Public speaking

File:Winston Churchill 1949.jpg

Winston Churchill speaking in 1949.

Public speaking is speaking to a group of people in an organized way: to give information, influence or persuade, or to entertain the listeners.

In public speaking there are five important questions, which are often expressed as "who is saying what to whom, using which medium, with what effects?"

The Ancient Greeks called public speaking rhetoric; the Romans called it oratory. Until the late 20th century it was also called forensic speaking, or forensics. Propaganda is an another name for speech for or against some point of view. In George Orwell's words propaganda is a reflection of prejudices and beliefs that colors people's [or societies] aesthetic judgements. Often they are simply fallacies or conjectures.

Methods and techniques

Professional public speakers may use storytelling techniques or humor as a communication tool. A public speaker who is strong at using comedy might have more success adding a joke into a speech than one who is weak in that area.

File:Bill Gates speaking at DFID (5093072151).jpg

Bill Gates speaking at DFID

File:Second Bill of Rights Speech.ogv

Franklin D. Roosevelt making his State of the Union Address by radio (11 January 1944) from the White House

A speaker's guideline is given in TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking. Their information includes:

• Try to make eye contact right from the start.
• Include humor to disarm the tension within the audience towards the subject. But no offensive jokes or corny puns.
• Drinking water avoids mouth getting dry from adrenalin and avoiding an empty stomach reduces anxiety.
• Keep a backup plan (notes or scripts) to use if the presentation technology goes wrong.
• It is better to avoid attempts to get applause. It is not about the speaker, but the idea the speaker is passionate about.

Other guidelines exist.

Models

Models in public speaking.

The 6 I model of credibility for public speaking are:

6 I's of Credibility
Ideation	Be creative in presenting the idea
Information	Bring out new and decision driving facts
Influence	Be charismatic with show of confidence
Integrity	Be authentic and build a trust through the first half of the session
Impact	Identify and present a memorable delivery to root the message
Ignition	Call out to action, if required (E.g. Funding, Social Action, Proselytisation ...etc.)

AIDA Model

The AIDA model is about designing the message and delivering it effectively to the target audience. It says the speaker should first get attention, hold the interest level of the audience, arouse desire for the solution or the objective (appeal, theme, etc.) desired to communicate, and finally obtain action or actionable commitment from the audience.

Public Speaking Media

• Adolf Hitler- Speech at Krupp Factory in Germany (1935) - British Pathé.webm

  A 1935 video of Adolf Hitler, who served as Führer of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. Hitler's mannerisms, expressions, and public speaking are commonly cited as examples of persuasive public speaking.

• Arringatore.jpg

  The Orator, a c. 100 BCE Etrusco-Roman bronze sculpture depicting Aule Metele, an Etruscan man wearing a Roman toga while engaged in rhetoric. The statue features an inscription in the Etruscan alphabet.

• Cicero Denounces Catiline in the Roman Senate by Cesare Maccari.png

  A portrait of Cicero, an orator during the Roman Empire, addressing the Roman Senate, depicted in Cicero Denounces Catiline, an 1889 fresco by Cesare Maccari

• Aristotle Altemps Inv8575.jpg

  Bust of Aristotle. Marble, Roman copy after a Greek bronze original by Lysippos from 330 BC; the alabaster mantle is a modern addition.

• Ettus Ted Talk 1.png

  A TED Talk

• Sputnik 1 satellite model.png

  Sputnik Launched by Soviet Union on October 4, 1957, invoking competition Between U.S. as a race to space which further innovation and Technology especially in communication.

• Malala Yousafzai.jpg

  Malala Yousafzai, an educational activist from Pakistan, speaking

• Franceswright.jpg

  Frances Wright was an abolitionist, feminist, freethinker, and social reformer who advocated for many injustices.

Related pages

• Rhetoric

Further reading

• Werlich, Egon 1976. A text grammar of Eglish. Heidelberg: Quelle & Meyer.