Presenting A Speech
Giving a good oral speech is a skill that is required in all walks of life. This is a skill that can be learned and can be improved over time. There are a few things a presenter must do before actually giving a speech. The first is pick a topic. This is important because the presenter must know what he or she is going to talk about. The next factor you need is to know your audience. The best presenters are audience-centered presenters. The last step in giving a good presentation is the method of presentation. This makes the biggest impact on an audience. There are four basic types of speeches; to inform, to instruct, to persuade, and to entertain. A presenter must decide what speech he or she will give and find a presentation method.
The entertaining speech is to provide pleasure and enjoyment that makes the audience laugh or identify with an anecdote. The persuasive speech is used to convince people to change something. This could be the way they think, what they do, or to do something new. The informative speech is used to provide interesting and useful information to the audience. A demonstrative speech is similar to an informative speech with one main difference which is that it includes how to do what it is that is being taught. Each of these speeches are organized in similar ways. A presenter will organize them in the best way for it to flow and be simple to follow. Once the speech is organized, the next thing to decide is how to present the speech to an audience. There are also four types of presentations; manuscript, memorization, impromptu, and extemporaneous. The manuscript method is when a presenter will write out the speech word for word and read it out loud. This presentation style can sound practiced or stiff. Most people when reading go into a monotone voice without realizing it. A manuscript presentation is mainly used when delivering a speech that will become part of an official record or conference proceedings. When giving this speech a presenter must avoid reading word for word or the audience will get bored. The presenter should look up and make eye contact, use facial expressions, and use vocal variety when speaking to make it sound more natural. A manuscript format should be practiced and key phrases highlighted but not memorized. The memorization method is when a speech is memorized and presented. This format can sound as mechanical as the manuscript method. This method is seldom used and not recommended anymore. When giving a speech from memory add expression or inflection in the voice. The impromptu is a speech that is given with little or no time to prepare. Even with this format of speech a presenter wants to organize some notes like main points, proof for support, and conclusion. The extemporaneous format is a carefully planned and prepared speech. This speech format uses an outline or notes to read from. The exact words are chosen at time of speech. This format is often preferred because it engages the audience more which is important.
A presenter should know who the audience is that he or she is presenting to. A presenter wants the audience to understand and respond favorably to the presentation. By knowing the audience the speech can be tailored to them. By analyzing the audience, the presenter can speak to the audience in a language that they understand and can avoid saying the wrong thing like a joke that can offend. When preparing a speech the focus should be the audience not the speaker or just the message. A presenter will want to know the demographic of the audience such as age, race, religion, sexual orientation, education, and culture. Audience analysis can be done in several ways. It can be a survey, greeting the audience at the door, interviewing a small group, or a questionnaire. Knowing the audience is the first step in preparing a presentation.
Planning a presentation is the second step to presenting. Like a paper, the presentation should have an introduction. This should include an attention getter, road map, and purpose for the presentation. The body should be the main points and the research done to support the main points. Last should be the conclusion, which should restate what the audience needs to remember and what actions, if any, an audience member should take. A presenter should organize the speech in a way so that the information flows smoothly from beginning to end. Note cards are good to use when presenting. Take notes on main points, support, and key phrases that a presenter may want to use but do not write down the whole speech. Practice the speech several times before the actual presentation to help remember main points and to help calm nerves. Tools such as power point or videos are not necessary but can be helpful to drive a message into the audience.