ELIZABETH XINTARIANOS

LUNCH AND LEARN WORKSHOPSOCIAL SCIENCES LEARNING CENTER

(C315) PASADENA CITY COLLEGE

Effective Public Speaking

Public Speaking is Important

Public speaking helps to prepare individuals for future leadership roles.

Skills include forming an effective message

and communicating this message to others. These skills can be practiced through a

variety of methods.

Breaking the Ice

Try one of the following exercises to help reduce tension. Integrating humor or a personal anecdote into a speech is both a useful

and

1. Introduce yourself 2. A wedding toast 3. Tell a personal story 4. Talk about your favorite cuisine 5. Explain the major you have chosen and why 6. Favorite recent movie and why 7. Favorite piece of literature (book, poetry, etc.) and why 8. Favorite hobbies/activities 9. Do cats rule and dogs drool? Or dogs rule and cats drool? 10. Pick any item in the room and talk about it

Key-word speaking: Do not memorize!

When speaking in public, it is wise not to memorize your message. Often, memorized speeches sound mechanical and you may lose your message because you might forget a word and become flustered. The best way to speak to a crowd is to write down key words or phrases and speak about them (you can do this on index cards).

There are seven useful guidelines you can follow, also referred to as the, “Seven Principles of Effective Public Speaking” (refer to following slide).

Seven Principles of Effective Public Speaking

(1) Perception: Stop trying to be a great “public” speaker.

People want to listen to someone who is interesting, relaxed, and comfortable. In our everyday speech we

are comfortable, but as soon as the idea of “public” enters our minds, we become so consumed withtrying to be the best, that we often fail to make a connection with theaudience. They are people, just like you.

(2) Perfection: Don’t try to be “perfect”

When you make a mistake, no one really cares except for you. This is known in psychology as the“spotlight effect”, where you feel that all attention is on you. Even if you make a mistake, just keepgoing. An audience prefers a speaker they can relate with.

(3) Visualization – If you can “see” it, you can “speak” it

Try to visualize the scenario ahead of time. Imagine you are in front of the audience. Imagine howwell you did.

(4) Discipline: Practice, practice, practice!

The goal is not to be a perfect public speaker- there is no such thing. The goal is to be aneffective public speaker. Like anything else, public speaking requires practice.

(5) Description: Make it personal

When speaking, try to relate the topic to a personal experience. Tell stories.People like to hear about others’ successes and downfalls.

(6) Inspiration: Speak to serve

Take the focus off yourself. The purpose is to benefit your audience.Think about the purpose- how will you help the audience?

(7) Anticipation: Leave them wanting more

KISS: Keep it short and simple! Be concise. People have short attention spans, especiallyif they are not interested in the topic being discussed. Better to leave listeners wishing youwould have spoken more rather than squirming and fidgeting in their seats.

Thank You!

We here at the Social Sciences Learning Center ofPasadena City College thank you for your time andinterest. We hope that you may find or have foundthis presentation useful.

If you may have any questions, please feel free tostop by C315 or contact any of the members of thelab at (626) 585-3055.