演讲的好处

It is reported that a good public speech can bring more success in school, hiring and promotions in the workplace, a more positive image, and improved self-confidence and esteem. However, public speech is also a difficult thing for most people. They are afraid of public speech because it is difficult to prepare. And the preparation of public speech needs lots of time and skills, but it is not that hard; actually, it is just a process of expressing your own ideas to the public. What is the most difficult part of preparing a public speech? How to prepare a public speech? They should follow some instructions, in this way, you can speak effectively when you speak in public.

The first you should acquire when you prepare a public speech is to make sure what your purpose in this speech. A purpose can be classified into two types. One is general purpose, another is specific purpose. There are three general purposes in public speaking : to inform, to persuade, and to entertain. You will be more specific about the response you want from your audience by choosing a general purpose. Beside a general purpose, you should also combine the general purpose with the topic or subject of your speech, in order to create a specific purpose. The function of a specific purpose is what you want people to know, think, believe or act on. Only in this way can you define a clear proposition of your speech.

In order for the public people to handle the whole speech, you should make your speech paper well-organized. A well-organized speech paper should be divided into three basic parts: introduction; body; conclusion. Because the introduction is the first part of your speech, you should take measures to gain the interest and attention of your audience as well as provide the specific purpose or objective of your speech. If your specific purpose is to persuade your audiences to exercise more, an absolutely boring introduction would be something like, “This afternoon I’d like to persuade you to exercise more.” You probably lost the attention of 80 percent of your audience. As for the body, it makes up of your main points and supporting details, and it is also the place where you state your message in depth. For your audience to comprehend and retain your major points, you need to organize your material in a straightforward manner. There are five patterns of organizing a speech: topical; chronological; spatial; problem-solution, and motivated sequence. The conclusion, the third and last section of your speech, is the place to signal the end is near, to summarize your speech, and to leave your audience with something what you said. And many studies demonstrate that although the conclusion is the last thing your audience hears, it may be the first thing they remember. Thus, it is important that you deliver an attractive conclusion. There are three techniques that you can use to compose an effective conclusion. These strategies include the use of a quotation, narration, and challenges or appeals. You can use some ways to make the body of your speech paper sufficient and attractive. The first skill you can confirm to is using evidence. Evidence is defined as supporting materials. You can use quotations, statistics, narration, definitions and summary to support the evidence you give. The second skill is research and documentation. The ways of interviews, surveys, computer searches, library reference materials, periodicals and electronic media are provided to offer your research. The correction of using language is also important. You should consider the style of language, cultural background, and common errors in language. After using these skills, a quite integrated body of your speech paper is ready.

Before your speech, you can grasp some skills about nonverbal delivery, such as eye contact, posture and stance, gestures and movement, facial expression, and dress. In this way, you would become more confident during your speech.

Generally speaking, public speech is not a difficult thing if you follow some guidelines and