Page 263 - Essentials of Human Communication

242 Chapter 12 Public Speaking Preparation and Delivery (Steps 7–10)

● Use illustrations or dramatic or humorous stories. We are all drawn to illustrations and sto-
ries about people—they make a speech vivid and concrete. Use them to secure audience
Watch the Video “Tips for attention in the introduction and to maintain it throughout. Here, for example, one
an Effective Introduction” at speaker used a dramatic illustration in opening her speech on bullying (Bacon, 2011):
MyCommunicationLab
A typical ninth grade female goes to her locker after a long day of classes to find a note. As
she opens the note, her day goes from typical to horrendous. The note reads, “Get a new hair
cut, you look like a dyke. Start wearing clothes that fit and go home and die.”
Other ways to gain attention include using a visual aid; a short music or video clip; a dra-
matic, humorous, or interesting quotation; a startling statistic or series of little-known facts,
or a sincere compliment.
Orient the audience Previewing what you’re going to say will help listeners follow
your thoughts more closely. Here are two general ways you can orient your audience:
● Give the audience an idea about your subject. In a speech on military suicides, one student
oriented his audience and at the same time previewed his organizational pattern (McLain,
2011):
See “The Compliment” at tcbdevito Today we will examine the problem of an increased suicide rate among our armed forces,
.blogspot.com. to find out how some of the causes behind it, and the solutions that will enable us to reduce the number of
comfortable you are in giving and service men and women who so tragically choose to take their own lives.
in receiving compliments.
● identify the goal you hope to achieve. A librarian addressing my public speaking class
oriented the audience by stating goals in this way: “Pay attention for the next few minutes
and you’ll be able to locate anything we have in the library by using the new touch-screen
computer access system.” In another example, President Barack Obama (2009) combined
some of these purposes in his “Call to Renewal” speech:

Today I’d like to talk about the connection between religion and politics and perhaps offer
some thoughts about how we can sort through some of the often bitter arguments that
we’ve been seeing over the last several years.

aVOidinG sOMe COMMOn Mistakes

Here are a few tips for avoiding the mistakes that beginning speakers often make in introduc-
ing and concluding their speeches:
● engage your listeners before speaking. Survey your audience; make eye contact and
engage their attention. Stand in front of the audience with a sense of control. Pause
briefly, then begin speaking.
● Demonstrate enthusiasm and a desire to speak. People much prefer listening to a speaker
who shows that she or he enjoys speaking to them.
● Don’t apologize. In the United States, avoid expressions such as “I am not an expert on this
topic,” or “I didn’t do as much reading on this topic as I should have.” And never start a
speech with, “I’m not very good at giving public speeches.” This rule, however, does not hold
in all cultures; in fact, self-deprecating comments are expected in some collectivist cultures.
● Begin with a strong introduction. Avoid statements such as “Before I begin my talk,
I want to say . . . ” These make it difficult for you to open your speech with a strong
attention grabber.
● Reinforce what you have already said. Once you reach your conclusion, it’s too late to
introduce new material. Instead, reinforce what you have already said, summarize your
essential points, or give new expression to ideas already covered.
● After your last statement, pause, maintain audience eye contact, and then walk (don’t run)
to your seat. Show no signs of relief; focus your attention on whatever activity is
taking place. If a question period follows your speech and you’re in charge of this,