From the author: About the best and universal technologies for preparing a public speaking in an article published in one of the largest European magazines. “Bright, memorable, informative” - this is what listeners say about it if you were “at the top of your game.” “A reliable means of achieving goals and the best way to attract people’s attention,” say professionals. Also, many of us know that public speaking has its undesirable companions: stage fright and stress. How to program a public speaking for success? First stage. Preparing a public speech. Step 1. Determine what type of speech is important to you, and what end result, in accordance with it, you want to get: convey information, support a discussion, or provoke a response? There are three main types of public speech: “I want tell you..." or a speech to convey information. You are giving a lecture, seminar, training, or simply informing listeners about something new and interesting. “I want to know your opinion...” or a speech to support the discussion. You are interested in the opinions of listeners and express your own opinion. “I want you to do ...” or speech to evoke an emotional response and encourage the audience to take a certain action. Let's say you're telling a joke and getting laughter in the audience, or convincing employees to adopt new ways of working. There are situations when you need to use several types of public speaking, but it is important to remember that one of them should be the key one. Step 2: Formulate the main purpose of public speaking .This is a very important step. Ask yourself questions: - what do I want to achieve? - Why am I giving this performance? - By what criteria will I understand that the performance was successful? The answers to these questions should be very clear, specific and carry a positive charge. Example. Imagine that you are opening a corporate party. It takes place on the last day of the working week. You know that employees arrive at the restaurant straight from the office and understand that they are tired and need time to get used to the new environment and get into a “holiday mood.” In this regard, your goal may be formulated as follows. “I want to entertain people because they need to relax after a hard day at work. I will understand that my public speaking is successful if, within fifteen minutes, people look at me, smile and even laugh in response to my words, make humorous remarks from their seats, quickly answer my questions, and my public speaking ends with applause.” Why set multiple success criteria? If you have many (at least five) criteria for success, it is much easier for you to improve your speaking skills - you have a clearer idea of ​​what you need to do during a public speech. For example, in order for “people to laugh and make jokes from their seats,” you need to stop at least three times and keep short and effective pauses. Plus, if there are multiple criteria, you can avoid the feeling of failure. If, for example, one of the five criteria is not met, then you have achieved 80% success! So, the more criteria, the easier it is to model success! Step 3. Understand who is in front of me. Audience analysis is necessary because you need to align your intentions with the needs and expectations of your listeners. Regardless of whether you gather an audience yourself or you have organizers (or customers), you need to get answers to questions. - Who will be present at your public speaking? You can make a plate with the following columns: “last name, first name, patronymic”, “profession”, “position”, “age”, “gender”, “attitude to the topic of the speech”, “knowledge of the subject of the speech”, etc. - Whose presence is important to you to achieve your goal? - What is the size of the intended audience? - What was said in the invitation? - What do people expect from the performance? - What do the organizers want and expect from you?(customers)? And... summary question: how do the answers to these questions fit with your goal? Understanding the composition, needs and mood of the audience before starting a public speech will help you choose the right approach, content and structure of a public speech. Step 4. Working with the text. Any speech must contain a beginning, main part and ending. Structure of the beginning of a public speech: Say hello. Introduce yourself .Indicate how long your speech will take.Inform the main purpose and background of your speech.Get the attention of the audience: what will the speech give them, what will they learn, what will they learn, etc.Talk about the plan of your speech.Explain the rules of behavior during the speech . (Ask to turn off mobile phones, determine when you can ask questions, etc.). The structure of the main part of a public speech, according to Brian Lomas, a famous English lecturer and business consultant, can be built in one of five forms. Sequential form. You move from one significant point of the main part to another, observing the chronology of events. Narrative form. You start with a metaphor (story, parable, proverb) and discuss the moral and conclusions that follow from it, and then connect it to the topic of your public speech and move on to its detailed disclosure. Analytical form. The first option: consider the same situation, subject from different points of view, compare them, draw conclusions. Second: outline the entire process of analyzing the situation (algorithm) step by step, from the beginning to the final result. Logical form. Using it, the speaker makes a series of statements, with each of which the audience must agree. Descriptive form. Used when the material is difficult to fit into any obvious sequence. For example, you draw with words a certain image (of a person, event, place), and strive to make it present to your listeners. Structure of the end of a public speech: Summarize, draw conclusions. Remind the audience of the main points of the speech. Say where you can get additional information on this topic. Give people the opportunity to ask the most important questions about the topic of the speech. After answering the questions, remind the purpose of your speech and say that it has been achieved. Share your expectations with the audience: what you expect from them as a result of the speech. Thank everyone for their attention and activity during the presentation. “You must always end your speech with some highly positive statement in order to exceed the expectations of the audience, and at the same time make them want to continue the presentation,” says Brian Lomas. Second stage. Preparing the speaker. Step one. Working with the speech. 