Eloquent, fluent, articulate, expressive are adjectives that characterize speech or speakers notable for their effectiveness. … Articulate characterizes a clear and effective speaker or speech: an articulate spokesman for tax reform.
Simply so What is the term for speaking? What is another word for speaking?
| talking | discussing |
|---|---|
| articulating | enunciating |
| orating | chattering |
| mouthing | spouting |
| echoing | pronouncing |
What’s another word for seeking? In this page you can discover 41 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for seeking, like: searching, pursuing, hunting, appetency, looking-for, attempting, looking, delving, questing, aspiring and appealing.
also What are the types of speaking? Mastering public speaking requires first differentiating between four of the primary types of public speaking: ceremonial, demonstrative, informative and persuasive.
- Ceremonial Speaking. …
- Demonstrative Speaking. …
- Informative Speaking. …
- Persuasive Speaking.
What is formal speaking?
Formal Speech is a type of speech which is used in formal, ‘serious’ situations such as the workplace or a dinner party.
What word means to build knowledge? Learning is a common word that most often means the act of gaining knowledge.
What are the 4 types of speaking?
Speeches can be categorized into four broad areas depending on the amount of preparation that is undertaken and depending upon the nature of the occasion. The four types of speeches are manuscript, memorized, extemporaneous, and impromptu.
What is a short speech called? 1 abridged, brief, clipped, compendious, compressed, concise, curtailed, laconic, pithy, sententious, succinct, summary, terse. 2 diminutive, dumpy, fubsy (archaic or dialect) knee high to a gnat, knee high to a grasshopper, little, low, petite, small, squat, wee.
What are the three types of speaking?
To wrap it up, there are essentially three types of speeches public speakers use to influence their audience. The informative speech conveys information, the persuasive speech is a call to action and the special occasion speech is given to commemorate a person or event.
What are the 5 types of speech style? According to Joos (1976), speech style is divided into five forms. They are frozen style, formal style, consultative style, casual style and intimate style.
What are the 4 types of public speaking?
However, to be a good speaker, you should know the four types of public speaking and their peculiarities.
- Speaking to Inform. …
- Speaking to Persuade. …
- Speaking to Actuate. …
- Speaking to Entertain.
What are informal speeches? Informal speech is speech that is casual and relaxed, like conversations with friends. Informal speech may include slang, contractions, and colloquial phrases.
What are the 4 types of knowledge?
According to Krathwohl (2002), knowledge can be categorized into four types: (1) factual knowledge, (2) conceptual knowledge, (3) procedural knowledge, and (4) metacognitive knowledge.
What is a synonym for a lot of knowledge?
erudite. The definition of erudite is someone who has wide range of knowledge and is well-read.
What do you call someone with a lot of knowledge? savant. noun. literary someone who has a lot of knowledge.
What are the 7 types of speech? Basic Types of Speeches
- Entertaining Speech. …
- Informative Speech. …
- Demonstrative Speech. …
- Persuasive Speech. …
- Motivational Speech. …
- Impromptu Speech. …
- Oratorical Speech. …
- Debate Speech.
What are the 5 types of speeches?
Types of speeches
- Informative speech. Informative speeches aim to educate an audience on a particular topic or message. …
- Entertaining speech. Entertaining speeches aim to amuse a crowd of people. …
- Demonstrative speech. …
- Persuasive speech. …
- Oratorical speech. …
- Debate speech. …
- Special occasion speech. …
- Pitch speech.
What are the 7 elements of public speaking? WHAT IS PUBLIC SPEAKING?
- THE SPEAKER.
- THE MESSAGE.
- THE AUDIENCE.
- THE CHANNEL.
- FEEDBACK.
- THE NOISE.
- THE PLACE OR SITUATION.
What’s another word for common speech?
What is another word for common speech?
| household word | byword |
|---|---|
| homespun | plain English |
| vernacular |
What is the other name for speech competition? speech competition; debating competition; public speaking competition.
What are 5 different types of public speaking?
