When speaking, avoid pacing back-and-forth, or other repetitive patterns when you move.
The only time your movement should call attention to itself is when you intend it to.
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#PublicSpeaking
In #PublicSpeaking , strive to improve, but don't expect perfection.
There’s no such thing as a perfect public speaker.
You could argue that there have been perfect speeches, but even the greatest orators in history were not always perfect public speakers.
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Aristotle conceived a means of persuasion, which states there are 3 ways to persuade an audience; appealing to:
LOGOS (LOGIC): through facts & statistics,
PATHOS (EMOTION): through stories, &
ETHOS (CHARACTER): by establishing credibility.
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#PublicSpeaking
Be considerate of your audience.
Never ask a 'show of hands' question that might embarrass them, either by a response, or a lack of a response.
e.g. - 'Who here feels they need to lose a few pounds before swimsuit season?'
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#PublicSpeaking
In the US, Presidents Ronald Reagan & Barack Obama were 2 of the best examples of public figures w/ effective conversational deliveries.
When they spoke, each could make every listener feel as though he or she was being spoken to directly.
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In most situations, it’s important to apologize, but a speech intro is NOT one.
If you forget visual aids or handouts, don’t point it out to the audience.
Essentially, you're telling them they’re not getting the best version of your speech.
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#PublicSpeaking
If you have the option to move during a speech, should you?
Consider several factors, including size of the room, the proximity of the audience, the length of the speech, the location of visual aid screens, & your comfort level w/ movement.
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#PublicSpeaking
A script offers some speakers a FALSE sense of security.
How many times have you witnessed presenters get tongue-tied because they were focused on READING TO, rather than COMMUNICATING WITH their listeners?
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#PublicSpeaking
#PublicSpeaking is one of the most important skills a person can learn.
Effective public speaking makes you a better student, a better job candidate, a better employee, a better co-worker, a better supervisor, and a better member of society.
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Keep your speaking notes limited to a few words or a short phrase.
If something is written out in prose on a page, presenters tend to read it, even if they otherwise wouldn’t need to.
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#PublicSpeaking
“Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can’t, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.”
– Robert Frost, Pulitzer Prize-winning author
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#PublicSpeaking
Don't take the stage only to immediately introduce a video.
A VIDEO shouldn’t be the first thing an audience experiences in a SPEECH.
When you walk on stage, the audience is ready for the SPEECH to begin; they are ready to hear from YOU.
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#PublicSpeaking
Never begin a sentence, “I’m sure you know…” or “Everyone knows…” & then make a political, historical, or pop-culture reference.
Audience members unfamiliar w/ it will feel excluded.
Say, 'Some of you MAY know...' or something similar.
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#PublicSpeaking
Common grammatical mistake: saying, 'I should of...' instead of 'I should have...'
This mistake occurs because the contraction, 'should've' SOUNDS like 'should of' when said aloud.
However, 'should have' is ALWAYS correct.
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#PublicSpeaking
“Light travels faster than sound.
That’s why certain people appear bright until you hear them speak.”
– Albert Einstein, German-American theoretical physicist
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#PublicSpeaking
If you're showing smaller visuals in a classroom or similar venue, invite anyone sitting in the back of the room to move closer, either for the entire speech, or for the portion of the speech in which you'll be using the visuals.
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#PublicSpeaking
'Everything else being equal, presenters who 'know their speech' might make an effective presentation, but presenters who 'know their topic' almost assuredly will.'
- Joe Szczechowski, American writer and public speaking nerd
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#PublicSpeaking
You have more in common w/ a door than you do w/ a window.
Don’t block your visuals from your audience's view. It’s okay to walk in front of a display to get from one side of the stage to the other, but don’t stop in front of your visuals.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. is rightfully regarded as one of the greatest communicators in history, but in graduate school, he received a 'C' in his #PublicSpeaking class.
GREAT public speakers are AVERAGE public speakers who are willing to WORK at it.
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