Public speaking

Public speaking is speaking to a group of people in an organized way: to give information, influence or persuade, or to entertain the listeners.

Winston Churchill speaking in 1949.

In public speaking there are five important questions, which are often expressed as "who is saying what to whom, using which medium, with what effects?"

The Ancient Greeks called public speaking rhetoric; the Romans called it oratory. Until the late 20th century it was also called forensic speaking, or forensics. Propaganda is an another name for speech for or against some point of view. In George Orwell's words propaganda is a reflection of prejudices and beliefs that colors people's [or societies] aesthetic judgements.^[1] Often they are simply fallacies or conjectures.

Methods and techniques

Professional public speakers may use storytelling techniques or humor as a communication tool. A public speaker who is strong at using comedy might have more success adding a joke into a speech than one who is weak in that area.

Bill Gates speaking at DFID

Franklin D. Roosevelt making his State of the Union Address by radio (11 January 1944) from the White House

A speaker's guideline is given in TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking.^[2] Their information includes:

• Try to make eye contact right from the start.
• Include humor to disarm the tension within the audience towards the subject. But no offensive jokes or corny puns.
• Drinking water avoids mouth getting dry from adrenalin and avoiding an empty stomach reduces anxiety.
• Keep a backup plan (notes or scripts) to use if the presentation technology goes wrong.
• It is better to avoid attempts to get applause. It is not about the speaker, but the idea the speaker is passionate about.

Other guidelines exist.^[3][4]

Models

Models in public speaking.

The 6 I model of credibility for public speaking are:

6 I's of Credibility
Ideation	Be creative in presenting the idea
Information	Bring out new and decision driving facts
Influence	Be charismatic with show of confidence
Integrity	Be authentic and build a trust through the first half of the session
Impact	Identify and present a memorable delivery to root the message
Ignition	Call out to action, if required (E.g. Funding, Social Action, Proselytisation ...etc.)

AIDA Model

The AIDA model is about designing the message and delivering it effectively to the target audience. It says the speaker should first get attention, hold the interest level of the audience, arouse desire for the solution or the objective (appeal, theme, etc.) desired to communicate, and finally obtain action or actionable commitment from the audience.^[5]

Related pages

• Rhetoric