting them from the message.
Listeners gather information as they observe the way the speaker approaches the moment of delivery. The goal is to communicate alertness, self-confidence, and eagerness to share a message. A natural movement to the front informs the audience that you are comfortable and happy to be their speaker.
Do not speak before reaching the front. The speaker should be established at the front before one word is said.
Get a good stance - stand confidently, firmly, facing the audience. Good posture for speaking is neither rigid nor slack.
Get the microphone set right. It is preferable to use a label microphone, but if it is on a stand, set the height, length and direction correctly before starting.
Make eye contact with everyone in the room immediately - this is an excellent way to become established before uttering the first word. Smile at everybody.
Get your hands down beside you and under control at the start.
Have your first sentence memorised.
It is unnecessary to open the speech with mundane remarks such as, "I am so happy to be here today," nor is it necessary to begin with an amusing anecdote that serves no purpose in that particular speaking situation.
The Conclusion [Refer Overhead 4]
Right from the start of preparation and presentation make sure you know your conclusion, the goal of your talk. Too often, inexperienced speakers simply quit. They do not finish, they just stop - and there is a difference.
Your speech's central thrust must be clearer in the conclusion that anywhere else in the speech. Seek to make your conclusion long enough to accomplish its purpose, but not so long as to drag the speech out unnecessarily. As a general rule the conclusion should require no less than 5 percent, and no more than 15 percent of the entire time you have for the speech.
Call them to act upon their convictions now! "Clinch the deal". Know the moment, finish, and then walk away. There is no need to finish stuttering with a "thank you" - there are far more creative ways to end your speech.
The Proposition [Refer Overhead 5]
A good speech has one great idea and it keeps hitting at it.
The proposition is an expression of the purpose of the speech - the sermon in a sentence. The proposition is a statement of truth, not a question. It needs to keep appearing throughout the talk - whether it is spoken directly and appropriately at each point, or whether the intent of each point suggests the words and intent of the proposition.
The Introduction [Refer Overhead 5]
The first priority is not to sell ideas, message or viewpoint but to make certain the audience is listening. Their attention must be grasped in the first twenty seconds.
Don't waste your first minute.
Avoid jokes.
Avoid "wheel-spinning" with your words, such as "It goes without saying…", or "Sorry if I'm a little tired…".
Avoid unscripted words such as "Its good to be here", or "Is this mic on?"
Words [Refer Overhead 6]
How you say it is always as important as what you say.
There is a difference between written English and spoken English. Use notes as a guide, but avoid reading them out as the whole talk.
Make the meaning of your language clear, otherwise the audience will soon lose interest.
Choose familiar words, and prefer the short ones. Avoid the trap of trying to sound sophisticated by using big words.
To do is easier than to implement.
To go than to proceed.
To tell than to inform.
Precise words give your listener a clear picture; vague words produce hazy pictures.
Don't say animal if you mean dog. And why say dog if you mean a blood hound, poodle, or fox-terrier.
Use words which say exactly what you want to say and no more.
Your words must correspond to your subject and the occasion.
Neither speak casually about weighty matters, nor solemnly about trivial ones.
On formal occasions the audience will expect a more formal choice of words.
On informal occasions slang, colloquialisms, and puns, for example, may be entirely appropriate.
Keep religious jargon out of your talk - many people fail to understand the words and phrases. Ask yourself, "How do I explain to people the meaning of repentance, justification, sanctification, propitiation, or being born again?"
Use words which tap into past experience, which leave a momentary image in the mind, arouse interest and leave a mark.
Sensory words are concrete appeals to the sense, such as:
"the aroma of coffee brewing";
"sour as a lemon slice";
"a screeching car alarm at night".
Use words that convey action, and make the sentences move.
Put the emphasis on the one who makes the action occur, rather than what the action is acting upon.
"Water wears away stones" rather than, "Stones are eroded by water."
"I watched the game with excitement" rather than, "The game was observed by me with great excitement."
Use metaphors, similes, and personifications
Metaphors are implied comparisons, e.g. "The bread of life", "footprints stitched across the sand".
Similes are explicit comparisons, using the words like or as, e.g. "Sincerity is like a spice"
Personification is another figure of speech that implies a comparison. Some impersonal thing is given the attributes of a human being, e.g. "Love treated him gently", "the eyelids of morning".
