Public speaking can be a powerful tool for self-development. It can help you build a variety of skills that are essential in life, such as leadership, confidence, problem-solving and reasoning skills. The first step in effective public speaking is grabbing the audience’s attention. This is often done through an introduction that includes a joke, astonishing fact or anecdote.
Informative speeches teach an audience through objective factual information. They share new trends or spread awareness about a topic, subject or event and typically require extensive research on the speaker’s part. Informative speakers should be aware of the fine line between informing and persuading and strive to avoid crossing that line with their speeches.
Speakers may use a variety of four primary methods to inform: definition, description, demonstration and explanation. Examples include describing an object or a process (such as how potato chips are made), explaining a person or event (such as a biography), and showing how something works in a hands-on demonstration.
Oftentimes, informative speaking takes on the form of motivational speeches. These speeches encourage listeners to take action and change their lives for the better. They can be incredibly persuasive when used in the right context and are characterized by strong charisma, vivid words and powerful body language.
This is the most common type of public speaking and is what most people do daily. It involves persuading others to go your way or to change their habits. For example, convincing a colleague to take on your project or persuading them to sign up as an organ donor.
Informative presentations often mix teaching, persuading and entertaining. For example, you might have to give a presentation on your latest project at work or report to a college lecture class. You also might have to demonstrate how a new technology works or teach your classmates how to prepare Mediterranean food.
To be an effective persuasive speaker you must identify your audience’s concerns and address them. This requires a clear understanding of how to use ethos, logos and pathos to convince an audience. For example, if you’re trying to convince people to reduce climate change, you might highlight how it will positively impact their community and the world.
Whether they're maids of honor or best men at weddings, classmates or parents presenting at graduation parties, or the winner at a talent show, speakers often present in motivational settings. These speeches typically include a personal touch, which helps to captivate the audience and deliver the message effectively.
The most common type of public speaking is informative. This can range from college lecture courses to industry conferences, but it also includes your coworkers wanting to know how to use a new piece of software or the community group asking about your trip to Morocco.
This type of speech requires practice on your part to perfect the voice inflections and nuances of language needed to convince your audience of a viewpoint. Politicians, lawyers and clergy members use this kind of public speaking when they seek votes or support for a cause. They often incorporate a lot of emotional appeals and strong language. Psychologist Albert Mehrabian is credited with saying that audiences decode about 55 percent of your meaning through nonverbal communication, 38 percent through vocalization and just 7 percent through words.
Often a mix of teaching, persuading and entertaining, ceremonial speaking occurs in a variety of settings. From a college lecture course to a company's senior executive delivering a presentation on last year's sales, these speeches are designed to inform and share vital information.
When it comes to persuasive public speaking, the stakes are higher -- and the skills required more sophisticated. Politicians, lawyers and clergy often engage in this type of speaking. These speeches require practiced voice inflections and nuances of language that will convince audiences to agree with the speaker's viewpoints.