Public Speaking

Instructional methods can be divided into one-way and two-way methods. In the one-way method, the direction of the information is from the instructor to the audience. In the two-way method, information is exchanged in both ways. These methods are also known as content-centred or learner-centred activity. In practice, lectures are generally one-way and training courses are two-way.

The methods in each style are quite different but they both have their uses. Lectures are suitable for a large audience, where interaction is not possible or time consuming. Even though lectures are very useful as a teaching method, delivering a training course in the form of a lecture is not recommended as the training session could become boring and unproductive. This article explores the one-way instructional method and suggests solutions to make the experience more interactive or memorable without losing the benefits of a lecturing activity.

This is another Interactive Pause exercise used during a lecture or talk to help the participants to quickly go over the content they have just been thought and record the key points. These kinds of exercises encourage participation in learning environments where you are forced to use a one-way instructional method such as lecturing.

This activity is useful as an add-on to lectures, talks or presentations to make them more interactive and memorable. An interactive pause used during or after a lecture stops the current flow of content and allows the audience to do something about what they have just been told. This helps them to go over the content quickly and somewhat participate before the speaker can move on. This exercise is an example of such interactive pause delivered at the end of a lecture or a talk.

For many people public speaking doesn’t come naturally and they may develop a fear largely because of the way the society puts pressure on people who are in the spotlight. However, public speaking is a skill and like any other skill it can be learned.

If you are afraid of something, the best way to get rid of it is to face it. If you face it in a controlled environment where there will be no damage to you or your reputation, you can experiment and learn quickly.

This excellent exercise helps the delegates to face one of the greatest fears a public speaker may have and overcome it.

It is well known that presenting is different from training. A good trainer focuses on delegates and his intention is to transfer a set of skills to them. In contrast a presenter is interested to report what has already been accomplished for the benefit of the audience. Although they are both public speakers, their roles are fundamentally different. A good trainer should put the delegates at the centre of the learning process and continuously use novel interactive high retention methods to make sure the delegates learn the new skills and remember them well after the course is finished.

How exactly can a trainer achieve this? The following is a number of core principles a good trainer should follow to get quality results from the training he provides.

If there is one thing less appealing than giving a public talk is giving a bad one. If you haven’t prepared your speech don’t have high expectations. Experience shows that giving a speech without prior preparation often fails to impress.

Public speaking is not most people’s ideal way of delivering their message or selling their ideas and products. We much rather write to people about our cause than give a speech in to a group of people. Especially if it is going to be in front of unfamiliar faces. Fear of failure, being unfairly judged or even not accurately delivering what we are passionate about is what makes public speaking so unpopular.

A well structured and interesting speech combined with expression of passion and interest in the subject makes the whole experience easier and even enjoyable. Delivering a speech that you have written means that you will be in control of expressions, examples and conclusions. You can decide how successful, interesting, informing or humorous your speech is and how much it would influence those listening. Knowing the basic guidelines to write an engaging and enlightening speech will increase your confidence while delivering and ultimately plays an important role in increasing the rate of success in your personal and professional lives.

This article explains six steps essential to composing a successful speech and contains some useful tips on how to make the process as flawless as possible.