Lynbrook | Module #5: Public Speaking

Public Speaking MODULE 5 Carl Shan & Mihir Deo UC Berkeley 2014

Common fears in public speaking and how to get over them. Anxiety Shyness Fear of criticism and judgment Tools for Improvement Practice tips and strategies. Clubs and associations to look into. Important Speeches to look at as an example Tips on Impromptu Speaking Body Language Resources to use when trying to improve. Enunciation + Word Twisters Table of contents

Mihir and I are presenting this module on public speaking for several reasons. First, because we both believe it is one of the most important skills one could ever have. Imagine any sort of realistic job you will be attaining that doesn’t involve some sort of oral communication. There won’t be many. It’s a crucial lifeskill so why not get better at it now? Second, it’s difficult to conceptualize of strong, practical tips on how to get better at public speaking. Seriously. You won’t find many public speaking classes around the Bay, and when you do find them, they are often so rigid in curriculum that they’re only good for say, giving a large speech infront of an audience. Mihir and I are here to teach you spontaneous speaking and give tips that are applicable in all situations where you might be expected to speak in public. Finally, we wanted to make this module because it’s one of the biggest weaknesses of many people. You might have heard this before, but it’s true: public speaking is the number one fear in America. That’s right, even higher than death. That means that at a funeral, most people would rather be the guy in the coffin rather than the guy giving the eulogy. Wow. We don’t think this should be the case. We think that it shouldn’t be a fear at all, and if it is, we want all people to still be able to keep their fear under control and prevent it from affecting their performance. That’s why we made this module. Introduction Slide

PART 1 - FEARS The best defense against an overwhelming fear is to first understand it. Through thinking it through, you can come to the understanding that your fear is based more upon irrationality than any grounded reasons.

Three Most Common Fears: Negative Judgment Forgetting Material Natural Shyness

Negative Judgment Try to remember 3 of your friends who absolutely sucked and screwed up during a speech. Try to remember exactly what they did and how badly they messed up. I will bet you that honestly, it’s pretty hard to think of 3 instances huh? Here’s a news flash: most people don’t notice things. This includes the good and the bad things. The most embarrassing moments in your life are going to be remembered the most clearly by you. Sure others will get their chuckles in and perhaps rub it in every once in a while, but remember that for every embarrassing moment that you’ve had, you can be sure they’ve felt too. Most people don’t remember your slip-ups, especially if you don’ t ’ draw attention to them in the first place. Therefore, don ’ t be afraid to mess up. Nobody cares. And that ’ s good. Fear # 1 – Negative judgment

Forgetting the Material This is probably one of the most pungent fears any public speaker experiences. And trust me, we all have done it. No one has escaped the cruel grasp of short-term memory loss and it is definitely embarrassing when anyone falls under temporary Alzheimer's. However, the solution to this fear is threefold: First , be absolutely prepared. That means even if you forget a line, you know enough to make up the rest. This ties into the spontaneous speaking portion of the module that we’ll be covering. Second , don’t draw attention to your stumble. I’ve seen speakers gracefully and gracelessly react to their memory-loss. Some have stuttered, panicked or held an awkward silence. Other’s took it like a boss. They made a joke out of it, making it less awkward, immediately said ‘now moving on’ and in a verbal sleight of hand tricked the audience into thinking he didn’t miss anything at all, or even caused the audience to suffer their own memory lapse by moving on so quickly that his pause was left in the proverbial dust. Third and finally, use the above two arguments in conjunction with the one from the previous slide to complete this three-pronged attack. Even if you forget, other’s don’t even notice, or forget that you forgot even faster. Fear # 2 – forgetting material

Shyness Now this isn’t a fear per se, but rather a natural trait of an individual. However its effects can be just as devastating on one’s psyche so we thought it’d be best to address it as well. While shyness is a more natural trait of an individual, that doesn’t mean you have to display it in public when you’re giving a presentation. I believe that humans have evolved to correlate loudness and largeness with confidence. Even if you are shy, you can appear otherwise by speaking louder and using body language. Practice giving your speech at a volume you’re unused to speaking in (as in much much louder) to get comfortable hearing your voice so loudly before giving a speech. I teach a public speaking class and this is one of the first exercises I put them through. Fear # 3 - shyness

Carl: I was pretty shy all the way up until the middle of high school. I remember my palms would get sweaty and I would have flashes of me embarrassing myself before a big speech. Constant practice through joining the speech and debate club forced me to step outside my comfort zone enough until I finally understood how many of my fears of public speaking were unfounded. Really what it was was practice, practice and more practice.

It ’s very important to enunciate in your speeches, so you sound very clear! Here are some tongue twisters you can practice to train yourself to enunciate. When you say these, speak as clearly and loudly as you possible can. TT1: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked? TT2: Denise sees the fleece, Denise sees the fleas. At least Denise could sneeze and feed and freeze the fleas. TT3: Something in a thirty-acre thermal thicket of thorns and thistles thumped and thundered threatening the three-D thoughts of Matthew the thug - although, theatrically, it was only the thirteen-thousand thistles and thorns through the underneath of his thigh that the thirty year old thug thought of that morning TT4: I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the witch wishes, I won't wish the wish you wish to wish. TT5: There those thousand thinkers were thinking how did the other three thieves go through.

Impromptu Speaking- A Necessary Skill

For those of you who think that this skill is only helpful for an event in forensics, you are gravely mistaken. Impromptu speaking is something that is one of the most helpful tools to have in daily lives. Whether you need a quick thought on explaining to your teacher why you forgot your homework to having an interview for the college of your choice, thinking fast and being able to speak clearly is a tool that not many people are natural at. In the next slide, there are some helpful hints and tips when you have to suddenly give a speech.

