THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

Chukwukadibia O. Ude

If you've never really given a public speech before, you may be wondering, 'Why all the fuss about a speech?'. Public speaking is very important in various sectors of life. When giving a speech, it is important to pass your message across properly. After all, the aim is to educate the listeners. In this article, we'll be looking at what public speaking is, and how you can become better at it.

Defining our terms.

There are three major words in this topic: 

Art 

Public 

Speaking

 

Let's break them down individually.

Art.

The Wordweb dictionary has many definitions for the word , 'art':

1. the product of human creativity and people

2. the creation of beautiful or significant things 

3. photographs or other visual representations in a printed publication 

4. the superior skill that you can learn by study and practice and observation

Keep all these meanings of 'art' in mind, especially the 4th one.

Public.

This simply 

1. means not private , or 

2. concerning people or group

Speaking

Speaking  means capable of speech.

Having said these, let's delve into "the art of public speaking" with focus on these areas of interest: 

• How to stand and not mix words

• How to speak to any public fearlessly

• How to keep people's attention on you and your speech as long as you speak, and

• How to convince your audience with my idea, thought or plans.

Let's look back to the meanings of the words Art, Public, and Speaking. This time, I'll take it in reverse order- Speaking, Public , Art.

The definition of Speech given earlier may not properly convey the meaning of speaking to us. This is because in public, silence can also mean speech. So, we can say that speaking may be done with your mouth or through your actions. Speech through actions is usually referred to as 'body language'. 

Public says in a group, concerning people. This does not mean that you need to have a hundred people before it's considered public. Seeing someone (like on a date), is also public. Weird right? Look at it this way- If private is about you, then a relationship may be considered public (because it doesn't involve just you anymore). If you get close to someone, you can now say you are close and you take the person private.

Have you noticed that once you accept someone as let's say, a close friend, you tend to communicate better. You speak freely, better than when you are trying to know the person. Why? That's just how it works.

Public speaking operates on the same principle. You have to understand yourself and you have to accept the other person too. If not, you end up building or fortifying walls. These walls are already there in the beginning, because you're strangers. So how do you break them? As earlier said, first by understanding yourself, then by accepting the other person.

What exactly does Public mean?

I consider the following as public:

- One on one conversations with someone (lighter pressure). The major challenge here is eye contact especially as with dates. 

- Three people gathered together. If it's more than three people, you call it a round table e.g. when you have ten to twenty people in a meeting.

- Then we look at Stage. You can have stage conversations. That is what people usually see as public speaking. An example can be the online meetings we have in POSH (being a public space). POSH falls within stage and non-stage public conversations.

 

Let's use the online POSH conversations as a case study.

During discussions on the POSH WhatsApp group, so many people don't comment because they are afraid of what people will say. On the other hand, some people can comment when someone else is teaching, but however decline when asked to teach a topic(which represents a stage online).

Having established this, we can say that the fear of public speaking isn't just about stage fear, it's also about non stage fear.

Some people can't even walk into a restaurant with someone of the opposite sex, without showing some levels of shyness. 

If you have ever been at a round table meeting, and you find it difficult to contribute, it's also the fear of public speaking. It's not about a stage alone, it's about the inability to express yourself effectively. This is where art comes in you see.

What do we really mean by art?

Revisiting the meaning of art, we saw four definitions involving,

• the creation of human creativity

• the superior skill you learn by STUDY and PRACTICE and OBSERVATION and 

• the other two meanings which are also about creativity or visual displays.

Let's talk about creation.

Most people don't speak because they feel what they want to say is not okay. Instead of learning how to speak, they give up. The art involves learning how to create words. You are creative and that's why we are all artists. Art is the creation of human creativity. It is also the superior skill you learn by STUDY and PRACTICE and OBSERVATION.

The first Meaning shows we are all artists.

The second meaning shows we are all scientists.

That means you can create your speech! Awesome right?!

1. How to stand and not mix words.

In your desire to stand and not mix words, you are talking about coordination, articulation, and confidence. You can't coordinate if you can't organize your thoughts. If you organize your thoughts, you become articulate.

Articulateness is what makes you feel like you understand what you want to say. Articulateness is the factor that shows clarity. Clarity gives you assurance that you have understood what you want to talk about. This in turn gives you the required confidence to at least stand and speak.

 

Public speaking is an Art.

