Chapter 5. Lecture Notes - Public Speaking

Public Speaking Chapter 5 1. SELECT YOUR TOPIC AND PURPOSE The first step in preparing a speech is to select the topic (or subject) and The purposes you hope to achieve Let's look first at the topic. -The Topic Perhaps the question students in a public speaking class ask most often is. "What do I speal : about ?" For your classroom speeches-where the objeotive is to learn the skills of public speaking there are thousands of suitable topics Suggestions may be found everywhere and anywhere Take a look at Table 6.2 : it lists hundreds of suitable topics from abortion, academic freedom and acupuncture to women Words, youth, and zodiac Additional suggestions also appear in the Practically Speaking exercises at the end of this unit. Worthwhile The topics of public speeches should be worthwhile in that they should address issues with significant implications for the audience. Topics should also be appropriate to both you as the speaker and to your audience . Try not to select a topic just because it will fulfill the : requirements of an assignment Instead select a topic about which you know something and would like to learn more In the process of speech preparation you'll not only acquire new knowledge about the topic but will also discover how to learn more about it for example the relevant databases the noted authorities and so on If you select a topic you're interested in, you'll be more interested in talking with your audience about it and your enthusiasm will surely show throughout your presentation. Look also to your audience for insight into possible topics Each person sees the world from a unique point of View, so think about what he or she may be interested in What would he like to learn more about ? On what topics would she find the time listening to your speech well spent ? Also recognize the impertant role that culture plays in the topics people consider appropriate or worthwhile For example, it would be considered inappropriate for an American businessperson to speak of politics in Pakistan religion in Nigeria or illegal aliens in Mexico (Axtell 1993). Because you‘re a college student, you can assume-to some extent-that the tepics you're interested in will also prove interesting to your class mates But beyond this exceptionally homogeneous and accepting atmosphere an atmosphere you're not likely to see again anytime after college culturo will always play a role in the selection of the topic. Limited in Scope A suitable topic for a public speech is one that is limited in scope Probably the major problem for beginning speakers is that they attempt to cover a huge topic in five minutes : the history of Egypt Why our tax structure should be changed or the sociology of film. Such topics are too broad and try to never too much In these cases all the speaker succeedsin doing is telling the audience what it already knows Lnvariably, your listeners will go away with the feeling that they've gained nothing as a result of listening to your speech. -The Purpose Generally public speeches are designed to inform, to persuade, and to serve Some ceremonial or Special occasion function : - the informative speech seeks to create understanding : the speaker clarifies enllglitens, corrects misunderstandings Demonstrates how something works. - the persuasive speech seeks to influence attitudes or behavrors : the speaker strengthens or changes audience attitudes or gets the audience to take action. - the special occasion speech containing elements of information and persuasion; introduces another speaker or a group of speaker or a group of speakers, presents a tribute, secures the goodwill of the listeners or entertains the audience. Your speech will also have a specific purpose. For example, specific informative purposes might include informing the audience of the proposed education budget or the way a television pilot is audience tested. Specific persuasive purposes might include persuading the audience to support the proposed budget or to vote for Smith Specific purposes for special occasion speeches might include introducing the Nobel prize winner who will speak on advances in nuclear physics or defending a company policy of an all male board of directors to the shareholders. 2. RESEARCH YOUR TOPIC If the speech is to be worthwhile and if both you and the audience are to profit from it you need to research the topic First read some general source-an encyclopedia article or a general article in a magazine or on the Web You might pursue some of the references in the article or seek out a book or two in the library For some topics, you might want to consult, Individuals : professors Politicians Physicians, or people with specralized information are useful sources and are now easy to reach through email [See Unit 7 "Research the Public Speech," for suggestions on how to use e-mail to consult with specific people.) Or you might begin with accessing a database Assembling a bibliography, and reading the most general source first and than continuing with increasingly specific articles. 3. ANALYZE YOUR AUDIENCE In public speaking your audience is central to your topic and purpose (see accompanying TIP) In most cases, and especially in a public speaking class, you‘ll be thinking of both your audience and your topic at the same time : in fact it's difficult to focus on ; one without also focusing on the other Your success in informing or persuading an audience rests largely On the extent to which you know them and the extent to which you've adapted your speech to them Ask yourself, Who are they ? What do they already know ? What would they want to know more about ? What special interests do they have ? What opinions, attitudes, and beliefs do they have ? Where do they stand on the issues you wish to address ? What needs do they have ? To illustrate this process of audience analysis [a topic discussed in depth in Units 8 and 9, consider age and gender as just two factors that need to be analyzed. -Age If you're going to speak on social security and health care for the elderly or The importance of the job interview, it's obvious that the age of your listeners should influence how you develop your speech But age is always an important, if not so obvious, a factor Ask yourself about the age of your listeners What's their general age ? How wide is the range ? Are there different age groups that you should address ? Does the age of the audience impose any limitations on the topic'il On the language you'll use ? On the examples and illustrations you'll select ? -Gender Men and women often View topics diEferently Because each gender has special knowledge and special interests as a result of their socialization, ask yourself how the gender makeup of your audience might influence how you deveIOp your speech What's the predominant gender of your listeners ? Do men and women View this, particular topic differently ? if so, how ? Do men and women have different backgrounds Experiences, and knowledge concerning the topic ? How will this influence the way you'll develop the topic ? For example. If you plan to speak on caring for a new born baby You’d approach an audience of men very differently from an audience of women With an audience of women, you could probably assume à much greater knowledge of the subject and a greater degree of comfort in dealing with it. With an audience of men You might have to cover such elementary topics as the type of powder to use. How to test the temperature of a bottle And the way to prepare a formula. 4. FORMULATE YOUR THESES AND MAJOR PROPOSITIONS What do you want your audience to get out of your speech ? What single idea do you want them to retain ? This single idea is the thesis of your speech It's the eSsence of what you want your audience to get out of your SpeeCh If your speech is an informative one. Then your thesis is the main idea that you want your audience to understand for example. "Human blood consists of (our major elements" or "The new computerized billing system is easy to understand." If your speech is a persuasive one Then your thesis is the central idea that you wish your audience to accept or action for example, "We should support Grace Moore for Union Representative" or "Our state must institute a free needle exchange program to prevent the spread of AIDS." Once you word your thesis you can identify its major components by asking certain questions For an informative speech the most helpful questions are What ? Or How ? For the thesis "Human blood consists of four major elements." the logical question seems to be, What are they ? For the thesis "The new computerized billing system is easy to understand," the logical question seems to he "Why is it easy ?" or "How is it easy ?" The answers to these questions identify the major propositions you would cover in your speech The answer to the question "What are the major elements of human blood ?" in the form of a luiefspeech outline - Would look like this : THESIS : "There are [our major elements in human blood." (What are they ?) I. Plasma ll. Red blood cells (erythrocytes) III. White blood cells (leukocytes) IV. Platelets (thromhocytes) In a persuasive speech. The question you'd ask of your thesis is often. "Why ?" For example. if your thesis is "We should support Grace Moore for Union Representative," than the inevitable question is "Why should we support Grace Moore ?" Your answers to this question will identify the major parts of the speech, which might look like this : THESIS : 'We should support Grace Moore" (Why should we support Grace Moore ?) I. Grace Moore is an effective negotiator. II. Grace Moore is honest. III. Grace Moore is knowledgeable.