Mulcahy 1

Clare Mulcahy

Mrs. Cramer

Composition I Pd. 6A

17 November 2017

Conquering the Art of Public Speaking

Public speakers feel a great deal of pressure to do well. Sometimes, the pressure builds up

and the speaker becomes tense, which makes giving the speech more of a challenge than

mastering the material that he must know in his presentation. The audience can tell when the

speaker is nervous, since it affects how well the speech is delivered. The most effective kind of

public speaking is when the speaker is comfortable with his or her topic, audience, and language

used.

An audience can tell when the speaker is uncomfortable. That does not mean that

audience members will be upset with the speaker. Listeners will probably sympathize, but they

may still find it hard to focus on the content of the speech if it is delivered by an uncomfortable

speaker (Cosnett et al.). The issue, then, is how to alleviate this discomfort. The most essential

method for doing this is preparation.

To reduce apprehension before giving a public speech, theater and speech teacher Tim

Conway recommends, "'[p]reparation, preparation, preparation. You can't substitute confidence

for preparation'" (Gard). Preparation starts with making sure one knows the topic he is speaking

about, but it does not end there (Gard). Another important part of preparing is knowing what sort

of people to expect to have as an audience to the speech. Not only does this give the speaker the

opportunity to deliver a speech targeted at that specific audience, but it also gives the speaker the
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chance to set realistic goals about the number of people who will be paying attention during the

presentation (Cosnett et al.). One can write a speech tailored to keep the attention of the majority

of the listeners, but only if one knows what to expect of them. After the speaker knows what to

expect, he can begin rehearsal with confidence.

Rehearsal is one of the most important parts of preparation. Practice has no substitute to

make a more effective speech, but young speakers tend to skip this step most often. In the rush to

finish the speech while keeping up with classes, students sometimes choose to finish other work

rather than practice. Rehearsal is essential to make a speech the best it can be, especially for

nervous speakers. A speaker should practice giving their speech several times out loud by

himself at least, but having an audience at rehearsal can make the practice more valuable.

According to "A Survival Guide to Public Speaking," the third rehearsal of a speech should be in

front of a group of people, and evaluation sheets should be handed out so that the audience can

give feedback to improve the speech (Cosnett et al.). Rehearsals give the speaker important

practice and feedback for the best delivery.

Aside from preparation of the speech, a way to prepare oneself in being comfortable and

relaxed during a speech can be breathing exercises. Breathing exercises are both calming and

practical in improving the way a person talks. Musicians practice proper breathing techniques to

improve their stamina in playing and sustainment of musical phrases. In the same way, speakers

should practice proper breathing to help maintain steady pacing and sustain phrases in a

sentence, so they do not have to stop for breath in the middle of a phrase (Cosnett et al.). Steady

breathing is not the only way to improve the flow of a speech.

Additionally, a person should use language they are comfortable with to keep from

disrupting the flow of the speech by stumbling over phrases. As Mark Forsyth points out in his
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article, "The Curse of Public Speaking: Put an Ordinary Person in Front of a Microphone, and

They Start to Talk in Pompous Clichés," speakers try hard to sound professional, and the

language they use ends up being the same overused language that is heard in safety instructions

or on crime TV shows. Using common language does not mean that one has to lower the

vocabulary level of the speech. One should phrase information in a way that is comfortable for

oneself, rather than in a way that is meant to sound especially formal or knowledgeable.

The task of using comfortable language involves using vocabulary and explanations that

are at a level intended for both the speaker and the audience. If the audience has a higher

comprehension level than the speaker expects, the speaker can come across as being

condescending. On the other hand, if the speech is written for people who already have

background knowledge of the topic, then an audience of people who know nothing about the

topic being presented will not be able to understand the presentation at all. The language might

go right over their heads, keeping them from learning anything from the speech (Cosnett et al.).

For this reason, jargon should usually be avoided in speeches, since everyone listening might not

be familiar with the terms.

Avoiding "um" and "uh" can also make a world of difference in the reception of a speech.

While one should try not to sound too professional, these placeholding words make one sound

too unprofessional. They also make the speaker sound underprepared, even when that is not the

case. The best way to pause and think during a speech is to do it silently, rather than using "uh"

or "um" to fill the space. The space can give listeners a chance to digest and process new

information without the distracting space-filling sounds (Gard).

Another way for a speaker to become comfortable is to give the audience a reason to be

welcoming to the speaker first. A relaxed atmosphere can be just what someone needs to relieve
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their nerves. Again, knowing about the audience ahead of time can be one way to make the

group seem more welcoming (Cosnett et al.). Another way to create a more pleasant atmosphere

is to tell the audience something to help them relate to the person speaking to them. This often

involves a story, which might be about what motivated the speaker to talk about a particular

topic or about how the speaker was placed in his current position or career. The story could also

be of an experience that the speaker feels the audience will identify with. Often, anecdotes such

as these can lend credibility to the speaker. Revealing his reasoning or motives can give the

speaker common ground with the audience, which gives the audience a way to relate to the

speaker (Muth).

The audience can help make the speaker comfortable, but the speaker still has a job to

make the audience comfortable too. "A Survival Guide to Public Speaking" says that

"[w]hatever's comfortable for you is going to make the audience comfortable, and that's going to

make your presentation effective." In other words, a person should not go too far outside of his

comfort zone during a speech, since he needs to be relaxed enough to create a pleasant

atmosphere for the audience. The comfort of one party or the other helps keep both parties

comfortable.

Comfort with the topic, audience, and language give a speaker the confidence to deliver

the best speech he can. To reach this comfort, the speaker might need to do a great deal of

preparation. That preparation could and should take multiple forms, including learning about the

audience, rehearsing the speech, choosing the right vocabulary and phrasing, and deciding

exactly what information should be included in the presentation. All this preparation pays off

when the speaker delivers his speech with a practiced ease, which makes the work worth the

effort.
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Works Cited

Cosnett, Gary, et al. "A survival guide to public speaking." Training & Development Journal,

Sept. 1990, p. 15+. Educators Reference Complete,

go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=PROF&sw=w&u=pl1949&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA941371

1&it=r&asid=d8412f1d96dd52d48d186a9fe2e199f8. Accessed 25 Oct. 2017.

Forsyth, Mark. "The curse of public speaking: Put an ordinary person in front of a microphone,

and they start to talk in pompous ciches." Spectator, 30 Mar. 2013, p. 23. Opposing

Viewpoints in Context,

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A324763747/OVIC?u=pl1949&xid=7e213a64. Accessed

25 Oct. 2017.

Gard, Carolyn J. "Do You Need to Psych Yourself Up to Give a Speech?" Current Health 2, a

Weekly Reader publication, Sept. 1999, p. 18. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A55671747/OVIC?u=pl1949&xid=7daaa02d. Accessed 25

Oct. 2017.

Muth, Chuck. "To connect with your audience, tell 'em your story: making a personal connection

will go a long way." Campaigns & Elections [2010], Sept.-Oct. 2012, p. 15. Opposing

Viewpoints in Context,

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A304727179/OVIC?u=pl1949&xid=28d49dff. Accessed 25

Oct. 2017.