The Art of Public Speaking

Happy Sunday everyone and welcome to a new week. To all my Moslem brothers and sisters, I say Eid Mubarak (I hope I got that right). I hope we all had Sallah meat in abundance; if you didn’t there’s always next year. I was really blessed in church today – we had a fun discussion about love and all its accompaniments, a very relevant topic in this present time where love has been abused and misunderstood. I also learnt something outside of the sermon which I will share with my readers today. If you are a frequent reader of my posts, then by now you know that I believe everything (or almost everything) in life is an art form. My reason is quite simple; most activities require a set of rules and are shaped following a certain scheme or pattern. They also require constant practice to master. Of all the great “arts”, there is one I believe every body can master,  with constant practice. It is the art of public speaking.

When we hear public speaking, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a motivational speaker or the chief speaker for the debating society back in high school. It’s not limited to those activities; preachers, salesmen, marketers and even lecturers are people who all engage in public speaking on a daily basis. The people who are paid to speak, do so to pass a certain message across. However, this goal is not always achieved (just ask the electrical engineering students in Unilag). No longer will people sleep or play 2048 while you are speaking; just pay attention and you can become public speaker extraordinaire.

1. Know your aim. What do you want to say? How do you want to pass across the information? You need to be well-informed about the subject matter so that you can dish it out expertly to others.

2. Create a flow. Introduce the subject,  make your point(s), and conclude. This way your presentation gels and is well organised.

3. Speak to your audience. Who are you talking to?  Are they young, old, hungry, busy? Do they understand the language you speak?  Tailor your presentation to the class of people you are speaking to, so that you constantly have their attention and they understand you.

4. Packaging 101. As a friend of mine will say, all na packaging. Be conscious of your attire. A man in sagging trousers will not have my attention, a lady dressed in tight revealing clothing is a distraction to everyone including herself; how do you make the best of the time when you’re doing all you can to keep the “girls” tucked in? Appear smart and responsible, people listen when you appear to know what you’re talking about.

5. Vocalise. This new craze of talking with your tongue between your teeth will not cut it. Open your mouth and speak. Nobody is asking you to shout or force an accent, but talk as eloquently as you can. Pronounce your words carefully and audibly, don’t rush through sentences. If you can’t be heard, then your message will not be heard.

6. Break the Ice. I was once the only person awake in my Further Mathematics class back in high school. At other times, I’ve walked into a seminar hall and found half the audience asleep. Bottom line, the speaker was boring. Find a way to ease the tension and make everyone, including yourself, comfortable. Make use of one-liners or light-hearted banter; you’re allowed to stray off the subject matter for a few seconds if it keeps your listeners alert and attentive. Nobody enjoys a bore.

Before you make a presentation, go over your points so they don’t sound recited. Be prepared to answer questions from all angles. I hope I’ve been able to share something with us today. Now, if only my power electronics lecturer would read this…