Such comparisons add colour, texture, and interest to your wording.
Predictable words are boring. The audience will think "We have heard it all before".
Fresh language is unpredictable. The audience must hear it out, and interact with it, in order to grasp it. It renders interest.
People are interested in other people. People are naturally drawn to the concrete, rather than the abstract.
Look for the human side of your subject. Think about the interests, fears, hopes, and dreams of real people who are or might be affected by your subject, and then help your audience to see the issues through their eyes. Give your ideas flesh and blood.
Prune away every unnecessary word. Say exactly what you mean and say it concisely.
The speaker who means to be understood prefers short simple sentences.
Use one idea to a sentence: a new sentence for each new idea.
Voice [Refer Overhead 7]
Breathing for speech calls for a simple but special control of the breathing process: diaphragmatic breathing.
Diaphragmatic breathing simply means breathing deeply enough to involve the diaphragm fully. The diaphragm is a thin band of muscle located in the upper abdominal area just beneath the lungs.
Diaphragmatic breathing involves the abdominal and rib muscles. It does not heavily involve the rise of the collar bone and shoulder muscles: these are used in shallow or clavicular breathing.
Articulation is the shaping of the voice into sounds that communicate thoughts.
Audiences should not have to figure out what the speaker is trying to say. The more an audience has to figure out what the speaker is trying to say, the more the audience focuses on the messenger, rather than focusing on the message.
Some examples of misarticulated words:
|
Correct |
Incorrect |
Correct |
Incorrect |
|
get |
Git |
Our |
r |
|
just |
Jist |
Hour |
r |
|
because |
Becuz |
Can |
kin |
Vocal variables are intrinsically involved in effective communication.
Pitch refers to the tonal qualities produced in vocalization. Proper vocal production will give a speaker an optimum or "natural" pitch level. Optimum pitch is largely determined by the size of the vocal bands.
You can find your optimum pitch level in this way:
Sing the musical scale, starting as low as you can without strain and finish the last note as high as you can, also without strain. Your optimum pitch level will be at about the level in which you sing "far, so, la".
Another problem with pitch is that speakers often only use a narrow range, and so end up sounding monotonous. A wide pitch range, used effectively to support content, gives a speaker flexibility and enhances communicative appeal for an audience.
Volume refers to the amount of force needed in speaking for the message to be heard and for the emotional message of the speech to be conveyed. Speakers have the same problem as they have had with pitch: narrow range and monotonous patterns.
Too many speakers have been misled by the fallacy that preaching is acceptable only if it is loud. The answer is to realise that volume is a servant of content. Volume should support the message. The speaker should use force or abstain from it as content dictates.
Rate refers to the speed at which a person speaks. Rate is misused in three ways: the speaker talks too fast, too slow, or at the same rate throughout. A flexible rate is best. The content should determine how much your rate varies. Use a faster rate for the less important details; then slow down for key assertions and ideas.
Rate and pauses work together. Brief pauses are used to allow the listener time to absorb what is heard. Longer pauses usually indicate a change of thought, but they may also be used to increase the attention of the audience. Intermediate pauses may be used to introduce or dismiss a related but extraneous idea, to make a transition from one thought to another, or to allow time for descriptive material to be absorbed.
Non-verbals [Refer Overhead 8]
Body language should always support content. Body language supports content by reinforcing the voice and by communicating a message that is not or cannot be communicated orally.
The further we are from someone physically, the further we are psychologically.
As a general rule you will want to get as close to your audience as possible. Positioning yourself unnecessarily distant from your audience may communicate that you want to keep them at arm's length and that you are unfriendly or standoffish.
Unless the audience is quite large, you will not need to mount a stage or platform, and you should avoid doing so if possible. Keeping yourself on the audience's level communicates that you do not see yourself as better than your audience but rather as one of them, a friend speaking to friends.
Gesture should not be over-controlled or under-controlled.
See it, feel it, forget it. Picture what you are talking about, allow yourself to feel the situation, forget about forcing it - it will come spontaneously.
Improve your gestures in everyday conversation - anything out of place in everyday language is out of place in a speech.
