A Sample Chapter from Basic Public Speaking, 2nd Edition.

So, you want to learn about public speaking

It all began back in 351 BC with an Athenian orator and public official by the name of Demosthenes.  Despite the fact that he was born with a speech impediment, Demosthenes decided that he wanted to become the best public speaker of his time, so he packed up some supplies and sojourned to the Athenian woods.  After pitching camp, he took to his task.  He put several small Grecian pebbles in his mouth and began to recite some of his old speeches and verses while out jogging.

At first he sounded much like you would expect him to have sounded - a fellow with rocks in his mouth.  However, after a few weeks of practice he began to sound "normal."

As you may have guessed by now, he spit out the Grecian pebbles and was all the better for the experience; the theory being that if he could speak normally with pebbles in his mouth, he would be that much better without them.  Unfortunately, you cannot follow in Demosthenes' footsteps.  First off, you will not be able to find any Grecian pebbles or Athenian woods unless you happen to live on that side of the ocean.  In addition, you would lose many of your friends if you walked around with rocks in your jaw.  So, what can you do?

Don't worry, Public Speaking will come to you.  Since Oratory was one of the three major studies of the Middle Age's Seven Arts along with logic and philosophy, you can still achieve classical skills in this modern age.  Public Speaking cannot be taught in a normal lecturing kind of way; it is not something that you are born with; you can't even discover it in the normal sense by downloading it from the Internet - it must be experienced!  You can only learn by doing.  Think of this book as your road map to the experience of Public Speaking.  Don't be afraid to grow!

Also, do not worry about the size of your audience (in the future, often referred to as the group or the listeners).  This program will work with two people or two hundred people.  Any veteran speaker will tell you that the size of the audience is not the issue – preparation is!

This book talks to the developing and experienced speaker who wants to develop his or her skills in the most important life skill a person can have in the new millennium – the ability to stand up before a group of people and communicate a message.  It does not matter if you are a student or a teacher in a high school or a college, or if you are a manager, salesperson, politician, trainer, or other kind of professional businessperson.  If you want to improve your public speaking skills, this is the book for you. 

Thinking.  Planning.  Communicating.  These universal life skills appeal to everyone in all different countries and in different learning environments.  The best way to reach your academic and professional goals is to be able to stand up and express exactly what is on your mind.  This book is on your side for reaching those goals by helping you to obtain the skills you need to move forward.

Positive Speech Conditioning

This book uses a technique known as Positive Speech Conditioning (PSC).  PSC recognizes that you cannot just jump behind a podium and deliver a blood-stirring speech the first time at bat.  Growth comes only from practice.  A child does not spring up from her crib and run a 10k race.  First, she learns to crawl, then walk, and then run.  In the same manner, a child usually does not decide to abandon the idea of walking if she falls over a few times ("Sorry mom, I gave it a good shot...").

Growth comes in small steps or sequences.  Each step is a little more involved than its predecessor is.  Each step is evaluated and rewarded.  PSC exercises this exact psychological policy; the lessons and activities imbedded in each speech are progressively more advanced.  Each speech has a new message and a new set of goals to achieve.  You will gain confidence along the way because you will have a solid base upon which to build.

Delivery Styles

Before you begin, you should know about the various tactical speaking delivery styles.  Whether you are delivering a classroom speech, or talking before your professional peers, you can decide which style is best for each speech when the time comes. 

The three fundamental ways you can deliver a public speech are having your materials and notes in hand, memorizing your speech verbatim, or speaking extemporaneously, or "off the cuff."  Certain situations call for different styles.  For example, a formal speech that you have known about for some time would warrant either a memorized or a prompted speech; speaking off the cuff could seem disrespectful.

1. Materials in hand.  Here you have your speech in front of you, either in a major outline form or word-for-word.  The advantage here is that it is hard to lose any material.  The major disadvantage is that you cannot establish much eye contact with the group.

2. Memorized.  If you have the time to sit down and memorize a speech, you will be greatly rewarded in terms of group interaction.  Further on in this text are memory enhancement tips and suggestions for interacting with an audience.

