BASICS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

BASICS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

A recent study published in Science Daily (2009) reports human infants begin learning language in the womb, and have the ability to memorize sounds, melodies, and voices before even being born. For example, a mother’s voice is preferred for infants after birth, as are songs and sounds they were exposed to in the womb. The fact that our minds develop with a strong dedication to learning language as a primary focus from early on is an excellent predictor of its overall importance in our life. Since communication is a primary development function, learning how to communicate effectively is a skill that needs to be developed properly and learned through practice and critique.

Often people will recognize a good public speaker as having a special talent or ability with speaking in front of others. While natural talent may play a role in public speaking, there is no evidence that says only those who have a natural talent can give quality presentations. This is a skill you can develop with practice. In fact, just as riding a bike, learning another language, mastering writing composition, and many other skills in life, learning how to speak well in public is something that can be taught to do effectively and skillfully regardless of the innate talent. And with practice comes more ability to master public speaking skills and develop them as something others might recognize as a talent.

Why learn public speaking in such detail?

You might still be wondering why it is necessary for you to have a whole class dedicated to refining your skill as an oral presenter. Several reasons exist for you to consider this class as important to your college career. Frankly, public speaking could be the most important general education class you take.

1. Employment/ Job Opportunities

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Job Outlook 2011 survey, employers are looking for job candidates these top five skills and qualities:

#1 Verbal communication skills : to inform, speak infront of others, etc.

#2 Strong work ethic : Attendance  Teamwork  Attitude  Organizational Skills  Appearance  Productivity  Initiative  Honesty  Respect

#3 Teamwork skills : § Shared identity § Shared goals and objectives § Structured patterns of communication and interaction § Consider themselves to be a team

Why your students need teamwork skills

In a recent report (BCA/ACCI, 2002) the essential elements of teamwork identified by employers were:

Ø  working with people of different ages, gender, race, religion or political persuasion;

Ø  working as an individual and as a member of a team;

Ø  knowing how to define a role as part of a team;

Ø  applying teamwork to a range of situations - e.g., futures planning, crisis problem solving;

Ø  identifying the strengths of team members; and

Ø  coaching, mentoring and giving feedback.

#4 Analytical skills : Analytical and Logical Thinking, Conceptualization, Data Gathering, Analysis and Organization, Estimation and Cost/Benefit Analysis, Hypothesis Development and Design of Experimentation, Problem Solving.

#5 Initiative

5

The NACE Job Outlook 2011 survey states that in the workplace, you need to be able to clearly and concisely communicate with co-workers, clients, and supervisors, hence the importance of the #1 ranked verbal communication skills. This important skill is often evaluated based upon your initial interview with the hiring manager, implying you need to have it firmly established in your set of working skills. To explain this further, consider a phenomenon known as the halo effect (Alder & Proctor, 2007). The halo effect explains that within the first thirty seconds a person will form an impression of you that is either positive or negative and they will have the tendency to cling to this first impression regardless of other experiences they have with you. Knowing how to look and act the part is critical for first impressions and the unavoidable halo effect that will be formed. Your verbal communication can be a great asset to forming the type of positive image you’ll want sticking out in the minds of others.

Other evidence that qualifies this point can be found in a recent New York Times article. Author Zernike sites a report from The Association of American Colleges and Universities who recently asked employers who hire at least 25 percent of their workforce from two- or four-year colleges what they want institutions to teach. They report that 89 percent want more emphasis on “the ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing,” 81 percent asked for better “critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills” and 70 percent were looking for “the ability to innovate and be creative” (Zernike, 2009). All of these skills are mastered in a good public speaking course. With such a high percentage of employers stating that the skills like these learned in public speaking are necessary for hire, you should be especially motivated to learn them, and learn well.

As a final example, consider the education and personal success that renowned announcer for the New York Yankees Mr. Bob Sheppard had during his lifetime. Mr. Sheppard recently passed away at nearly 100 years old after announcing for the Yankees for over half a century. His grace and poise with speaking in public could be looked at as a talent, but he would have been the first to admit it is a skill that he has labored to acquire as evidence in his other profession of teaching the public speaking skill to others. For decades, he taught speech at St. John’s University and John Adams High School in Queens. Mr. Sheppard understood that “clear, smooth speech is something everyone should strive for, and treasure” (Haberman, 2010).

2. Increased confidence

Knowing how to communicate effectively in interpersonal or group settings will increase your confidence in what you are saying. This will transfer over well to job interviews, professional group presentations and meetings, and even casual conversations with your boss or co-workers. The better your ability to speak clearly and effectively, the more confidence you will have in speaking, and the more you are likely to speak. This will transfer into you appearing more like the leader your employer is looking for.

Additionally, you should reap the awards of this confidence in your personal life as well. In fact, most college students are interested to know that confidence and self esteem are related to attraction by the opposite gender, especially for men (Brooks, 2011). Studies show that when a person (especially a male person) is confident and has high self-esteem, they are seen as more attractive by the opposite sex. Public speaking could be a way to increase this confidence and get you the dates you’ve been wanting!

Another example of confidence being a benefit comes from a study conducted by 4-H, a program designed for youth skill and development. The 4-H organization recently published a study conducted in the Midwestern United States which found that one of the highest rated skills evaluated by their students from ages 11 to 18 is their ability to speak and present in public (Silliman, 2007). The high rating was reported as being due in part to the confidence they gained from their skills in presenting.

