Course No: 1181
Course Title: English
Submitted To
Hamalina Nigam
Assistant Professor
English Discipline
Khulna University
Submitted By
Md. Towhidul Islam
Student ID: 200913
Electronics and Communication Engineering Discipline,
Khulna University
Submission Date: 30-08-2020
HOW TO BECOME A GOOD SPEAKER
A person who gives speeches or lectures to a large group of people is called a public
speaker. Public speaking is an art. To be a powerful and smart speaker is a necessity in
practically every profession. Speaking with fluency and accuracy has become one of the
basic tools of assessment in selecting students for various jobs. Good speaking quality
helps a person to be successful, established, and also familiar. So, the development of
speaking skills has become one of the prerequisites in the modern era.
Fortunately speaking is a skill that can be learned, studied, polished, and enhanced by
regular hard work and persistence.
Speaking can be a powerful tool to motivate, influence, persuade, inform, entertain, and
produce better results. However, very few people are by born speakers. But with proper
planning, preparation, and practice, anyone can enhance his speaking skills. Four major
stages are to be kept in mind while speaking. The stages are discussed below:
Planning: When A speaker plans for a presentation or a speech, he should do some
research on the topic and acquire the required knowledge. He should understand the
purpose and objectives of the speech.
A good speaker shouldn’t memorize the speech word for word, he should plan it out
because he aims to communicate not to perform. He should focus on the message
rather than making a presentation. As a result, he can present more naturally and the
audience will perceive its authenticity.
Preparation: By taking proper preparation, a speaker can enrich his speech. He should
have prepared a presentation or speech by giving it a logical flow and making it more
relevant. He should discuss the main points, sub-points to make his presentation more
realizable for the listeners.
A speaker should use supporting information, compare and summarize the body to
make the speech effective and adaptable by taking equitable preparation.
Practice: We know that “Practice makes a man perfect.” A good speaker should
practice repeatedly in front of the mirror or friends with confidence and comfort until his
words flow smoothly and easily. This will help him to calm his jitters and make him feel
more comfortable.
A good speaker should bear in mind that he should have to be a polished version of
himself by practicing more and more.
Presentations: A speaker's efforts depend on proper presentation. So, he should give
emphasize verbal as well as nonverbal aspects like gestures, postures, eye contact,
dressing properly, etc. A speaker should avoid the use of jargon and should maintain
appropriate volume, pleasant tone, and appropriate pitch and inserting pauses. While
speaking, he must be conscious of the correct articulation of sounds.
To be persuasive, a good speaker must begin with the listener’s mind and know the
techniques of expressing the views and also outlines the crux of the speech. Besides a
speaker should capture the attention by focusing on the main aspects of the
presentation and bringing out innovative ways that create an impression in the mind of
the listener.
To be an effective and good speaker, one must keep a few guidelines that not only
attract the attention of the audience but also establish the credibility of the speaker. The
guidelines are discussed below:
Opening: It is important to capture the attention of the audience within the first two
minutes. A strong opening will establish a powerful impression on the audience.
Because the first impression creates a strong influence on the listeners.
In the beginning, one must give a statement that creates a surprise and establish the
seriousness in the audience. A speaker should point out the important contents with
supporting ideas. Humor should be incorporated in the content or by the speaker when
required. Personal experience and anecdotes should also be used in the content when
required and not include statements that may be controversial.
Using appropriate body language: A speaker should match his body language with
the theme of his speech. It is the non-verbal form of communication. The language of
confidence which begins by how a speaker holds himself. He also should have to avoid
fidgeting, slumping in his seat, clasping his hands, and remaining stoned face. He
should try to remain normal by using appropriate gestures, facial expressions, and
poses.
Speaking with conviction: A speaker needs to be convinced about what he is saying if
he wants to have an impact on his listeners. He should inform the audience about the
objectives and develop each point with an example that encourages the audience
To avoid reading from notes: A speaker should avoid reading from notes because
reading out from handwritten notes doesn’t have a positive impact on the listeners. It
doesn’t add to the speaker’s credibility. So, he must incorporate innovative methods to
take up the discussion at a different level.
Speaking with passion: To communicate with people through speech a speaker needs
to have a passion for his subject. He needs to exude a level of sincerity in his emotion
while speaking. The more the speaker knows about the subject, the stronger will be his
position, and more passionate and convincing will be his delivery.
Vocal elements: Vocal elements like; adjusting the volume, pitch, rate of delivery,
pauses, good punctuation, etc. are very important aspects of effective speaking. The
pitch should be optimal, the volume should be inserted appropriately and vocalized
pauses are to be avoided to make speech impressive.
Maintaining eye contact: A speaker should maintain proper eye contact with the
listeners as it makes the audience believe in the speaker and what he is saying.
Projecting Confidence: Confidence is the key for any public speaker. According to a
study published by the University of Wolverhampton, “A highly confident speaker is
viewed as being more accurate, competent, credible, intelligent, knowledgeable, likable
and believable than the less confident uncertain speaker.” When speaking in public, it’s
natural to be nervous. Mark Twain once said, “There are only two types of speakers in
the world (i)the nervous and (ii) the liars.” So, it is very clear that by projecting
confidence, the desired goal of the speaker will be achieved.
Fear of public speaking: Public speaking causes headaches, nausea, sweaty,
paleness, etc. People often get stressed out just by anticipating the moment of
addressing a group of people. However, the speaker’s speaking nerves may be used to
make his speech exciting. Visualizing success is important for a speaker to accept that
he might make some sort of mistakes like stumbling upon a word, losing his train
thought, etc. Deep breathing exercise before speaking is an effective way to control
nerves.
Analyzing the audience: A speaker should analyze the audience because it’s a matter
of mindshare. So, he should analyze the age of the audience's, educational level,
technical knowledge, political interests, cultural backgrounds, experience level, etc.
Closing: The closing is a way of reinforcing the message and must also be memorable.
People will remember the last thing that they hear. An ideal speaker should follow some
ways to close a speech. He can tell a story, quote someone, summarize the main points
of his speech, end with a visual aid, etc.
In summary, the best way to become a good speaker is by having a message that a
speaker believes in, that the audience can connect to. The connection between a
speaker and the audience allows the audience to truly to listen the message and be
inspired. It takes a lot of practice and experience to become a powerful speaker. By
emulating the mentioned characteristics of effective public speakers, anyone can
become more inspiring and more influenced.