Сергей (Sergey) Зайцев - Brief public speaking tutorial

© Сергей (Sergey) Зайцев, 2019

ISBN 978-5-4496-4993-5

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

The well-spoken word was enough to stop a retreating army, turn a defeat into victory, create or destroy great empires. What is the purpose of any speaker? – Encourage listeners to take any action. The individual is weak. And only joint efforts can achieve significant results. Therefore, to convince others to help him, each person has to act as a speaker. The Bible says: “A man is fed up with the fruits of his mouth.” Napoleon believed that a person who could not speak would not make a career. Some people do it better, others do worse. Can you learn this, or is a talent needed here? Try to finish reading this book to the end, and I think the answer will be positive. But even the best book will not give much, if you do not practice public speaking. Likewise, the commander’s abilities develop only on the battlefield, although they need good books on military art.

First, you need to decide whether to do a speech at all or not. Very often in life it is better to be silent than to speak. (Only make a speech, where there will be a benefit from it, where it will leave a solid mark, like a color pattern on a carpet.) More often, people regret what was said than what was not said. Is your speech really necessary? Is it timely? (“Even if Brihaspati himself made a speech not at the right time – that would be the end of his dignity, he will be disapproved.” Panchatantra) Any, the most brilliant, but untimely speech is doomed to failure. In addition, whenever possible, public speaking on topics such as religion, sex, national issues, politics should be avoided. It is almost inevitable that among the listeners in this case there will be those who will not like your words, whatever you say.

Secondly, it is necessary to carefully study the subject of the speech itself. Some “redundancy” of the speaker’s training is necessary, so that he knows well not only what he is going to say, but also possesses broad erudition. Only in this case he will be able to improvise confidently and answer unexpected, sharp questions.

Thirdly, it is necessary to obtain information about the audience in front of which you are going to speak. Learn their interests, level of education, average age, nationality, degree of religiosity, traditions, customs, etc. etc. Many details are important: the number of listeners, the size of the audience, the presence of external noise and other distractions, lighting, temperature, the presence of sound-amplifying devices, the presence and type of overhead projector, access to the venue, etc. It is necessary to visit the venue before the performance and personally check the presentation equipment.

Fourth, look at the structure of your speech. Think about the title of the speech, which should be unusual, entertaining and at the same time directly related to the needs of listeners and accurately reflect its content. It usually consists of an introduction, the main part and a conclusion, but it all depends on the specific circumstances.

It is best to write a speech in full, and then practice presenting it several times in front of someone. Or at least create its plan. The plan must be constructed in such a way that each subsequent point or thought seems to flow from the previous one in a natural way. The second main rule is that all points of the plan are related to the main idea. Good speech is like a kebab, where everything is implanted on the main idea. A bad speech is like a vinaigrette. It may be advisable to start each item of the plan on a new sheet, and then join them together as pieces of a puzzle. But we should not forget that you will give a good speech only if you have a passion for this topic. As the saying goes, “if the horse had anything to say, she would say”. Churchill believed that the best speaker is someone who, before getting up, still does not know what and how he will speak.

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