Oral and Written CommunicationSession 1

Steve Seepersaud

Steve’s No. 1 rule in public speaking

DO NOT READ YOUR

SPEECH!

Psychology of public speaking

• You’re nervous for good reasons.

• Almost all of us feel this way.

• Doesn’t have to be perfect to be good.

• Optimal level of arousal.

Dealing with nerves

• BREATHE!

• It’s okay to be nervous.

• Accept, rather than push away.

• Preparation can help calm nerves.

Key talking points

• What are your main messages?

• Think about 2-3 key talking points.

• Make them known early.

• Reinforce throughout the speech.

Keeping things simple

• Know your material.

• Study; don’t memorize.

• Be conversational.

• Don’t script things out too much.

A-B-C rule of public speaking

Audible

Brief

Compelling

Four C’s of public speaking

Core message

Confident

Clear

Conversational

The audience

• Your message; their needs/wants.

• Smaller gap means better experience.

• Substance may remain constant.

• Form tailored to the audience.

Audience analysis

• What do we know about them?

• Demographics are important.

• What is the knowledge base?