Bullseye!Hitting the target with your speech

Presenter: MaggieESL Public Class Series

About Maggie

• Born and raised near Los Angeles, California, USA

• B.A. in Liberal Studies (Education) at the University of La Verne

• Experience teaching, public speaking, acting, singing

• Leadership training

May 2014

• Wednesdays at 3:30 pm– May 7 Preparing your speech– May 14 Developing your speech– May 21 Helping your speech– May 28 Giving your speech

Preparing Your Speech

• Public Speaking• Stage Fright• Speaking Responsibly• Audience and Setting• Getting Started

One who forms a judgment on any point but cannot explain it clearly ...

...might as well never have

thought at all on the subject.

- Pericles, an ancient Greek leader

(more than 2,500 years ago)

Question

• How much time do you spend each day talking to other people?

Public Speaking

• Important for communication– family, friends, school, work– a way to express ideas and to have an

impact on issues that matter in society

Public Speaking vs. Conversation

• Similarities:– Organizing thoughts

logically– Tailoring message to

audience– Telling a story for

maximum impact– Adapting to listener

feedback

• Differences:Public speaking ...

– is highly structured– requires more formal

language– uses a different

method of delivery

I turn pale at the outset of a speech

and quake in every limb

and in my soul.

- Cicero, a famous Roman orator

Stage Fright

• Most people tend to be nervous before doing something important in public

(even Leonardo DiCaprio)

• Nervousness is a healthy sign!– Your body is responding as it would to any stressful

situation -- by producing extra adrenaline • How can you control your nervousness and

make it work for you?

Dealing with Stage Fright

1. Transform it from negative to positive●It's not stage fright ...

... it's Stage Excitement!●Athletes, musicians, actors, etc.

2. Get speaking experience3. Properly prepare4. Think positively and use visualization5. Don't expect perfection

We are here on Earth to do good to others.

What the others are here for, I don't know.

--W.H. Auden, 1907-1973

Speaking Responsibly

●Tell the truth●Use accurate information●Present all sides to an argument●Do not plagiarize (抄袭 )

●Plagiarism is stealing - and it's against the law!

The Audience

• You are not speaking for your own benefit...

• But for the benefit of your audience

• Academic - teacher and classmates– Who am I speaking to?– Why am I speaking to them?

The Setting

• Visit the place where you'll be speaking before the day of your speech– seating arrangements– lighting– mechanics for visual aids (screen,

plugs, projector, etc.)– environmental factors (time of day,

noise, etc.)

Getting Started

1. Choose a topic2. Select a general purpose3. Select a specific purpose4. Determine what you want your audience to

remember5. Gather materials

Choosing a Topic

• Topics you know a lot about– Draw on your knowledge and experience

• Subjects you want to know more about• Brainstorming

– a method of generating ideas by free association of words and ideas

• Often chosen for you (academic)

Selecting a General Purpose

• To inform– to give the audience information not known

before• To persuade

– to change what the audience believes or does

Again, sometimes determined for you by the instructor

Selecting a Specific Purpose

• State precisely what you hope to accomplish in the speech– To inform my audience about...– To persuade my audience to...

• Always include the audience– Who you'll be talking to will change how you

present your speech• Quantum physics to scientists -OR-• Quantum physics to middle school students

An example - Duane:

• Topic: Music therapy• General purpose: to inform• Specific purpose: To inform my

audience about the benefits of music therapy for people with psychological or cognitive disabilities

Effective Specific Purposes

• Ineffective: 3-D technology

• Problem: Only announces the topic

More effective: • To inform my audience about the three major

kinds of current 3-D technology

Effective Specific Purposes

• Ineffective: What is Dia de los Muertos?

• Problem: The question doesn't show what you wish to accomplish

More effective: • To inform my audience about the history of

Mexico's Dia de los Muertos celebration

Effective Specific Purposes

• Ineffective: To persuade my audience that the campus policy on student parking really stinks

• Problem: Unclear, ambiguous

More effective:• To persuade my audience that the campus policy

on student parking should be revised to provide more spaces for students before 5 p.m.

Effective Specific Purposes

• Ineffective: To persuade my audience to become literacy tutors and to donate time to the Special Olympics

• Problem: Two unrelated ideas

More effective: a) To persuade my audience to become literacy tutorsb) To persuade my audience to donate time to the

Special Olympics

Effective Specific Purposes

• Ineffective: To persuade my audience that something should be done about unsafe school buses

• Problem: Too broad, doesn't show what you believe should be done

More effective: • To persuade my audience that the federal

government should impose stronger safety standards for school buses in the United States

Topic: hot air balloons

• Specific purpose: to inform my audience about hot air balloons

• INEFFECTIVE– origin of hot air balloons– how hot air balloons work– current popularity– scientific uses

Effective

• To inform my audience about the scientific uses of hot air balloons

Questions to ask about your Specific Purpose

• Does my purpose meet my assignment?• Can I accomplish my purpose in the time

allotted?• Is the purpose relevant to my audience?• Is the purpose too trivial for my audience?

What do you want your audienceto remember?

• The central idea sums up the major ideas of a speech– Sometimes called the thesis statement– At least 3 main points

• "Tell me the gist of your speech in one sentence."• What you want your audience to remember after

they have forgotten everything else in your speech (residual message)

Topic: Music therapy

• General purpose: to inform• Specific purpose: To inform my audience

about the benefits of music therapy for people with psychological or cognitive disabilities

• Central idea: Music therapy developed as a formal mode of treatment during the twentieth century, utilizes a number of methods, and is explained by several theories that account for its success

Topic: Día de los Muertos

• General Purpose: to inform• Specific Purpose: To inform my

audience about the history of Mexico’s Día de los Muertos celebration

• Central Idea: Día de los Muertos can be traced to the Aztecs, was moved from summer to fall by Spanish priests, and today is celebrated in a number of ways in different regions of Mexico.

Writing Your Central Idea Statement

• Expressed in a full sentence• Should not be in a form of a question• Should avoid figurative language• Should not be too vague or overly general

Usually written after you develop the body of your speech

Gather Materials

• Use your own knowledge and experience• Do library research• Search the internet• Interview people connected to your topic

In summation...

• Public Speaking• Stage Fright• Ethical Public Speaking• Audience and Setting• Getting Started

Next week

Wednesday, May 14 at 3:30 pmDeveloping your speech

●Organizing, supporting, connecting your ideas●And more!

THANK YOU!

• Any questions?

• Email Maggie at 1926804784@QQ.com