Learning Objectives

1.

Identify the characteristics of effective public speakers. Public communication, unlike interpersonal communication, occurs in a somewhat formal setting and requires the communicator to be well prepared. Effective speakers understand the challenges involved in speaking before others and work in a systematic manner to create, prepare, and deliver their presentations. The public-speaking process begins when you first consider addressing a group of people. Four main stages of speech making follow: topic selection, topic development, the presentation itself, and the postpresentation analysis.

2.

Approach public speaking systematically, that is, select a topic, develop a topic, present a speech, and analyze its effectiveness. A thorough analysis of yourself and a thorough analysis of your audience are the essential preliminary steps in topic selection. Information about your audience should come from your personal experience with the group, from original research (for example, news releases and interviews), or both. First, you need to determine audience demographics, including such factors as age, gender, family orientation, religion, cultural background, occupation, economic status, educational level, and membership in organizations. Then you should try to predict the attitudes the listeners will have toward you and your presentation. It will help you to know whether audience members are required to attend, are homogeneous or heterogeneous in their attitudes, are favorably or unfavorably disposed toward your position, or are uninterested in your topic altogether.

3.

Explain how the nature of the occasion influences a speech. Identifying the occasion and your role in it is another essential step in the process of preparing a speech. Once you have determined the date, time limit, and location of the speech as well as the nature of the occasion and the audience, you can start thinking about a suitable topic. Choosing a topic usually involves two steps: selecting a general subject and narrowing it down to a manageable topic. You can evaluate your topic by answering these questions: Is the topic worthwhile? Is it appropriate for the intended audience? Is it interesting? Is sufficient research material available? Will there be enough time to cover the topic adequately?

4.

Formulate clear and precise purpose statements for yourself and behavioral objectives for your audience. After you have chosen your topic, you need to reexamine your purpose for speaking. Most speakers have one of two general objectives when they prepare to deliver a speech: to inform listeners (to share new information or insights) or to persuade listeners (to convince the audience to believe or do something). To ensure that your purpose is clear, you should formulate a purpose statement-a summary of what you want to accomplish, expressed as an infinitive phrase. For example, you may want to inform your audience about something, to describe something, or to explain how something is done. You can also list behavioral objectives-abilities you want the audience to have internalized after listening to your presentation.

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