Public Speaking – 5 different SPEECH TYPES
- Public Speaking – how knowing the speech types will help you. …
- Public Speaking – inform or educate. …
- Public Speaking – persuade or sell. …
- Public Speaking – entertaining or amusing. …
- Public Speaking – inspiring or motivational. …
- Public Speaking – transformational.
What are the examples of formal speech style? 4. 2) FORMAL STYLE – It uses formal words and expressions Example: Formal “Toyota’s sales bounced back in March as substantial discounts helped to win back customers who had been shaken by the firm’s mass safety recalls.” Casual/ Informal expressed counterpart: “Did you see Toyota’s sales figures?
What are the 10 types of speech?
Basic Types of Speeches
- Entertaining Speech. …
- Informative Speech. …
- Demonstrative Speech. …
- Persuasive Speech. …
- Motivational Speech. …
- Impromptu Speech. …
- Oratorical Speech. …
- Debate Speech.
Table of Contents
- How would you describe a good speaker?
- Whats another word for the speaker?
- What’s another name for a great speaker?
- What is a professional speaker called?
- How do you say something is amazing?
- How do you say cool in text?
- What does OK cool mean in text?
- When a guy says you are a cool girl?
Synonyms for Good speaker
How would you describe a good 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.”
- great speaker. n.
- right speaker. n.
- appropriate speaker. n.
- best speaker. n.
- decent speaker. n.
- encouraging speaker. n.
- genial speaker. n.
- skilled speaker. n.
Whats another word for the speaker?
What is another word for speaker?
| lecturer | orator |
|---|---|
| narrator | speechifier |
| speech-maker | spokeswoman |
| broadcaster | commentator |
| lector | mouth |
What’s another name for a great speaker?
In this page you can discover 49 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for speaker, like: addresser, keynote speaker, orator, platform orator, prolocutor, mouth, speechifier, spokesman, rhetorician, preacher and demagogue.
What is a professional speaker called?
A motivational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep talk.
How do you say something is amazing?
astonishing
- amazing.
- astounding.
- bewildering.
- breathtaking.
- extraordinary.
- impressive.
- marvelous.
- miraculous.
How do you say cool in text?
The ebook also contains four more words for “cool” that are not mentioned in this article.
- Awesome. When to use it: When you’re extremely impressed with something.
- Sweet. When to use it: When something is pleasing to you.
- Killer. When to use it: When referring to something excellent.
- Dope.
- Chill.
- Sick.
- Bad ass.
- Bitchin’
What does OK cool mean in text?
Sure or okay another way of saying yes.
When a guy says you are a cool girl?
3. The word cool is arbitrary. It means one thing to you and another thing to me. So when a guy says someone is a “cool girl,” he is basically saying that she embodies, or at least appears to embody, every single trait that he personally deems necessary for a woman to have in order for him to even consider dating her.
There are three key words that every speaker needs to master. In many respects, they are the most important words that one can say on stage: “I”, “you” and “we”. Each has its place.
“I” and its variants (“my”, etc.)
“I” is all about the speaker and his or her perspective, ideas, experience, opinions and personal stories. The audience is interested – usually – in what the speaker is going to say. People want to hear his or her viewpoint on the subject at hand.
The use of “I” makes the speech more subjective. It can allow the speaker to express his or her compassion or concern for the audience. It can also be used to establish a speaker’s authority or expertise.
However, when you speak in public, it is important to balance what you say about yourself with the rest of the talk. Too much “I” can be perceived as arrogance or insensitivity to others.
And remember not to talk just about your achievements and successes. Being vulnerable and talking about your failures or weaknesses – and what you have learned from them – is a great way to strengthen your bond with the audience.
“You” and its variants (“your”, etc.)
“You” is all about the people in the audience and their challenges, needs, hopes and fears. Whatever the speaker is talking about, there has to be a reason why the audience should care. Otherwise, why bother to speak?
Whenever speakers prepare for a speech or presentation, they should have a message. But that message has to be relevant for the audience. When a speaker says “you,” the people in the audience feel that the speaker is speaking directly to them.
