Key Takeaways
Hopefully, this section will have given you some useful tools to create engaging presentations and to communicate in a wide range of communication contexts: from meetings to Ted Talks.
Key Takeaways
- Think of public speaking as a type of advocacy. When you share information with others, you’re advocating for a particular perspective and calling your audience in to listen to your perspective.
- Public speaking is when a speaker attempts to move an audience by advocating for a purposeful message — through informing, persuading or entertaining— in a particular context.
- Advocacy means promoting an idea, cause, concept or information, saying “this idea matters” and “I invite each of us to think more deeply about this information.”
- Effective public speaking is also ethical. Establish your credibility by showing your character in word and action, being prepared and avoid misrepresenting your experience, expertise or authority.
- Communication is constitutive (it creates meaning and matters), contextual (it happens in a particular time and place), and cultural.
- Fear of public speaking comes from fear of failure or a fear of rejection. Preparing yourself mentally and physically, rehearsing your speech and understand your context will help you be effective.
- Effective public speakers use language aesthetics, storytelling and body language to bring their presentations to life.
