Public Speaking Flashcards
This saying belongs to who? “The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.”
Mark Twain (1835-1910) was an American humorist, journalist, and novelist best known for his treatment of life on the Mississippi River in works such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
To get accustomed to pausing in speeches, what should you do?
Count to two in between sentences while talking. With time, these pauses will become natural.
This saying belongs to who? “A talk is voyage. It must be charted. The speaker who starts nowhere usually gets there.”
Dale Carnegie (1888-1955) was a pioneer in the field of public speaking and author of How to Win Friends and Influence People and Public Speaking: A Practical Course for Business Men.
Preparation is essential in any talk, no matter if it’s a small group or an audience of thousands. What key questions should you consider before talking?
1-What are my goals? 2-What are the key takeaways for listeners? 3-How do I want my audience to feel?
This saying belongs to who? “A good orator is pointed and impassioned.”
Cicero (106 BCE-43 BCE) was an ancient Roman Statesman (a politician, diplomat or another notable public figure who has had a long and respected career), who was considered the greatest orator of his day.
Whether speaking to one person or many, you need to keep your audience’s interest, but how do you do this?
1-Don’t use many words when few will suffice. 2-Make your key points and repeat them for emphasis. 3-Show passion for your subject.
What is the number one thing you should be aware of when talking?
Never to deliver your talk flat. A monotone voice will leave my audience with a negative impression, no matter how insightful the speech is.
This saying belongs to who? “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was a poet, educator, and actress who explored African American experience, gender, and economics in the United States in her autobiography: I Know Why The Cage Bird Sings.
Studies have found that we listen about _____ percent of the time we are awake.
45 percent.
Studies have found that we remember about _____ percent of what we hear.
25-50 percent. The more time that passes, the fewer details we remember.
How to induce pathos to your speech, which arguably the finest strategy for public speaking?
1-Speak directly. 2-Make unique, counterintuitive points that my audience will remember. 3-Strategically use humor if the subject allows it.
This saying belongs to who? “A great speaker convinces us not by force of reasoning, but because he is visibly enjoying the beliefs he wants us to accept.”
William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was an Irish writer who crafted some of the most celebrated and influential poems of the 20th century and won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1923.
Audience members pick up on nonverbal cues. Knowing this, how should you speak in front of people?
1-Smile. 2-Use friendly gestures. 3-Exude passion in my voice.
This saying belongs to who? “The finest language is mostly made up of simple, unimposing words.”
George Eliot (1819-90) was a Victorian English novelist who pioneered the use of psychological analysis in fiction in novels such as Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda.
While a strong vocabulary is essential to reading comprehension and precision in speaking and writing, using too many complex words can confuse your audience and obscure your central point. What should you do then?
Use language appropriate for the audience; don’t use jargon that might be unfamiliar.
What is rhetoric?
The art of persuasive speaking.