🏛💭 Study Activity — Expert Tips 💭🏛
Markus Burns
About the quote
"The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause."
Twain knew effective speech is more than just the words you use. Allowing your audience time to process an engaging thought will often serve you better than quickly moving to your next point.
While long pauses may be awkward, the great public speakers recognize the power of the pause. Pausing allows you to gather your thoughts and plan your next point while avoiding filler phrases such as "um," "like," and "you know." Pauses also allow time for the audience to ingest your previous point and build anticipation for what's to come.
To get accustomed to pausing in speeches, count to two in between sentences while practicing. With time, these pauses will become natural.
About Mark Twain
Mark Twain (1835-1910) was an American humorist, journalist, and novelist best known for his treatment of life on the Mississippi River in works such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
About the quote
"A talk is a voyage. It must be charted. The speaker who starts nowhere, usually gets there."
Preparation is essential in any talk, no matter if it's to a small group or an audience of thousands.
You should consider the following key questions:
- What are your goals?
- What are the key takeaways for listeners?
- How do you want your audience to feel?
Answering these questions enables you to determine the logical flow for your speech and to make sure your audience experiences your talk as you intended.
About Dale Carnegie
Dale Carnegie (1888-1955) was a pioneer in the field of public speaking and author of How to Win Friends and Influence People and Public Speaking: A Practical Course for Business Men.
About the quote
"A good orator is pointed and impassioned."
Whether speaking to one person or many, you need to keep your audience's interest. Don't use many words when few will suffice. Make your key points, repeat them for emphasis, and show passion for your subject. A flat talk delivered is a monotone voice will leave your audience with a negative impression, no matter how insightful the speech.
About Cicero
Cicero (106 BCE-43 BCE) was an ancient Roman statesman, lawyer, and writer and was considered the greatest orator of his day.
About the quote
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Although research shows we listen about 45% of the time we're awake, we remember only about 25-50% of what we hear. The more time that passes, the fewer details we remember.
It's crucial to draw in the audience emotionally to connect them to your general themes. Speak directly and passionately, and make unique, conterintuitive points that your audience will remember. If the subject allows for it, strategically use humor.
About Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was a poet, educator, and actress who explored African American experience, gender, and economics in the United States in her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and other works.
About the quote
"A great speaker convinces us not by force of reasoning, but because he is visibly enjoying the beliefs he wants us to accept."
Connecting with the audience is about more than the content of your speech. Audience members pick up on nonverbal cues, so it's important to show them that you enjoy being there and care deeply about your subject. Smile, exude passion in your voice, and use friendly gestures.
About W. B. Yeats
William Butler Yeats (1865-2014) was an Irish writer who crafted some of the most celebrated and influential poems of the 20th century and won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1923.
About the quote
"The finest language is mostly made up of simple, unimposing words."
While a strong vocabulary is essential to reading comprehension and precision in speaking and writing, using too many complex words can confuse your audience and obscure your central point.
Use language appropriate for the audience; don't use jargon that might be unfamiliar.
Eliot's own novels are of complex psychological depth without using overly obscure language. They remain intensely readable today because of her use of direct language.
About George Eliot
George Eliot (1819-90) was a Victorian English novelist who pioneered the use of psychological analysis in fiction in novels such as Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda.