Public speaking is a skill employed by diverse people across the world. Politicians use it to persuade citizens to vote for them, business people to inform others about their products and services, and entertainers elicit joy, humor, and a host of other emotions from their audiences for their performances. Public speaking skills can benefit people in all walks of life and help them to achieve their goals by communicating them effectively to others.
Public speaking has been considered important for thousands of years. It was highly valued in ancient Greece and Rome, with key philosophers like Plato and Aristotle developing oratory as a discipline. In the twenty-first century, it is taught in universities across the country, and an introduction to public speaking class is required for many college undergraduates in recognition of the importance of public speaking as a life skill. Many high schools also feature coursework on public speaking and allow students to explore it in extracurricular activities such as student government and debate club.
As taught in schools, public speaking incorporates several different elements. One is how to connect with the audience. This can be done by using an attention getter at the beginning of a talk or by referring to a common experience that listeners can identify with. Speakers also use humor to make connections with an audience. In fact, humor may be a major component of the speech if its primary focus is entertainment. Eye contact with audience members is another important element of public speaking; it gives listeners a sense of direct connection with the speaker and helps them to become more invested in the topic. Keeping the points of the speech focused and in a logical order is also key. By doing that, the speaker makes the listening experience easy to follow for the audience. In turn, they will be more relaxed and thus more open to letting the speaker persuade them.
Becoming a successful public speaker involves a great deal of self-control over one’s speech. Speakers must learn to control their tone, pitch, and inflections so the emotions of the words are conveyed appropriately. Speaking also necessitates gestures at appropriate moments, usually to emphasize key phrases in the speech and to engage the audience’s attention. Pauses are also a critical part of public speaking. If properly used, they allow listeners to let key points sink in and time to laugh at a joke.
Typically, the more at ease the speaker is, the more the audience will be open to what he or she is saying. For this reason, polished speakers will work hard to develop their own comfort level with addressing groups of all sizes. Becoming at ease with public speaking is challenging for many people, but those who accomplish it report that the rewards are worth the effort (Source: EBSCO, 2022).