Shall we examine the art of public speaking, from an art point of view. You create words from all the thoughts that flow to your mind. For example, I wanted to speak in a meeting. I was bitter about the way leaders led. I had the words but I couldn't speak because in creating the speech, I had bitterness. I had to calm my spirit down so I don't lash out in anger. As I was considering the best words to use, I also thought of the best way to say it.

As a result of this process, I calmed myself enough to ask a question instead of suggesting. I was able to create my speech in question form, so I won't be harsh on the speaker. Also when I am so shy to speak in public, I usually say no to speaking. I feel if I can't speak, then I can't speak. It's similar to what good people do.

Good people say that good people can't be rich. But they fail to ask, "what do good people do that make them not to be rich?"

So, the art is about creating your speech. However, in any creation, you don't just create. You consider everything. An artist uses paint, paper, pencil etc. A speaker uses thoughts, feelings etc. You create words and gestures. Therefore, you must consider your thoughts and feelings as a creator of speech. If you see it as a creative duty, you'll be able to stand and not mix words. You have to be a creator of speech.

A creative mind is always concerned with making things look good. An artist doesn't just put ink on paper. On the contrary, he or she makes the piece of art convey a message. When painting a room, a painter doesn't just use paint on the wall. He makes the painting beautiful but before he does that he applies many coats.

In the same way, as a creative speaker (the art of public speaking), you should know that you must coordinate, organize, and articulate your speech. You do that considering your thoughts and feelings

2. How to speak to any public fearlessly

The only time when you can speak without fear is when you have:

1. Understood yourself and the topic, and 

2. When you know the audience needs your knowledge of the topic and when you connect with the audience

To speak to any public group fearlessly, you have to be self aware. You also have to be aware of the other person (because I see public as where two people speak). Fear is falsehood in your ears. Most people are afraid because of the voices in their heads. If you know a topic is something that you love, have faith in speaking about it. No one transfers knowledge when he or she speaks with fear. Without faith and belief, you will be afraid.

Have faith in God about your purpose. Believe in yourself! Faith gives you boldness, courage and bravery. Without these three things, you can't transfer knowledge effectively.

With art, you can stand and not mix words. Without the science of public speaking, you may still speak with fear even when you are articulate. The science of public speaking has to do with simultaneous actions of study, practice and observation.

C. How to keep people's attention on you and your speech as long as you speak?

This is the blend of art, science and even more.

To keep people attentive, you must do what I call Pouring Yourself Into Your Speech. Be authentic. Be real. Give personal examples. Use examples you know could be beneficial to the next person.

People can't be attentive if you don't connect. Connection is about the flow of spirit. You can't operate on the level of mind and body and expect connection. Go deep into the wells of your soul. Be vulnerable. Say that thing and BE real! It may be hard, but that's the secret of connection.

D. How do I convince my audience with my idea, thought or plans?

Convincing people is an uphill task. To convince people, you have to do a lot. You shouldn't be focused on convincing them alone. First, speak with conviction. They say conviction is a higher level of belief. People won't believe your idea if you are not convinced about the idea. Focus on making your idea your own conviction. Beliefs are transferable. You can imagine if your belief becomes a conviction.

In his book, "Awaken the Giant Within," Anthony Robbins explained the difference between belief and conviction. Conviction is belief on a hard to undo level. You can see how convinced Muslims are about jihad. That's an unimaginable level of belief.

To capture your audience, become an authority in the idea you convey. Speak with conviction. No one can convince the next individual with mere facts or proof. It may be true but another person with higher fact and proof will change the thought. That is short term belief.

People are hooked by a man of conviction. When Margaret Thatcher died, David Cameron in his speech called her a woman of conviction. Why? Because when she speaks, she does it as if she's 100% sure of what she's saying. That is the secret of many leaders.

CONCLUSION.

Standing to speak and not mixing words is overcome by art of public speaking as in 'art', i.e. creation of human creativity. You create words from your thoughts and moods.

Speaking fearlessly involves both art and science. You have to study public speaking, practice it and observe yourself (study both your failures and successes).

To make your audience attentive, you have to pour yourself out. This is beyond art and science. It is the power of your spirit which makes art and science possible.

To convince people, you don't just have to pour yourself, you have to be convinced about your topic. It is a pity that many people speak on topics they don't understand which makes them unable to connect with their audience.

Goodluck as you practice and become better!

Yours truly,

Chukwukadibia O. Ude

Founder @Eaderl International

www.eaderl.com

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