3. Extemporaneous Speaking.  Extemporized speeches are pretty much "off the cuff."  These are the most difficult speeches to deliver since you have to think on your feet, and unless you are very confident about your ability to synthesize information, process the data, and say it all in a normal conversational tone you may want to avoid this style as much as possible early on.  Of course, there are times when you simply must speak at a moment's notice.  In Speech Number Two, you will discover some of the tactics to employ in these occasions.

Written vs. Spoken Language

You should realize from the beginning that material delivered in speech form often times does not read well and vice-versa.  While in the composition of the basic ideas there are many similarities, as you will soon find out, you cannot write a speech using the same presentational techniques that you would use for a written essay.  It could sound very dry.

It is true, however, that the two do have some traits in common.  Both require proper organizational skills and send a message that is received and decoded by a listener.  However, there are some major differences.  Of greatest importance is the difference in sound.  A speech must not only be right, it must sound right.  As you will discover, numerous vocal considerations come into play.  No essay ever had to worry about tone or pitch to be effective.  Further, a speech has the human element: things can, and often do go wrong.  This is what makes Public Speaking so dynamic and yet elusive to so many.

The Basic Speeches

The Public Speaking lessons and suggestions are all imbedded within the following twenty-one speech formats.  It is quite possible that you will only be interested in a few certain topics.  If that is the case, skip about the book and take from it what you need to be successful.  However, if you choose to develop your skills in a more holistic fashion, you can make use of each speech and the activities within sequentially.  If you are a member of an academic group, club, or classroom you can work your way through the speeches allowing each of your peers the opportunity to listen, to speak, to critique, and to learn.  If you are in a business environment and you are using this book as a professional development tool, the same sequential approach would apply. 

If you are an individual who is asked to make public speeches as part of your job, as a role in your club or society, or through your participation in public forums you can use various elements from each sequential speech starting with Speech Number One and moving forward every time you take the podium.

How the Speeches are Constructed

Most of the speech assignments in this text are broken down into these sections to help you to understand what is expected of you:

The Procedure - the "how to" of the speech.

The Lesson - the important body of knowledge you need to master to deliver the speech.

The Strategy - tips on how to glide through your delivery.

The Comments and Goals - observations on the speech and what you should gain from the experience.

The Example - an original speech that can act as a representative model.  Not every speech lesson will have an example speech.

The Group Reaction - for those of you who are using this text in a group environment, this section provides lessons and techniques for the group on how to attend, think and critique.

Time Out Skills Review  - a brief review of the things you should know and be able to do after completing the speech.

The Group

If you are using this book as a member of a group, you must all take special care to recognize what is at stake here.  No personal or professional growth can take place unless you have a caring and knowledgeable group listening and responding to you.  This is not the "real world."  This is guided practice.  You will have enough opportunities for speaking in the real world soon enough.  The truth is if only one person in your group is not focused, chances of your becoming an effective public speaker drop considerably.

This makes the Public Speaking class unique as far as in any other subject, if someone falls asleep or is acting in a non-involved manner, it is only his or her loss.  In Public Speaking, it is your loss as well.  The obvious message here is that your group will either sink or swim as a unit and you need to attend to that fact from the beginning.  Several of the pre-speech lesson activities following will help you develop the kind of group dynamics that will help each of you be as successful as possible.

The group is a collection of individuals, each with his own or her own thoughts, likes, dislikes, prejudices and preconceptions.  Sometimes communication becomes difficult in such a group, so it is important to realize from the start that it is okay to disagree with someone in the group.  To disagree does not mean to become disagreeable.  Rather, the even flow and exchange of ideas are most beneficial and can only be hampered by a disagreeable person.

Experiential Learning and Processing

Recent brain-based research has indicated that learning by experience alone is only a small part of the total learning process.  While the experience is valuable, you need to take the time to review and process what just happened with your group.  Coaches have always known to break down each game for the players on videotape or the chalkboard to evaluate what happened and how to improve for the next time out.  For you to develop as a speaker, you too will need to do some work after each speaking event with your group.  After each speech your group will assess your efforts so that you can take an honest look at your presentation, help you decide what you did well and what you need to improve, and guide your plans for your next trip to the back of the podium.  While speaking experiences will help you to become accustomed to public speaking, processing your efforts with your peers will help you to develop the confidence to communicate!  

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