However, note that in English, the word “you” can also be indefinite, not referring to anyone in particular. For example: “You should exercise three days a week.” Here, “you” could be replaced with “one” or “people”.
“We” and its variants (“our”, etc.)
“We” is all about the speaker and the audience together: their common values; common history and common concerns. Whenever there is a shared challenge or objective, “we” is the word to use.
A coach speaking to the team or a CEO speaking to the company or a President speaking to the nation will each use “we” to signal a commonality of purpose and commitment. Indeed, the title of a 2015 Harvard Business Review article specifically states, If You Want to Be the Boss, Say “We” Not “I”.
“We” can also be used to differentiate the speaker and audience from “them”; i.e., another group. Politicians often use this technique when speaking. For example, “We will never agree to their unreasonable demands.”
Three key words
To see the impact of all three pronouns in action, watch how Barack Obama used them during the final minute of his farewell speech as President in January 2017.
By my count, he said “I” (or its variants) 11 times, “you” (or its variants) 12 times, and “we” (or its variants) 4 times. And he interwove the three masterfully.
“I”, “you” and “we” are three small words made up of six letters in total. Yet, they are three key words for any speaker. Use them well and you will make an impact on your audience.
By Robby
If you are new here please read this first.
Here’s how to improve your spoken English when reading this article: read it out loud, then read out loud the collocations highlighted in red 10 times each to memorize them, then look away from the monitor and try and say 3 sample sentences for each of those collocations! For best results record your speech so that you can go back, spot any mistakes you might have made, and then do some more spoken English practice by correcting yourself!
If you can’t speak fluent English, you might assume that you haven’t got large enough vocabulary – and it’s a mistake I made all those years ago!
You see – in reality you can start speaking fluently WITHOUT learning hundreds upon hundreds of new English vocabulary words.
You CAN achieve fluency using the vocab you already possess, and that’s what I did!
So, are you intrigued?
Then start reading this article to find out how you can do it too! 😉
Traditionally English learners think that English speech is formed by taking separate words and sticking them together while in fact any language is build from word chunks and phrases. In either case we can quite logically conclude that the more individual words or word combinations you know, the better and more fluently you’ll speak.
So you may be focusing on memorizing large English vocabulary lists even before attempting going out there and starting socializing and communicating with English speaking folks.
To a certain degree, you’re absolutely right. You can’t expect to speak fluently without having acquired SOME English vocabulary, I mean – you wouldn’t be able to work as a shop assistant, for example, if you couldn’t understand your customers and respond to their questions, right?
There is a point, however, in English studies at which you can actually start speaking fluently even before you’ve learned advanced English vocabulary!
Here it would be fitting to establish what actually fluent English speech entails and how you can know if you speak fluently or not. It will also help you set your English improving targets and realize what aspects of English you really need to improve upon.
So here’s how I define real spoken English fluency:
- ability to communicate with ease in situations you find yourself on a regular basis!
And please pay attention to the fact that I didn’t specifically mention correct grammar or sufficient vocabulary, it’s all about the ease of communication, my friends!
Sure enough, you wouldn’t be able to communicate easily if your grammar totally sucked and your vocabulary would be really poor, but that’s exactly the point I’m trying to make here – easy communication includes the other factors in itself and implies that you can speak correctly on 95% of occasions and you also have enough English words to use when speaking.
So let’s proceed further while keeping in mind what we just defined! 😉
How Many English Words Are Enough
How many English words are there in your active vocabulary (active vocabulary – words you CAN USE when speaking as opposed to words you only RECOGNISE)? A thousand? Fifteen hundred? Five thousand? In fact this question is rhetoric because you can’t really tell how large your English vocabulary is.
Purpose of this question was just to prepare you for more numbers that will follow. And this is where it gets very interesting because the first 100 most commonly used English words will enable you to understand around 50% of spoken English! Bear in mind that the English word list under this link pertains to written English, however, the distribution ratio remains roughly the same among spoken English vocabulary, too.
Please read an article HERE about English word frequency lists and their practical application – very interesting!
