Public Speaking

When doing a presentation, a lecture, or a speech, there are several guidelines a public speaker should follow. Their appearance should be “attractive to the audience,” (Adler, 395) their movement should be flowing and their walking should express confidence and enthusiasm, posture should mean standing square and upright, your facial expression should mirror your feelings and emphasize them, and especially maintain eye contact. It is the “most important nonverbal facet of delivery.” (Adler, 396)

Auditory aspects of delivery also need to be focused on. Some factors that make a presentation efficient include volume (the loudness of your voice), rate (the speed at which you speak), pitch (“the highness or lowness of your voice” (Adler 397)), and articulation (“pronouncing all the words properly and nothing else” (Adler 398)).

John F Kennedy was a very good speaker, one of the most well known. In the clip below you can see as to why he was so well understood. His speaking was clear, and he was extremely confident sounding. He made eye contact with the crowd, and followed all the other guidelines. He addressed the crowd with determination and explained the situation fully and effectively. There are many other great examples of his speech skills that can be found all over the net, but his attitude in this one struck me as very confident and he understood the issue completely. This is completely different than the current president George Bush’s public speaking capabilities.

Works Cited

Adler, Ronald B., and George Rodman. Understanding Human Communication. New York: Oxford, 2006.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0JLe97fP5M