12 criteria for effective speech. The oral part of public speaking is the most important, because a random, unsightly word can ruin the whole impression. And therefore this part must be prepared especially seriously. Most experts believe that a speaker's speech must meet twelve criteria. The speech must be understandable to the target audience. The strength of the voice, the pace of speech, the style of language always depend on the target audience. This means that the more you speak in front of different people, the faster you need to adapt. Complete the task to develop flexibility and creativity: while preparing your speech, imagine that you are speaking in front of the courtiers of a certain king, and then in front of aliens who have set foot on earth for the first time. Note the differences and similarities in your speech patterns and manner of presentation, and then return to practicing the speech for your real audience. The tone of the speech should be positive. Speak cheerfully, energetically, with a sincere desire to share your ideas with the audience and hear the opinions of listeners. Speech should be concise. Sentences are short. After you write your report, shorten it. First, cut at the sentence level, then at the word level. Olga Azarova, specialist in the fieldbusiness presentations, recommends using the formula known to many outstanding speakers “KISS = Keep It Short and Simple!” “Keep it short and simple!” The speech should be memorable and imaginative. Speech should contain images and examples that attract people’s attention and serve as a guide for them. Associate some bright, positive words and expressions with the subject of your public speech and use them. (Unique, one of a kind, reflecting cutting-edge scientific achievements, etc.) Emphasize the merits of your ideas through comparisons and analogies. Example: “...compared to existing approaches, our approach to solving this issue has a number of important advantages...” Use numbers as arguments. This is necessary so that the audience “ties knots for memory”, in other words, connects important facts with numbers in their minds and thus better remembers the significant moments of your public speech. For example: “...I will offer you three ways to solve this problem.” Use an active style of presentation that leads the audience to clear conclusions. If you speak in front of people, you are by definition a leader, even if only for fifteen minutes, which means your speech should be active, strong, that is, one that uses the active voice. (“I can say for sure that...”, “I want to especially emphasize that...”, “I guarantee you that...”, etc.). Verbs instead of nouns. Use verbs if you want to motivate listeners to action: think, formulate, suggest, imagine, imagine, look, analyze, compare, do... Only positive words and formulations. You should avoid using words that cause passivity, unpleasant experiences or negative associations: leave, abandon, sleep, bottom, insignificant, stupid... Words that should be used: comfortable, pleasant, harmonious... Avoid phrases like: “It’s not done that bad at all” . Say: “This is done well.” If you need to criticize, suggest actions! Proposing an action works much better than criticizing because it points to a solution to the problem. “To improve quality, we suggest...” Use the question “why?”, make the audience think with you! Ask this question if you want to lead your listeners to an original idea, unconventional solution, or conclusion. “Why do you think it should look like this?” And then answer your own question, and also give the most active participants the opportunity to answer. Afterwards, summarize, paying attention to similarities in views. And at the same time say “we”. “Thus, we are convinced...” Avoid the jargon! Step 2. Master the methods of self-regulation. “Correct breathing.” Many people know that breathing is an indicator of stress. Therefore, during public speaking, constantly monitor your breathing! As a rule, if we are stressed, we do not notice how we breathe. Meanwhile, our breathing at such moments can be of two types: either superficial and frequent, or rare, with long intervals between inhalation and exhalation. The disadvantages of such options are obvious - the required amount of oxygen does not enter the body and carbon dioxide does not leave it, which means that the stressful state is aggravated. So, if you notice that something is wrong with your breathing, exhale! Use a pause in speech for this. Tilt your head forward slightly. Let your exhalation be as long and smooth as possible. There is only one criterion for a good exhalation: you automatically, naturally want to inhale. And let the inhalation also be smooth and deep, commensurate with the exhalation. "Working with the body." The body reacts to stress with muscle clamps. The head sinks into the shoulders, the posture becomes distorted, and movements become constrained. A good way to counteract this is to imagine yourself as a doll, suspended by the top of your head by an invisible thread. You can achieve the feeling that your physical stress on your body is reduced and your spine is straightened. This means it is easier to maintain good posture and smooth movements. "Working with the imagination." If the audience!