SOURCE: A Manual on Effective Speech and Oral Communication by Tangco et al.

The easiest step towards effective public speaking is practice; that is why it is often taken
for granted. But this is of utmost importance for public speaking is structural, and the
goal of structural communication is to convey the greatest amount of information in the
shortest time.

How to Practice Effectively

Here are some simple steps on how to conduct an effective practice session as suggested
by John Hasling:

1. Read through your outline once or twice to get ideas in mind. If it is a short
speech, put it away; if it is long, depend on it as little as possible.

2. Stand up and face your audience squarely. You may alternate this with a full-
length mirror. Later you may get a friend or your entire family to listen to your
practices. At this point, learn to look at your audience straight in the eye.

3. Time your speech. Check the time before and after the actual practice to
determine the approximate length of the speech.

4. Deliver the speech all the way without stopping. Keep going until you have given
all ideas. Remember to communicate these ideas clearly so that you can hold the
attention of your listeners. You may check your outline to see what you have
omitted.

5. Go through the practice repeatedly. Each time you do so, observe the following:

a. Learn to stand and move in front of your audience. Rest your weight on both feet
to avoid awkward and distracting poses. Practice moving around and experiment
on different kinds of gestures. Maintain eye contact with your invited audience for
practice.

b. Learn to use your voice effectively. Dont feel self-conscious about increasing
your volume. Watch out for pitch problems. Practice vocal emphasis for
clarification of meaning. Adjust your rate of delivery.

c. Consider transitions and diction. Incorporate transitional phrases in your
wording. Practice vocal transitions in moving from one idea to another. Select
your diction carefully.

d. Consider the image you project to the audience. An audiences perception of your
sincerity will depend not only on your vocal convictions, but on the sincerity you
project on them.

In speech practice, it is also a bright idea to put the speech away for a while to put some
distance between practice sessions. A practice session just before going to bed will allow
the subconscious to work on it while you are sleeping.




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SOURCE: A Manual on Effective Speech and Oral Communication by Tangco et al.


Effective Public Speaking is sensitive to audience reaction.

Your manner of speech delivery must be adapted to the audience. The main factor that
will improve your adaptation to your audience can be summarized in one word: feedback.
Feedback, in public speaking, is the ability to know, by looking at your listeners, whether
or not they have heard, seen, or understood the message of your speech. Feedback also
includes your use of information to improve your message so that the meaning you intend
is the meaning received by your audience.

Jose M. Manalo has this to say regarding handling of an audience:

You should never, under any circumstance, start your speech until all eyes are on you and
until the audience is quiet. To bring this about speedily, you can simply look at those
portions of the audience which are the sources of noise or restlessness. Soon enough,
there would be a general craning of necks towards these places, and of course, generally,
no member of an audience desires to be conspicuous in this inconsiderable wayNever,
never should you frown or scowl while waiting for the audience to keep quiet and settle
down.

The audience will provide you with continual feedback during your speech. You can deal
with some aspects of audience attention but be alert to environmental distractions. In
dealing with distractions from members of the audience, be careful not to divert attention
from yourself or jeopardize your rapport with the rest of your audience. Be sure the
stimulus of your material is strong enough to screen out most minor distractions.

Carlson and Mayers reiterate the importance of audience adaptation in public speaking
with the following suggestions:

1. Maintain a sense of humor to sustain or revive interest.
2. Make vocal adjustments to recapture your audience.
3. Handle or ignore the unexpected distractions.
4. Restate your point if your listeners arent getting it by trying not to repeat the
same terms, simplifying your language, and thinking of an example or an analogy.

Should there be any question raised, make sure you understand the question before you
attempt to answer. And keep your answer direct and brief.














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SOURCE: A Manual on Effective Speech and Oral Communication by Tangco et al.


Effective public speaking exudes self-confidence, enthusiasm and spontaneity through
conversational quality of delivery.

Conversational quality means that good speech delivery should sound like a conversation
with the audience.

Kenneth McFarland reveals: It is not necessary to banish fear in order to gain
confidence. A wholesome fear of failure is one of the best guarantees of success. How
does one gain confidence in speaking before an audience?

1. Begin with your own personal experience. No one knows it better than you do.

2. Do not hesitate to speak because someone else would do it better. You do it and
get better.

3. Know that you know. Knowing that you have carefully chosen and limited the
topic, determined the specific purpose, gathered and organized the best available
materials to be executed in clear, emphatic wording but most of all have
thoroughly practiced then you should be confident enough to share the fruit of
your honest labor.

4. Do not beg the indulgence of your audience. Never apologize for your lack of
experience. It should not be mentioned at all.

5. Think of yourself as a delivery man with an important message to get through.
Believing in a cause or the basic principles and truths which you espouse
inevitably gives you confidence that is reflected in your speech. You are confident
because you have confidence in what youre saying.

6. Speak in your official capacity. As a student, you are expected to speak and
sound like a student. Do not imitate senators and congressmen when they deliver
privilege speeches. Be yourself and be more confident.

7. Dress appropriately for the occasion and then forget how you look. You should
not be overly dressed, but you should be well groomed and appropriately attired
for the occasion. Knowing that you are properly dressed will give you more
confidence to concentrate more on your speech delivery.

Confidence is something that the speaker can learn to acquire and to impart to his
audience. However, guard against giving the impression that you are overconfident.

Anxiety and stage fright are the enemies of self-confidence. You are afraid of
speaking before others because of the fear of the unknown. You hesitate, your heart
pounds, your hands become cold and clammy just at the thought of not having chosen
a good topic, of not being liked, of offending someone, of forgetting everything, of
stumbling and falling, or ruining the whole effort.

Yet, if you believe that you are going to succeed, that your speech is going to be
effective, and that you are going to be liked by your audience, your performance will
reflect these assumptions. This is an example of the self-fulfilling prophecy. If you
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predict disaster, the prediction will cause fear; the fear will inhibit you and lead to
ineffective communication; and the prediction will come true.

But fear, as mentioned earlier, can even be a powerful motivating force that adds
strength, energy, and conviction to otherwise lifeless ideas. What is needed is courage
the ability to see fear in a realistic perspective. You must be amply prepared, then
much of your fear will disappear because to eliminate it thoroughly is really
impossible.

Stage fright is an emotional state that affects human beings when they stand in front
of a class or an audience. But realize that everybody makes mistakes. Then think of
the audience as friends. Above all, face your audience thoroughly prepared.

Enthusiasm

Good public speakers are enthusiastic about what they have to say. A speaker who
looks and sounds enthusiastic will be listened to and that speakers ideas will be
remembered. The source of enthusiasm is a sincere desire to communicate. If you
truly want to communicate, if you care about your topic and your audience, your
voice will show your enthusiasm, and your audience will listen.

How to look and sound enthusiastic? First, make sure that your topic excites you.
Second, you must get involved in the material by developing vivid mental pictures of
what you are trying to say. Think and remind yourself that your speech will benefit
the audience and that they ought to listen, thereby raising your level of enthusiasm.

Spontaneity

Spontaneity means being responsive to ideas and their meaning while you are
speaking. This is the waterloo of most public speakers who memorize their materials.
Once the words are memorized or written down, it is no longer spontaneous
communication. The speaker looks and sounds artificial.

How can you make your outline and practiced speech spontaneous? The answer lies
between knowing ideas and memorizing words. Study your outline, learn the material
you are going to present, but do not memorize how you are going to present it.