Essay on Public Speaking
There are a number of requirements of a good speech introduction. First of all, a good speech introduction must have an opening which will grab the audience’s attention. Secondly, it must have a body, which will explain why the speaker has chosen this or that subject, if he has the appropriate qualification to address it, why this subject is appropriate for the chosen audience, and if this time is good for discussion. Thirdly, a good speech introduction must have a conclusion, which will give the speaker the opportunity to start the presentation. It is very important to end the introduction with some interesting facts about the subject. Some other requirements for the introduction include speech title, speech topic and objectives.
The following complete introduction to a classroom speech contains the major requirements of a good speech introduction, including the opening, the body and the conclusion, speech topic and objectives. The speaker grabs the audience’s attention when he says that “the most dangerous of radiation in the United States might be right here in this classroom.” In the body of this introduction to a classroom speech, the speaker uses statistical data to prove the significance of this subject and explains why this subject is appropriate for the chosen audience. In the concluding part of the introduction, the speaker mentions the major issues that will be discussed in the lecture. However, the speaker does not mention the title of his speech.
It is known that one of the greatest differences between writing an essay and giving a speech is that the listener, unlike the reader, cannot turn to a dictionary or reread an author’s words to discover their meaning. In this case, the task of a public speaker is complicated because the listeners can miss some words or even expressions, and get the speaker wrong. Three specific steps a speaker can take to make his or her meaning clear despite these complications include the use of visual support, repetition of some important facts in the speech, and putting questions about the issues discussed in the speech.
There are three specific steps in developing a structured speech: introduction, body and conclusion. Special attention should be paid to the use of transitions. Common transitions are: in addition to, however, moreover, furthermore, and others.
Speaking to persuade is more difficult than speaking to inform because when a speaker wants to persuade the audience, he or she wants the listeners to adopt a new position, or to change their minds about this or that issue. When a speaker wants to inform the audience, he or she wants the listeners to learn new facts about the subject. In this case, the speaker shares new information with the listeners.
The statement, “Because a listener’s frame of reference can never be exactly the same as a speaker’s, the meaning of a message will never be exactly the same to a listener as a speaker” can be explained in the following way: different people have different frames of reference, different knowledge, experience, different values and goals, and everything a speaker says to the audience can be filtered through the listeners’ frame of reference. That is why the meaning of message can be interpreted by the listeners in different ways.
