Preparing for public speaking

It is good to know a little about your audience before you speak. You need to ask yourself these questions: Who are they? What do they already know about the subject? How do they feel towards it – positive, neutral or negative? What are their expectations towards your presentation? What will they gain from listening to you?

If possible, you may want to gather other information about your future listeners – basic demographic factors such as age, sex, education level, economic status, religion and occupation; but you would also benefit from knowing a bit about their political culture, attitudes, values and beliefs. Naturally, it is not always feasible to learn all that and often it is not necessary. A simple technical presentation to a few of your colleagues is not the same as a lecture to foreigners on local traditions.

Whatever your plans regarding the presentation are, you need to focus on your listeners’ needs, not your own. The worst possible presenter is someone who comes to say what he or she wants to say without any consideration to people who are listening.

You may also think about letting the audience get to know you. It is always a good idea to find some common ground with your listeners and you can do that by sharing perhaps an unusual experience, or talking about your hobbies; providing, naturally, that they have some bearing on your subject.

You should carefully consider the time allotted for your speech: do you need to be very concise or do you have more time to develop your ideas? Do you want to leave time for questions from the audience at the end? Remember, that even if you are given 30 minutes for your presentation, it does not mean you need to use all of that time. It is always better to have your speech a bit too short than a bit too long.

Your main objective in the beginning of preparation should be determining the purpose of your speech and what you want to accomplish. How do you want the audience to react? Do you want them to learn something new? (informative speech). Do you want to entertain them? Do you want them to change their opinion? (persuasive speech). Or maybe you want to present a problem and offer possible solutions? (problem/solution speech).

The purpose of your speech is going to affect the formulation of your topic and the construction of the whole speech. It may also influence the method of speaking you are going to use.

Let’s look at the main methods of speaking. Some people like to read their entire presentation from a manuscript. This method allows them to choose words carefully and they feel confident delivering it. However, it should be strongly discouraged. We all know how boring and dull such speech is, and as the speaker cannot look at the audience too often, the listeners become disinterested and bored. Therefore, this method should not be used when we really want to have a good contact with the audience.

Other people prefer to speak from memory: they write the whole speech and memorize it before delivering. Apart from the obvious disadvantage that they can forget parts of the speech, they almost always sound unnatural delivering it. That is why the method should be avoided as well.

The third method of speaking is used in situations when you do not have much time to prepare (impromptu speaking): after a dinner party or other social occasions. It helps you think and organize quickly and gives you an opportunity to speak directly about something with spontaneity. Experienced speakers find it easy to make such speeches; however, most people find it a bit difficult and sometimes even intimidating, depending on their audience.

The most popular method of speaking is carefully planned, outlined and thoroughly practiced but not memorized. The exact language is not practiced, and the speaker uses notes with main ideas written down. This method of speaking can be used in various speaking situations, as it allows you to adjust your speech to your audience. At the same time, it forces you to be well prepared and carefully organized.

When you begin to select and narrow down your topic, you need to remember that it has to be a topic that you are familiar with, that is interesting to you, and will be interesting to your audience. After you have selected the topic and narrowed it down, you should be able to express the main idea of your speech in one or two sentences. It needs to be presented towards the end of your introduction.

Some of the topics are too broad to be covered extensively in a short presentation and you need to narrow them down. For example, Universities in Poland is a very broad subject and by narrowing it down to What you need to know if you want to study at the Poznan University of Technology, you will be able to focus on something that may be important to your audience. It will also make your preparation easier.

After you have successfully verbalized your topic, you need to brainstorm and gather material for your speech and research the topic thoroughly. You may want to consult primary sources, which will supply you with first-hand information. These might be interviews with people who know a lot about the topic, or journal writers, etc. The secondary sources of information available are parts of basic reference found in your local library (encyclopaedias, dictionaries, library indexes) or part of the internet: news archives, government information. It goes without saying that one needs to approach online information with caution. It is a virtual jungle of info-rmation, and some of it may be misleading or simply wrong.

Throughout your presentation you should use a variety of supporting info-rmation: not just numbers, but also quotes and stories. If you use stories in your speech, do it for a specific purpose, not just for the sake of filling in the body of your speech.

For a greater impact, you may want to use quotations, definitions, analogies and examples. All of these, though, should be short and to the point.

After you have gathered information, you need to choose the most vital pieces (delete anything that is not necessary) and organize them in some pattern. The main options are: chronological (according to timing), topical (according to a central idea) and problem/solution (describing the problem with possible solutions). Very often the pattern of your speech will emerge naturally while you are gathering your material. It seems natural to talk about someone’s life in chronological order, or use topical pattern for a description of different parts of a company.

You may then proceed to writing an outline of your speech. The main simplified structure may look as follows:

1. Introduction
2. Main body
1. different paragraphs
2. examples
   
3. data
3. Conclusion

Let’s look at the different parts of your speech in detail.

Introduction comes first, but is often prepared last. It needs to get the attention of the audience, motivate them to listen to you and perhaps take some action. In the introduction you also need to explain and clarify the subject by preparing the audience for the main ideas of your speech. It creates rapport with your audience, shows your credentials and gives necessary background. You may include in your introduction an illustration or example clarifying your topic, you may start with a question to arouse curiosity, or use a handy quotation. If you do not know how to start, imagine talking to your friend about the topic. How would you begin? Do not make the introduction too long, it should be only about 10 to 15% of your whole speech.

The main body of your speech is best organized into three parts, no matter what type of speech it is. If you are describing something, give three examples. If you are presenting solutions, limit your speech to three. If you are persuading someone to do something, choose three arguments and at least one counter-argument.

Remember to use proper transitions throughout your speech, to lead your audience from one idea to another, for example:

Now, that I have presented my first argument, let me discuss the second.

That brings us to the final stage.

It is easier to include transitions, if you organize your speech around a specific number of issues. You state that number in the introduction and then logically present one idea after another.

The conclusion of your speech cannot be its weakest part. You need to summarize the main ideas and re-motivate the audience to the importance of the ideas presented. You also need to leave the audience with the sense of finality or closure. Sometimes you will also want to give the audience the chance to ask questions referring to your presentation. Again, you may use a quotation, but also, you can ask the audience to do something or ask them for help. Beware of sudden or artificial conclusions that have no apparent connection to the preceding speech. Conclusion should take approximately 10–15% of your speech.

(Text adapted from the book: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication, Szczuka-Dorna L., Vendome E., Poznan University of Technology, 2017.)

Adjust (verb) – to adapt or conform, as to new conditions

Affect (verb) – to have an influence or effect on something

Allot (verb) – to assign as one’s share

Appropriate (adj.) – suitable for a particular person, condition, etc.

Arouse (verb) – to excite, stir up

Brainstorm (verb) – to engage in shared problem-solving

Comprehend (verb) – to understand

Concise (adj.) – brief and to the point

Deliver (verb) – to express in words, utter

Distract (verb) – to draw away in another direction; confuse

Emerge (verb) – to become visible or apparent

Handout (noun) – a folder or leaflet circulated free of charge

Impromptu – spoken without or with little preparation

Integrity (noun) – honesty, sincerity

Narrow down (verb) – to limit or restrict

Outline (noun) – a summary of a written work or speech, usually done in headings and subheadings

Persuasive (adj.) – having the power to persuade

Reference (noun) – note in a publication referring the reader to another passage or source

Rehearse (verb) – to practice in preparation for public performance

Shortcoming (noun) – a flaw, deficiency, defect

Stage fright (noun) – acute nervousness associated with performing or speaking before an audience