Let’s go further – if you know 300 most commonly used English words, you’ll be able to understand 65% of spoken English. You see – only 300 words comprise nearly two thirds of English vocabulary! Do you start getting the point I’m trying to make here? Then let’s take it one more step further – the General Service list of English words consisting of about 2000 words will take you very close to conversational English fluency – 90 to 95%!
The concept you have to learn from all these figures is that spoken English fluency begins when you’re able to USE JUST ENOUGH English vocabulary to communicate easily ❗
❗ IMPORTANT ❗ I’m not advocating for settling for the mediocre and not improving English throughout your lifetime. I’m advocating for going for conversational fluency FIRST and then improving other aspects of English language!
How to achieve that?
OK, let’s start with learning the following concepts which are all just common sense:
- Your passive (recognition) vocabulary is much larger than your active (spoken) vocabulary;
- You can’t use all English words you recognize in your spoken English;
- Conversational English fluency means conveying a message effectively to the other party as well as understanding your chat partner;
- Any concept in English language can be described using other words.
So, here’s what we can conclude:
- You can do with a minimum amount of words to express yourself clearly speaking almost about any topic (we’re leaving aside specific areas of English like legal, highly technical, scientific etc.).
So how does this help you achieve spoken English fluency? OK, here comes the best part 😉
Most likely your vocabulary greatly exceeds the most commonly used 500, 1000 and even 2000 words because you’re very comfortable reading this website. (Not that this article contains all 2000+ English words in it – it’s all about the frequency rankings!) Of course, many words and phrases you come across wouldn’t be in your active (spoken) vocabulary, but you can always say something using other words (later on I’ll give you examples on this, too!)
So we can assume on pretty solid grounds that your active English vocabulary is already sufficient enough for fluent English communication. The only issue you might be having at the moment is that you can’t really use your vocabulary in a fluent manner.
It’s All About HOW You USE Your English Vocabulary!
Let’s imagine for the sake of clarity that your active English vocabulary contains X amount of words and you’re used to form your speech by sticking words together. Most likely you’re doing something similar to a direct translation from your native language in your head whereby you form an English sentence in your mind first and then pick out relevant English words. This way of speaking English is fairly inefficient because you limit yourself with your native tongue’s means of expressions AND your need to find corresponding words in English.
When you speak in this manner, your capability of speaking English is indeed limited because you constantly come across situations when you don’t know certain word’s meaning in English. Also your English fluency is impaired due to the simple fact that you form English sentences in your mind as if writing on a piece of paper – they don’t come out of your mouth automatically 😡
So despite the fact that you have sufficient active English vocabulary you just can’t use it in a natural way. And here’s how a natural speech is formed.
You just have to forget about translating from your native language if you want speak fluent English! You also have to speak out loud without preparing a whole sentence in your mind beforehand! To achieve this, you have to:
- Stop using your native language as reference in everyday situations when you speak English;
- Get used to paraphrasing using simpler words in case you’re struggling with explaining a certain thing or a concept;
- Learn important word groups such as idiomatic expressions, phrasal verbs, filler phrases and small talk phrases – they’re formed from the words that you ALREADY know!
And the last sentence about English word groups containing English vocabulary words that you already know is of particular importance, my friends!
Basically what it means is that you don’t have to acquire new English vocabulary, you just have to RESTRUCTURE your existing English vocab so that you can use it fluently and without much planning when you speak – which brings us to the next point…
Stop Preparing Speech In Your Head Before Speaking!
Most of folks who learned English the traditional way have been using their language to translate new vocabulary words, and to form all kinds of written or spoken material. While in academic English studies it doesn’t manifest itself as a limiting factor; in real life you can’t get far with thinking in your native language and trying to speak English.
And here’s a good exercise to help you start thinking in English ❗
You definitely have some sort of a routine task that you perform on a daily basis. It can be a work or home related. For example, I work in a knitwear manufacturing company’s dispatch and most of my time is spent entering customers’ orders and packing them. When I enter the products on the computer or use the picking list to pick them, I have two options – I can ‘pronounce’ those product codes and colors in either my language or English.
