The purpose of public speaking is to convey information to the audience or convince them of something. Public speaking is the most effective genre of public speaking as it involves live feedback from the audience.
What is typical for public speaking?
The structure of speech in public speaking is very different from everyday communication. In addition, not only linguistic means of persuasion are actively used, but also non-linguistic ones, such as gestures and facial expressions. The role of non-linguistic means is enormous: they grab the attention of the audience and make them want to share the speaker's emotions. Since the purpose of the speech is primarily persuasive, it is characterized by a focus on getting a response from the audience. These can be questions, and random remarks, and exclamations of approval.
Public speaking is extremely effective. Of course, the authority of the speaker in the eyes of the audience is very important, but a good speaker can win over even recent opponents. True, the course and nature of a public speech often depends on the psychological mood of the speaker, his belief in his own strengths and in the information that he is going to convey to the public.
Methods and techniques
The technique of conducting a conversation with a large audience has developed since ancient times. There are still certain rules for conducting public speaking, which largely determine their effectiveness.
First, the speaker's speech should be prepared in accordance with the social and educational level of the audience to which he intends to speak. Speech should be clearly structured and extremely clear to the public. Secondly, the information must be sufficiently objective and useful to the audience. Ideally, it should also be truthful. Thirdly, “a short speech for about forty minutes” is ineffective. It is difficult to keep the attention of a large number of people for a long time, so the duration of the monologue should be reduced to 15-20 minutes. If there is a lot of information, it is better to take breaks to voice questions, so the audience can relax. Fourth, the speaker must be emotional enough. This does not mean excessive gesture or movement throughout the performance area. A good speaker must be proficient in intonation techniques.
And finally, fifthly, special attention should be paid to the beginning and end of the performance. These stages are best remembered by the audience.
Of course, these techniques are variable - it all depends on the cultural level and specifics of the listeners of the speech. Significant factors are the goals of the speaker, and many other circumstances, up to where and under what conditions a public speech takes place - indoors or outdoors, in a small room or at a stadium, with the presence of VIPs or only in "his own" circle.
