Author Archive
Persuasion: Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
One of the best ways to organize a persuasive speech is with a method called Monroe’s Motivated Sequence. It is utilized in many television commercials is probably the most effective way to get people to take action. Well, it’s probably not as effective as forcing someone to do something at gunpoint, but the motivated sequence [...]
I Hate Public Speaking
I was searching in Twitter last night and I was rather surprised to see how many times the phrase “i hate public speaking” appeared in the search results.
Now, I’m not naive. I spent a few years teaching public speaking to college freshman who were required to take it, so I heard the phrase “i hate [...]
Something To Think About: Connotation
The next time you are writing an email, a speech, or any other form of communication, be aware of the connotations of the words you choose. Connotations matter…a lot.
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According to Wikipedia, the connotation of a word is the emotional [...]
Elements of an Informative Speech
There are several types of speeches, but in this article, I would like to discuss the parts of an informative speech. An informative speech is similar in structure to the five-paragraph essay structure you learned about in high school: an introduction paragraph, three main points (the body), and the concluding paragraph. You can think of [...]
3 Ways To Organize An Impromptu Speech
Impromptu speaking is tough. Just ask the 2007 Miss Teen South Carolina. You may have seen the video of this lovely young lady Carolina responding to a question about Americans being able to find the United States on a map. It’s about a year and a half old, but it still gets a lot of [...]
How To Practice Your Speech Or Presentation
Many beginning speakers may write great speeches, but then have trouble with delivery because they don’t know how to practice effectively. Try these ideas as you prepare to deliver your speech.
Tape record your speech, play it back, and listen for awkward phrasing, weak transitions, and nonfluencies, such as “you know”, “like”, “whatever,” “uh”, etc. Depending [...]
Speech Introductions
Would you be excited about hearing a speech that started like this?
“Good morning. My name is Bob, and I want to talk to you today about corporate ethics.”
That’s not a good way to start. Most of your audience will tune you out immediately if you start a speech like that. Announcing your topic at the [...]