As you can imagine, I’ve switched over to thinking in English ages ago, and it’s definitely helped me with English fluency. And so should you if you want to start speaking fluent English. Whenever you perform a mundane task – use that time wisely to either comment on your actions in English OR think in English about something else if your particular activity doesn’t occupy your mind. If you work at a manufacturing line your mind constantly wanders – you can use that time to start thinking in English about things that are important to you!
It’s not easy at first, but you’ll be surprised how quickly you can substitute your native language for English ❗
When In Doubt – Put It In Different Words!
Just like I told you, chances are that you actually know all English words to express yourself in any day-to-day situation; it’s just that sometimes you come across a situation or concept that seemingly demands you to use more sophisticated means of expression.
In fact you can always get by using simpler words but for the most part foreign English speakers are under big stress to get something said. Eventually their mind just blocks up and they just can’t say a thing…
Foreigners also under impression that if they say something simple, they’ll sound ‘too’ simple and they’ll be perceived as poor English speakers. At the end of the day, when they try to sound smart and use passive vocabulary (the one that they’re not really comfortable with when speaking) – that’s when the real trouble begins!
Here’s an example. Let’s say you want to ask your team-leader at work if you can postpone a certain task because you’ve more urgent matters to attend at the moment. Your team-leader walks by and you stop him by asking: “Sorry Mike, I just wanted to ask you if I can…” and then you get stuck all of a sudden! You know the word ‘postpone’, but you might have forgotten it, or it’s just that you don’t use this word that often and it’s not really part of your active vocabulary.
Instead of frantically trying to remember the exact word ‘postpone’ you can simply say “Can I do the report later?” But quite often foreign English speakers are putting themselves under unnecessary stress when speaking so they end up struggling for words.
But as you can imagine, there’s ALWAYS a way of putting the same thing in different words ❗
Even if you find it hard to explain a fairly complicated abstract concept or a technical detail, I’m pretty sure you can use other words from your active vocabulary that will suffice for getting the message across clearly and efficiently.
By the way, there a simple version of English language called Basic English created by a linguist C.K. Ogden consisting of 850 basic words. C.K. Ogden proved by scientific analysis that one can communicate successfully enough using vocabulary of such a small size!
So if it’s possible to communicate efficiently using 850 English words, surely you can do the same operating with a whole lot more words and phrases?
— — — — — — —
Here’s another example on how you can use simple English words to substitute verbs that you may have forgotten at the given moment, or if you’re simply struggling for the right word to say.
If you’re struggling to produce a sentence “I became extremely irritated because of my financial difficulties”, you’re most trying to build an ‘ideal’ sentence in your head first and then speak it out. Stop doing it, take a short pause and speak using simpler words – “I got very nervous because I have money problems”.
Let’s just have a quick look at the sentence. The verb ‘to get’ is among the simplest English verbs and can be used to describe nearly every action that involves change of shape and emotional state; you just need to attach the corresponding adjective to it. And if you were struggling with the word ‘irritated’, then ‘nervous’ is definitely something you can use because it’s an international word. And of course, even beginning English learners would know words ‘money’ and ‘problems’, so you definitely can use them with ease.
IMPORTANT ❗ Never be ashamed of using simple words and sentence structures! If you have a choice between broken English and simple yet fluent spoken English – I think any reasonable person would go with the latter!
And as I already said in the beginning of this article – I’m not saying you don’t have to improve your speech and add more active vocabulary words to it. Of course you can and you HAVE TO do it!
I’m just trying to hammer home a message that you can start speaking fluent English with limited vocabulary and you don’t have to wait on some mystical day in the far-off future when you’ll have acquired enough vocabulary to start speaking!
Learning Idiomatic Expressions, Filler Phrases and Small Talk Phrases
Watch videos of English small-talk phrases above!
You could be struggling with fluent speech because in real life (just try to analyze what happens when you speak your native language!) conversations are filled with plenty of filler phrases like ‘on the other hand’, ‘I’m not really sure, but I think…’, ‘as far as I know’ and similar. They ‘bind’ other bits of your talk together and will create the impression of real fluency.
