Learn public speaking and speech making
Communicate better in front of a crowd, as a speaker, lecturer or master of ceremonies.
Course Content
This course is broken up into nine lessons as follows:
Lesson 1. The scope of public speaking
- Context influence the nature and scope of speaking
- Critical factors in public speaking
- The ultimate message
- Speaker/listener relationship
- Channel
- Feedback
- Interference
Lesson 2. Writing and preparing speech
- Words! Words! Words!
- Clarity and confusion
- Reorganising words leads to different results
- Questions
- Rhetoric and rhetorical devices
- Speech preparation
- Speech organisation
- Outline
- Purpose
- Subject statement
- Development
- Sample outline
- Other important factors to consider
- Attention
- Transitions
- Orientation
- Conclusion and summary
Lesson 3. Presentation and delivery
- A speech
- Volume, pitch, tone
- Projection (volume)
- Voice
- Vocal health
- Dealing with nerves
- Body language
- How to present a speech
- Visual aid and media
- Types of visual aids
- Reasons for and against the use visual aids and media
- For visual aids and media
- Against visual aids and media
Lesson 4. Toasts and entertainment
- Speaking for entertainment and toasting
- Toasts
- Content and focus
- Timing
- Humour
- Body language
- Voice
- Master of ceremonies (MC)
- Focus
- Paying attention to the audience
- Use of humour
- Voice and body language
- Story, script, and narrative
- Preparation
- Vocal technique
- Adding character
- Body language
- Types of speeches
- Introductions
Lesson 5. Debate and presenting argument
- Introduction
- What is rhetoric?
- Ethos, pathos, and logos
- Ethos: persuasion by character
- Pathos: persuasion by emotion
- Logos: persuasion by reason or logic
- Persuasive context
- Rhetorical triangle
- Constructing an argument for speech or debate
- Logic, fact and fallacy
- Constructing an argument
- What is a logical fallacy?
- Critical thinking
- Persuasive speaking
Lesson 6 Lecture and informative speech
- Know your subject
- Fact check
- Questions and answers
- Use elements from other areas of public speaking
- Important points about fact-based presentations and educational presentations
- Structuring a lecture or informative presentation
- General educational lecture
- The Socratic method
- Hands-on lectures: practical, activities, and exercises
- The role of vulnerability
Lesson 7. Evaluating a speech
- Evaluating a speech
- Introduction
- Quality and evaluation
- Anonymous or not?
- Feedback
- Ways to examine the quality of a speech/ speaker
- Evaluating a toast or entertainment speech:
- Evaluating a debate or argument:
- Evaluating a lecture or informative speech:
- Regaining confidence after a poor speech
Lesson 8. Question speaking for broadcast media
- Introduction
- Broadcasts
- Rhythm of speaking
- Slang and colloquial speech
- Filler words
- Developing a speech for broadcast media
- Radio and podcast or sound recordings
- Sound recordings
- Television and film presentation
- Media interviews and speaking on panels
Lesson 9. Project: prepare and deliver a speech
- Why is problem based learning important?
- Project aim
- Learning outcomes
- Problem definition
- Your speech
- Discussion questions
- Team structure and mode of interaction
- Final pbl submission Project: Prepare and Deliver a speech
Course Duration - 100 hours of self paced study.
Develop Your Ability to Connect with an Audience
A speech isn't only the words used, but the way they are said is also critical to connecting with the audience.
Imagine a historian giving a talk about the plague in the Middle Ages to a group of teenagers. They stand at the front of the stage or classroom, reading from their notes in a slow, monotone way.
Now imagine a historian standing at the front of students in a classroom giving a passionate and interesting talk about the plague. There are images on the screen behind, and perhaps even dramatic music is playing. They might do a real performance. Consider which performance would be of more interest to audience?
Consider Volume, Pitch and Tone
What we say and how we say it is important. We can change the way words are perceived by such things as changing volume, or taking a pause, even for as little as a second.
Inflection is the modulation of our tone and pitch when speaking. It changes the way we speak. Monotone is when everything we say is at the same tone. This can sound dull and boring. If we vary our tone, pitch and loudness, this can make our speech more interesting. This should be natural and appropriate, not just for the sake of it. For example, suddenly talking louder for no reason is not very effective. Talking louder to emphasise a really important point could be effective when making a specific point. We tend to modulate our speech to give meaning. For example, a rise in pitch at the end of a sentence is usually seen when asking a question. Say the following few sentences in monotone and then how you would normally speak when asking a question.
- Would you like milk with your coffee?
- How often do you go running now?
- Do you find public speaking difficult?
- Can you see differences in the way in which you are speaking when using monotone compared to how you would normally ask a question?
