4. Audience’s general reaction to a persuasive speech & considerations to bear in mind while giving a persuasive speech.
Suggested answer: You will seldom be able to persuade all your listeners; some will be so opposed to your views that you have absolutely no chance of changing their minds, others will already agree with you so there is no need to persuade them, some are undecided, and some who just don’t care. Most often you will have a particular part of the whole audience that you most want to reach with your speech. That part is called the ‘target audience’.
Public Speaking and Communication
1. Learning from experience - your own and others’ previous public speaking experience.
Suggested answers:
~ use speaking outline, it helps to keep you focused and organised
~ speak loudly & clearly, it gives you not only a positive image but also courage and confidence
~ smile & be friendly, look directly at the audience, when they respond positively you’ll feel more at ease
2. Visualisation technique: how to would visualise a successful public speaking scenario.
Suggested answer: The week before I gave my speech, I would find quite spots where I could relax. I would close my eyes and visualise myself giving an effective presentation. I saw myself arriving at my classroom early on the day I was to speak. Calmly I would walk to my seat. I’d sit down, check my speaking notes and collect my thoughts. When my tutor called my name, I got up from my seat and walked confidently to the front of the room. I looked at my classmates and smiled. I paused, took a deep breath and started speaking. I visualised myself being relaxed and delivering my speech as I had planned, with enthusiasm, clarity and confidence. I felt good talking about a topic that was interesting and important to me. I visualised my classmates smiling, nodding in agreement as I explained my ideas. I concluded with a meaningful quotation. I paused, smiled as they applauded and then walked to my seat. My tutor even said to me, ‘It’s a good speech!’
3. Setting realistic goals.
Suggested answers:
1. Complete my speech within 4-5 minutes – I would practise with my speaking notes, adjust my speed of presentation or add/reduce the content of my speech to make sure it’s not too long/short.
2. Maintain audience’s interest – I would talk on an interesting topic, use vivid examples to make my ideas clear, include jokes & change my volume, pace &intonation to keep them interested
4. Formulate questions for post-presentation evaluation.
Suggested answers:
- Audience interest: Were my audience interested in my topic? Were my attention-getting strategies effective?
- Nervousness: Did I show any nervous symptoms? Did I feel very nervous? Did I control my nervousness with appropriate strategies?
- Introduction and conclusion: Did I start/end well? Was my attention statement successful in preparing the audience for my topic? Did I sum up my speech well?
- Organisation of ideas: Was my organisation of main ideas, supporting information and/or elaboration systematic, logical and easy to follow? Did the audience have any difficulty in following/understanding my explanation or ideas?
- Transition: Were the transitions I used effective in guiding the audience throughout my presentation? What other transitions could be used to link ideas more effectively?
Public Speaking and Communication
1. Sources to do your research.
Suggested answers: Books, Internet, CD-ROM, journals, online databases, encyclopaedias etc
2. Organisational pattern of the main ideas of your speech.
Suggested answer: Topical pattern
3. Supporting materials you would use in your speech, why & how you would use them.
Suggested answers: I’d use examples, testimonial evidence, definition of terms, narration, description; these supporting materials would make my speech more credible, interesting and allows my audience to understand my main ideas better
5. Personal response toward the speech outline.
Suggested answers:
- Yes, the format makes it easy for me to plan what I want to say from the start (introduction) till the end (conclusion)
- Yes, it’s more organised, systematic, easier for me to present and for the audience to follow my presentation
- Yes, I know how to start and end my speech, how to present my main ideas as well as supporting ideas in a logical sequence; with the outline I don’t have to worry about forgetting anything important
6. Impromptu Speech: My public speaking experience.
Sample answer:
The last time I was asked to give a speech was during the school speech day. I was asked to say a few words on behalf of the Form 5 students. I discussed with my English teacher what to say and I practised several times but on that day, I was still very nervous. I was practically reading my script and did not look at the audience. I felt very relieved after speaking on the stage and when I asked my friends how it was, they said nobody really paid any attention because my voice was too soft - I stood too far from the microphone! From this experience, I learn that before speaking in the public, we have to check to make sure our voice could be heard clearly by everyone. Also, we have to maintain constant eye contact with the audience to see how they respond to what we are speaking and to communicate with them more effectively.
4. Sample Preparation/Formal Outline: