Speech Mastery: Beyond the Basic Informative Speech

Reference & EducationWriting & Speaking

  • Author Jonathan Steele
  • Published September 29, 2008
  • Word count 671

Can you improve your public speaking by going beyond the basic informative speech?

Anyone who has given a public speech knows about creating an introduction, body and conclusion. This is the basic public speech writing requirement.

However, is it possible you can advance as a speaker, improve yourself and give even more to your audience? Have you stretched beyond your comfort level to grow in your talent and skills?

Considering just two aspects of informative speech writing can help you improve your public speaking. These are the foundation of your speech and the materials you build your speech out of.

The Informative Speech Foundation

Start with a foundation. No, not an outline of how you will prepare your speech. A foundation that requires some digging. A foundation that lays the basis for what you will say.

Just as foundation requirements of a building are dependent on the ground to be built upon and the type of building, how best to build your speech depends on the audience.

Take the time to learn about your audience. Speak to meet their needs.

What are the demographics?

What are the learning styles?

What are the educational backgrounds?

What kinds of things make them loose sleep at night?

Digging to find out these aspects of your audience will help you create a foundation on which to better build a talk on.

In addition to digging and building a foundation, the materials used in building a talk can enhance your public speaking.

The Building Materials of Your Talk

With the foundation work in place, next consider the materials you will build your speech out of.

What are the mental triggers?

What do you know about the audience mind?

What kind of questions will best arouse interest in the introduction?

Experienced speakers know that the introduction needs to arouse interest. Tapping into the power of emotional triggers, start with a story, illustration or question.

If you use a question, use the problem-then-solution format.

For instance, " Are you failing to build rapport with your audience because you do not know how the audience’s mind works?

Whatever thread you start in the introduction, it needs to follow through the body to the conclusion.

With a foundation to build on and superior materials to build with, you are ready to start building a speech to wow the audience.

Asking these questions and using psychological techniques along with speech skills will exponentially improve your rapport with your audience.

Consider an example of how you can improve your speaking by an example of one change in the way you think. In this case, it is an emotional need.

An Example

Suppose you are speaking to a group of realtors and in a survey you find that 72% have children and or grand children. If the market is down what will be one of the most important things on their mind? How they will provide for their families.

Is your goal to educate them on how to improve chances of making sales in a down market?

Making sales may not be the thing that keeps them up at night.

If, instead you appeal to the emotional triggers, you will improve your ability to reach your audience. In a down market little can be done to sell more that what buyers want to buy. However, surviving in a down market would be information that could help the real estate agents.

This change can open a world of possibilities for the creation of your talk.

So when possible, speak to satisfy the emotional need.

Grow as a Speaker

These two aspects of speech writing or creation can help you grow as a public speaker.

Learn how to start digging to find out more about your audience. Start learning the psychological tactics to make your speech reach the audience mind.

These suggestions work because they tap into the way our brains are hard wired. So give a better speech by digging and creating a better foundation and using better materials.

Best wishes on your next speech

Jonathan Steele, RN is a health care public speaker, writer, and host of a public speaking web site.

To learn more about informative public speaking go to http://www.speechmastery.com/informative-speech.html

Check out our latest project to promote public speaking: http://www.speechmasteryblog.com

Article source: https://articlebiz.com
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