3. Educational Benefits for Other Courses

Learning how to organize your thoughts well and critically analyze information will be beneficial to you in the classroom as well as the workplace. Proper public speaking teaches development of a strong introduction, body, and conclusion for a variety of speaking engagements and also employs further organization skills specific to the type of speaking you are engaged in. It also teaches you to think critically about the information that you are preparing for your presentation. In public speaking, you will be taught to craft a message so that you can have a desired impact on your audience; for example to inform, to persuade, or to entertain are common desired outcomes. Critically analyzing and crafting your message will help you in other facets of your education as well since most written assignments will also ask that you prepare messages for a desired outcome. In other words, knowing how to craft a solid message derived from critical thinking and analysis can help you get better grades in other classes during your college career.

COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION

You may be thinking that speaking in public is your worst fear, possibly worse than dying. LOL :D If this is the case, you fit in the category of people reported by a 2007 study in the Southern Communication Journal which found that public speaking is the majority of US citizens’ worst fear. Another new survey conducted by the website Reasontospeak.com (2011) found that 23% of people rate public speaking as their greatest fear, just behind death itself, which was nominated as the great fear by 27% of the 1206 respondents.

According to flatworldknowledge.com (2011) some key ideas to keep in mind about communication apprehension is that it will usually stem from a variety of sources including the speaker’s personality, communication context, the nature of the audience, or the particular speaking situation. Within these sources, there will be other factors that can make the communication apprehension worse. The formality that is required, the familiarity of the audience members, the topic being discussed, and the perceived similarity or lack thereof that the speaker has with his or her audience are all examples of what might cause a person to feel more anxious in a certain situation.

Check out the table on the following page posted on flatworldknoledge.com (2011) containing myths or facts about communication apprehension to see how you are currently viewing this concept.

Myths or Facts about Communication Apprehension Instructions: For each of the following questions, check either “myth” or “fact.”
1.	Audiences will know how nervous you feel.	□ myth	□ fact
2.	Some stage fright might be a good thing in making you animated and charismatic.	□ myth	□ fact
3.	Most audiences are basically hostile, looking to see you make a fool of yourself?	□ myth	□ fact
4.	Experienced speakers don’t feel any stage fright	□ myth	□ fact
5.	Most speakers tend to relax as they progress through their speeches.	□ myth	□ fact
6.	Moving around the front of the room during your speech will make you less nervous.	□ myth	□ fact
7.	Most audiences would rather see a speaker do well.	□ myth	□ fact
8.	Focusing on the audience rather than yourself is an effective way to reduce your stage fright.	□ myth	□ fact
9.	The positive or negative label you ascribe to the public speaking situation will impact how nervous you feel.	□ myth	□ fact
10.	Telling a joke in your introduction is guaranteed to get the audience on your side.	□ myth	□ fact
Scoring: Myths: # 1, #3, # 4, # 10 Facts: #2 #5, #6, #7, #8, #9

Are you surprised by the results you got? Communication apprehension can be positive for speakers because it causes an adrenaline rush to flow through your veins, giving you energy and life in what you are saying. Learning how to channel this energy and keep it in a positive balance is the key for successful speaking experiences.

Reducing Communication Apprehension

James McCroskey is one of the most prominent researchers in communication apprehension and has been studying it for more than half a century. In one study, he outlines three specific things that can be done to reduce communication apprehension (Berger & McCroskey, 1982):

1. Systematic de-sensitization

2. Cognitive modification

3. Assertiveness training

SYSTEMATIC DE-SENSITIZATION

Systematic de-sensitization refers to exposing yourself to whatever it is you are afraid of. In a public speaking class, you will get this through repeatedly giving speeches in your classroom environment. The more you speak in class, the lower your anxiety should be. Practicing your speeches in the classroom environment and in front of classmates and/or your teacher before-hand would also be an example of systematic de-sensitization. The more times you do this, the more de-sensitized you should be about speaking in public, and thus the lower communication apprehension you should have with your speeches.

COGNITIVE MODIFICATION

According to Berger & McCroskey (1984), cognitive modification is based on learning theory where people have to realize that they have been taught to think negatively about themselves and thus, they need to be taught to think more positively. Something that can help with cognitive modification is to identify the negative thoughts a person has about themselves and then correct them with honest, more positive thoughts. A suggestion could be to write down the negative thoughts that you have about giving a speech in one column and then write down a positive response to these negative thoughts corresponding column. Teaching yourself to think positively can help you greatly overcome the anxiety of the situation and become a self-fulfilling prophecy for your apprehension.

ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING

Berger & McCroskey (1984) continue that assertiveness training will reduce anxiety by training people with specific skills so that they know how to more effectively obtain their desired effects in social interactions. Completing assertiveness training should help the speaker realize that they are in charge of their outcome in public speaking situations. You will gain some of the same principles taught in assertiveness training courses by completing your public speaking class. During this semester, you will be taught to become the expert in public speaking in technique and delivery. Throughout this training, you should begin to feel yourself becoming more confident in public speaking situations as you gain more experience and training in its concepts. Some of the tips you will learn regarding reducing communication apprehension are as follows: Believe in your topic; View the speechmaking process positively; Visualize success; Project confidence; Test message and proactive delivery; and Gain perspective after you have given your speech.

Communication Apprehension Test

Understanding how big of a fear you actually have with public speaking is an important baseline to know. Knowing this will help you plan out the amount of preparation and additional precautions that will need to be taken so you can feel like you have your stress under control. If you feel apprehensive about speaking in public, consider taking the quiz on the following two pages to determine how severe your communication apprehension is. If your score comes back as severely apprehensive, talk to your instructor to get more individual help in combating this.