By now you might have used ‘eeeerrr…’ and ‘hmmmm…’ to fill pauses between sentences and words, but if you learn at least a couple of dozen of typical small talk phrases, you’ll be able to speak more fluently. And of course – most of them are made up of words you ALREADY know – so there’s no additional vocabulary acquisition required!
Then there are phrasal verbs – and they’re absolutely brilliant when it comes to described even quite complicated concepts. Phrasal verbs are formed by taking a simple verb such as ‘put’, ‘bring’, ‘come’ and attaching a preposition to it – like ‘up’, ‘down’, ‘off’, ‘on’ and so on. While many of them are self-explanatory – for example, ‘put it down’, there’s a whole lot of them that have abstract meanings. For instance, ‘you let me down’ means that you didn’t keep promise and I got into trouble or lost out on something because of you.
You see – you can SAVE plenty of words just by saying ‘You let me down!’ And if you learn at least the most commonly used phrasal verbs (which are made up from words that you ALREADY know!) – you can give additional boost to your fluency!
Of course, you CAN and you will use any number of words necessary to make your point – that’s what fluency is about and that’s what I kept reiterating throughout this article. Using phrasal words, however, will enable you to start speaking and thinking like native English speakers do ❗
In the beginning you may use just a few phrasal verbs and explain other things using simple, basic English words. As you progress, you’ll add more and more phrasal words and ALSO new words to your active vocabulary thus enriching your means of expression.
Imagine yourself saying to your friend “I finally had enough time to finish the essay.” You can also use a phrasal verb ‘to get around to’ and the previous sentence becomes “I finally got around to that essay.”
So as you can see phrasal verbs make your spoken English friendlier, more natural and that’s where true fluency begins! And let’s not forget the fact that using phrasal verbs enables you to get into the ‘English’ way of thinking; you learn to express abstract concepts with a single phrasal verb instead of saying ten words. It’s a time-saver AND steps up your fluency at the same time! AND – phrasal verbs are made up from words you ALREADY know, so you don’t even have to learn new words – just abstract meanings!
Just compare these two ‘How can you put up with it?’ and ‘How can you tolerate it?
You see – chances are that the verb ‘to tolerate’ isn’t in your active vocabulary so you may be struggling with it. But you definitely know words ‘put’ and ‘up’ so you just need to know that ‘put up’ can be used to describe a situation when you’re no OK with something but you allow it to happen for some reason or another 😉
Robby
P.S. Are you serious about your spoken English improvement? Check out my English Harmony System HERE!
P.S. Are you serious about your spoken English improvement? Check out the English Harmony System HERE!
300, 2,000, 11,000, all the words in the dictionary? How many words do you need to know to speak a language? This is a legitimate question and one that many learners ask themselves. Some linguists believe that 800 words are enough to hold a basic conversation. However, your vocabulary should be over 8,000 words if you want to speak a language as well as a native speaker. So what is behind these figures? Are they applicable in all situations? Let’s find out…
Learn all the words in the dictionary: not necessary!
The good news is that you don’t need to know all the words in a language to be fluent! This is a point on which linguists are unanimous.
If we take the example of French, there are nearly 60,000 words in the Larousse dictionary. However, how many of us claim to know them all? Not many, I think. It is estimated that an adult French speaker uses an average of 5,000 words, i.e. a little over 8% of the words listed.
Why is this? Simply because we don’t need to know the rest. If you work in the restaurant business, for example, it is unlikely that the technical vocabulary related to aeronautics will be useful in your everyday life, and vice versa.
🔎 See also: How to start learning a language? 4 things you need to know
The number of words needed to speak a language: what the experts say
Several researchers have looked into this complex issue. A BBC article summarises the findings of one such researcher, Stuart Webb, professor of applied linguistics at the University of Western Ontario. Among other things, Webb tried specifically to answer the question: “How many words do you need to know to speak English well?”
The current English language is estimated to have about 171,000 words. This figure does not take into account some 47,000 words that are considered obsolete. It is estimated that native English speakers know about 15,000 lemmas. In linguistics, lemmas are canonical words from which other words are formed, such as dream, dreams, dreamed, or blue, blueish, bluer, etc.
