Studying and evaluating the techniques of other speakers is an excellent way to become a better public speaker and gaining some feedback. Feedback from others is the fastest way to improve ourselves. Sometimes feedback isn’t exactly what we expect and can be something we don’t want to hear, but ultimately it’s what helps us grow and improve. Feedback motivates a person and helps to make corrections and changes to perfect a speech. The most powerful thing a speaker can do to interact with their audience is to ask for feedback. It shows the speaker values the audience’s opinion. The only way to improve as a speaker is to get feedback. Knowing what your strengths are as a speaker as well as the areas where there is room for growth is key for development as a presenter. For this essay I was tasked on critiquing informative speech about the city of Seattle. In this essay I will provide information and her two strongest qualities in her speech, which were her knowledge on the subject and speaking voice, and the only weakness in her speech which was when she turned her back to the audience.
There are probably as many ways to delivering a speech as there are public speakers. Each speaker has his own way of going about the business of administering a speech. Whatever the procedure, the audience will want to discover it. In general, when a speech is given, the audience will find out whether the speech is given from memory, from manuscript, or extempore; and, if it is, whether the person spoke with or in absence of notes. One of the best strategies a speaker can have is to identify an area of knowledge or an issue that deeply interests them. There are many advantages to searching in an area of interest for the topic of your speech. As you research your topic, you will move from having an interest to having a good understanding and give a speaker some expertise on the subject. When. was giving her speech on the city of Seattle the audience could visibly see that she was enthusiastic and familiar with the topic. She stated she has visited the city many times before making her a credible source to give information about the city itself. When giving a speech it’s best to choose a topic that a speaker is familiar with as they will have the topic memorized and understand what they are talking about. In. Case she did not use any more cards or sheet which proved to the audience how much of an expert she was on the city of Seattle.
Many factors fall into consideration when you are giving a speech such as vocals, organization, and language. This is knowing how to change and use your voice when speaking to set the tone of a speech. This is just a big category that separates into many smaller ones like vocal emphasis, volume, tone, rate and articulation. When you speak, your voice is your most important tool. It influences the impact of your speech and can make or break its success. When. Was presenting she had a loud and clear voice which could be heard all the way in the back where I was seated. She spoke confidently and had an enthusiastic tone in her voice that received the audience’s attention and had them excited which was mirrored by her enthusiasm. The goal of a speaker is to make the audience interested in the topic of a speech and inform the audience about that topic. She achieved this by having and setting the right tone when she was presenting her speech.
Eye contact is part of everyday communication and an audience can feel uncomfortable if they aren’t getting that. Making eye contact with individuals gives them a feel involved in a presentation and helps the audience to understand the main points of a speech. Making contact helps to maintain an audience’s interest and encourages them to believe that you are genuinely interested in talking to them. Many people do exactly the same thing when doing a PowerPoint presentation. They turn their back to the audience and look at what’s up on the screen.
Turning your back to the audience during a presentation is a huge mistake as you lose eye contact with your audience, which will cause them to lose focus on the speech. MMMMMM Turned her back at the start of her speech which made it seemed like she wasn’t prepared for her speech or made it seem like she threw it together at the last minute and didn’t know what she was reading. When doing a PowerPoint presentation and a speaker turns their back to the audience to read the slide, it looks like they don’t know what’s on the slide and end up losing credibility.
Presenting a speech can have its difficulties, whether it is you not having a loud speaking voice or nervousness, you still have to have the ability to deliver a great speech to your audience. By choosing a topic she was familiar with, was able to speak with confidence and enthusiasm which helped grab the audience’s attention. That’s one of the main rules when it comes to giving an informative speech so that the audience takes you serious as a credible source. Overall her speech was really well done with great visuals, great hand gestures, and even completed her speech within the time allotted. Her only weakness was at the start of the essay when she turned her back to the audience and read what was up on the power point which I stated makes a speaker look less credible.
MMMM gave a great example of what every great speech should be like and by critiquing her speech I am able to pick up some helpful tips of my own to give the perfect speech every time. With all great speeches a speaker needs the perfect ending to conclude a speech. MMMM gave us a helpful insight on what we can expect and informed the class on what Seattle has in store for anyone wanting to visit and implored we visit Seattle for ourselves and made me want experience the city first hand.