Gestures should be impulsive reflections of the speaker's feelings. When they are, they support and assist language and vocal expression. The body should work as a well-coordinated unit.
Be careful that gestures do not become distracting. Get rid of bad habits and mannerisms. Especially beware of shifting weight from one foot to another. This body swaying will become distracting to the audience.
Use body language that supports what is being said.
Casual statements require a casual stance.
Two opposing issues can have two areas of standing.
If an emphatic statement is to be made, facial expressions should reflect concern, posture should communicate urgency, and gestures should be emphatic.
Maintain eye contact during 75 to 90 percent of the talk. You should be so familiar with your notes that you have no obvious dependence on them. When you have something strong to say, maintain eye contact.
Maintain eye contact while turning pages of your notes. Don't be conspicuous when you turn the pages. Use small pages or cards, or slide the pages aside rather than turning them.
You can communicate an amazing variety of emotions through your facial expression. Your facial expression should suggest, enforce, and support content. Never use a smile when a frown is appropriate - or vice versa.
There is often a gap between what you as the speaker feel and what you actually communicate. To close this gap, practice exaggerating various facial expressions to learn what your actual intent requires in muscular activity to produce the required facial expression.
The best expressions occur when the speaker is rid of inhibitions. The best facial expressions unconsciously reflect the speaker's emotions and feelings.
Each speaker should determine the most comfortable way to stand in order to communicate eagerness and self-confidence. Good posture is neither rigid nor slack. It simply provides a comfortable position for vocal communication and other forms of bodily expression.
In determining the position of the feet, look for a stance that helps you shift the body smoothly to the front, back, or either side.
Attitude [Refer Overhead 9]
Your attitude controls the attitude of your audience.
Your attitude to your audience controls their attitude towards you.
Your attitude to your subject controls your audience's attitude to that subject.
The only way to appear sincere is to be sincere.
Believe what you are saying. Let your voice and eyes show your conviction.
Enthusiasm is contagious. Enthusiasm is visual confirmation of a sincere belief. To be enthusiastic you do not have to rant and rave, but show conviction that come from heart and mind. Speak with an attitude that creates in the mind of the listener a sense of vital importance and urgency.
If you're enjoying yourself you infect the audience and they too enjoy themselves. A smile is the surest way of showing that you're enjoying what you're doing.
Your love for the people to whom you are speaking helps you to communicate to them. If they sense the speaker loves and cares, they will let him tell them the truth about themselves.
Preparing well and being deliberate in what is said gives the speaker an air of authority. The prepared speaker knows what is going to be said and says it with confidence. Authority comes from deliberateness. Be in command of yourself and look like it.
Avoid bad attitudes, such as being: cocky, critical, aggressively dogmatic, discourteous. Audiences admire speakers who are fair and just. They respect intellectual integrity and sound judgement. They react against prejudice, and narrow-mindedness.
When we speak with authority, we preach the Bible's message without embarrassment, but we also communicate that we don’t always know how to tailor faith to life.
Summary [Refer Overhead 10]
Good presentation skills will grow with experience. Practice these skills in everyday life and conversation.
And remember that there is no conflict between skilful preparation and presentation, and the work of the Holy Spirit. Both are essential. The two are not in conflict. The two cooperate.
Overhead 1
Presentation of a Christian Speech - Introduction
Overhead 2
The First Moments - Dealing with Fear
Overhead 3
The First Moments - Good Start
Overhead 4
The Conclusion
Overhead 5
The Proposition
The Introduction
Overhead 6
Words
Overhead 7
Voice
Overhead 8
Non-verbals
Overhead 9
Attitude
Overhead 10
Presentation of a Christian Speech - Conclusion
Bibliography
Cotterell, Peter.
1984 Look Who's Talking! East Sussex, England: Kingsway.
Fasol, Al.
1996 A Complete Guide to Sermon Delivery. Nashville, Tennesse, USA: Broadman & Holman.
Hybels, Bill and Briscoe, Stuart and Robinson, Haddon.
1989 Mastering Contemporary Preaching. Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press.
Litfin, A. Duane.
1981 Public Speaking, A Handbook for Christians. Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA: Baker Book House.
Warne, Clifford and White, Paul.
1982 How to Hold an Audience - without a Rope. Sydney, Australia: A.I.O. Press.