Domain

Remarks

What is public speaking?

• Public speaking is a form of communication forwarding ideas, comments, opinions & speeches to the public

Where does it occur?

• The target audience is the public, so the setting should be in publicly accessible place, be it a room, theatre, hall, stadium or the mass media
• Speaker's Corner in Singapore
• Hyde Park in UK

Why public speak?

• Public speaking has been around throughout history
• Evolution of human speech & languages occurs alongside public speaking
• As any speaker does not know all the audience in person, that speaker is public speaking
• In the wild, animals sound signals or alarms by making audiovisual, smell & other communication methods publicly to their group members
• In humans, our languages form the basis of communication of ideas, comments, signals, concepts, etc. to those around, whether known or not to the speaker
• As public speaking allows the speaker to talk directly, uncensored & undistorted, to the audience, & if taken skillfully, also allows the audience to respond & reinforce one another's reactions to the speaker

What types of public speakers are there?

• There are various levels of public speaking:

1. Poor speaker: little preparation, do not captivate audience, poor impressions - beginners, politicians
2. Mediocre speaker: some preparation & experience, audience's attention dependent on their interests in the topic, little impressions - journalists, researchers
3. Good speaker: more preparations & experience, maintains audience's attention & interests, impressions made - lawyers, comedians, artists, HR
4. Great speaker: abundant preparations & experience, attention-grabbing, maintains & grips the audience's attention & moods tightly, deep & long-lasting impressions - top CEOs, heads of state, generals, leaders like Winston Churchill, George Washington

How does the speaker capture the audience's attention & responses?

• Any quality public speaker possess the following traits:

1. Speech preparation: research, materials, highlights, knowledge
2. Perfection of delivery: tonal emphasis, loudness, expressions of face, gestures & actions
3. Place: setting, mood, atmosphere, surroundings, perceptual environment as well as research, economic & political conditions if applicable
4. Visual aids: to substantiate argument, position, strategy, concepts
5. Humour: relieving bottled stress, pressure & tension
6. Stage confidence: annihilation of fright, brilliance of speech & delivery, motivational, inspirational

• Public Speaking Tips

Who are great speakers?

• Consider these great speakers of last century