1. Breathe. Upon receiving a topic or a question, feel free to say that you have not prepared a speech and need time to think about what has been asked of you. Many people think that when you are asked to give a speech or answer a question that you need to respond right away! That is not the case, at least 30 seconds to brainstorm. 2. Brainstorm- In 30 seconds, try to brainstorm all you can about the topic, but brainstorm in an organized fashion. The first thing you must brainstorm about is the body of what you are going to say. Every speech should be organized like an essay: it has an introduction, 2-3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion. It is important that you take the topic/question and turn it into a topic that is unique to your interests. Try to see if you can connect that question to a speech you have given before, and use the information from that speech to come up with the three “arguments” that you have about that particular subject. Next, come up with your introduction. I This doesn’t have to be too fancy, it can be a simple introduction to the topic, or a funny anecdote to start off what you are going to say. The conclusion should be thought of WHILE you are doing your speech. It consists of a summary of your 3 points, and you touch back to your introduction, just like in those old 7 th grade essays. 3. Speak. – This is the easiest part! You ’ve already brainstormed, and now its just time to turn it into words. Don’t think about anything else other than what you have to speak. If you get caught thinking about something else while speaking, then that’s where the “uhms” and “uhs” come in. Just focus on what you are speaking on, and keep the roadmap of your 2-3 points in your head. 4. Finish-. It ’s always important to have a good finish in your speeches. I’m not talking about the conclusion in your speech, but the confidence that you have when you finish your speech is key. When you finish, take a breath, but do not lose your composure. Maintain your composure in the same formal way that you gave your speech. P.S. Drawing a blank? If you draw a blank, and need to pause, incorporate that pause into yourspeech. That is the best way to avoid looking like you don ’t know what to say, and make it seem like the pause is an important step in your speech.

Talking with your body- Tips on Body Language

Body language is very important when it comes to speaking. Even if you have the skills of a honed expert, imagine Barack Obama oddly twisting around while giving the State of the Union, or ( I know this is a bad example, but he was a good speaker) Hitler falling over while rallying his troops. It doesn ’t really have the same power does it? That’s why correct body language is extremely important. In the next slide, there are some tips to correct body language during a speech.

Gesturing- This basically means using your hands when you speak. This is very important. When making a point, especially one very important to your speech, it is important to gesture and make it known that it is important. Don ’t gesture too much or too little. DISCLAIMER: The “loudness” of your gesturing should vary by your audience. If you are speaking to one person, you do not need very “loud” gestures, as it would be awkward if you had huge hand movements while talking to one person. Whereas if you have more than 10 people,feel free to make your gestures “louder” to prove your point. Maintain good posture- This is very important, as when you are giving a speech, no matter how inspiring, it won ’t come off as inspiring if it is given by a slouching figure. Stand up straight, put your shoulders back, puff your chest out( but not to the extent where you act like a king), and give your speech proudly. Maintain this posture for the entire speech. Walk- This is very important when giving a speech. It isn ’t very fun to see a person without a podium who stays in place during the whole speech. Especially if you have to speak on a serious topic, it can get boring for the listener. So walk around, and engage the listener so they don’t have to get tired of seeing you in one spot. One tool that I like to use is the speaker’s triangle. This involves moving in a triangle formation, and you move left, back, right, and back to your original position. You should walk everytime you move on to a new point in your speech, and TALK WHILE WALKING as well! This makes the speech seem more professional. Confidence- Even if you aren ’t confident about your speech, FAKE CONFIDENCE! It is always important to look confident while giving a speech, and even if you are scared to death, try to maintain facial features that allow you to not look nervous.

Speech & Debate – Speaking from personal experience, I can definitely say that this was one of those ‘life-changing’ clubs for me. I learned so much from the people, events and topics that I was forced to engage with in this club. You will be challenged and forced to put in a lot of effort—but take it from a guy who went through everything when I say that it’s worth it. Mock Trial – Another club where the art of rhetoric is heavily employed. This is another great foray into the realm of public speaking. FBLA, JSA, DECA – All these are various clubs where many presentations are given on a competitive basis. Joining these clubs in high school can be not only a great boost to your experience but for your communication skills as well. Clubs and associations

Conan O’Brien delivers the 2011 Dartmouth Address - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= KmDYXaaT9sA Using, wit, humor and expressive body language, the always amazing speaker O’Brien delivers a powerful message wrapped up in a bundle of humor. Steve Jobs gives the 2005 Stanford Address - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= UF8uR6Z6KLc Using the techniques and traits that have made him Apple’s one-man advertising machine, Jobs gives quite a great commencement address. Watch and see how he interweaves good points with his own insights, tying them together with personal stories. A great speech. Example of great speakers

None of what we’ve talked about so far is supposed to transform you into a Conan O’Brien or Steve Jobs overnight. None of us can do that; the only person with the immediate power to change your life is you. Yeah that’s cliché, but being a cliché doesn’t detract from its truthfulness. Note what we say, but also take it with a spoonful of salt. We talked about things that worked for us and believe that they can work for you, but that doesn’t mean that they will. Take from our advice what you agree with and leave the rest in the back of your head. Always remember that for a soft skill like public speaking, it’s ultimately going to be practice that makes you perfect. Don’t be afraid to work your butt off. Don’t be afraid to mess up, embarrass yourself and forget your thought on stage. Don’t let negativity prevent you from attaining positivity. You da bomb. Carl Shan & Mihir Deo Lynbrook High School CompassPoint Mentorship Closing Slide

Thank you! Carl Shan UC Berkeley [email_address]

Thank you! Mihir Deo UC Berkeley [email_address]

Lynbrook | Module #5: Public Speaking

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