According to Webb’s findings, it is impossible for an ESL learner to master as many lemmas as a native speaker. Learners find it difficult to go over the 3,000 word mark, even after years of studying the language. In their book ‘Vocabulary in Language Teaching’, Norbert and Diane Schmitt state, for example, that the average French high school student knows 1,000 English words after 400 hours of teaching.
You think that’s not enough? It depends. Professor Webb explains that 800 to 1,000 lemmas are enough to understand 75% of everyday English.
The number of words you need to know depends on your level
A few hundred words: that’s all you need to get to a “survival” level in a language. You won’t be able to hold deep conversations, but you will be able to get by in most simple situations (introducing yourself, ordering in a restaurant, asking for directions, etc.).
With 1,500 words or more, you can qualify for a pre-intermediate level. You will be able to express yourself easily and have everyday conversations with your peers and colleagues. This corresponds approximately to a level of A2/B1 on the CEFR scale.
To attain a so-called fluent level, a vocabulary of more or less 3,000 words is required. This wealth of vocabulary will enable you, for example, to watch a film in its original version without the subtitles.
What does fluency mean? Not all specialists have the same definition of the term “fluent”. It would seem that it is more a question of the perception of the level of the language than of its actual mastery. To find out more, read our article – When can you say that you speak a language fluently?
Finally, if you want to be able to express yourself as well as a native speaker or nearly so, to read novels in your target language and to aim for a C2 level, you will need to learn 8,000 to 9,000 words. If this sounds unattainable, just imagine that at 10 new words a day, you can learn 8,000 words in just over two years.
🔎 Read also: Becoming bilingual: Why? How? How quickly?
The key to success: learn the words that are useful for you!
Mastering a large vocabulary is one thing, learning words that you can use is another. If you want your vocabulary to help you to speak a language well, you need to learn words that are really useful to you.
Do you need English to talk to your new food supplier? Why learn words like paper clip or stapler? These are probably common items that you use often in the office, but they don’t necessarily serve your purpose.
This means that you will have to leave out the ready-made vocabulary lists. Terms that are relevant to one person may not be relevant to another. You must therefore opt for personalised learning adapted to your objectives. There is no need to count the words you know to measure your progress.
In short, the right question to ask yourself is “what words do I need to know to speak this language well?” and not “how many words do I need to learn to speak a language?” One thousand relevant words will always be more useful in learning a language than 3,000 words that you will never use.
With 1to1PROGRESS language training, you benefit from a tailor-made programme designed to meet your objectives. You can count on our trainers to teach you the words that really count!
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A good speaker possess many qualities; as he can engage their audience. They should have an engaging speaking style and be able to speak clearly and confidently, while also being able to engage with the crowd. A good speaker can also make their audience feel comfortable, whether they’re speaking in front of a large group or just one person.
A good speaker is someone who can communicate effectively. They are able to get their points across in a way that makes people want to listen, without being too wordy or too rushed. A good speaker is also someone who can adapt their style and tone so that it works best for the audience they’re speaking with.
How to become a good speaker?
- Develop a good speaking voice.
- Practice public speaking.
- Learn to speak clearly and loudly.
- Practice in front of the mirror, if you can’t get a real audience to listen to you, or if you want to practice before giving a speech at school or work.
- Learn how to use gestures effectively as part of your presentation style. Try writing down one thing that could improve your gestures, like: not moving too much on stage; having an interesting gesture for every point; pointing out important things with gestures instead of just saying them out loud—and then do it!
- Make sure that when you are standing up at the front of the room, people have no problem hearing what is being said by looking at their faces instead of other parts of their bodies (e.g., feet). This means making eye contact with each member sitting in front row so they know what’s going on onstage right away without turning away from speakers’ faces all together!
Good physical condition
Good physical condition is very important for a good speaker. The ability to stand and speak in front of an audience is one of the most important qualities that every speaker should have. A speaker who lacks good physical condition must be able to imagine himself or herself as strong and fit, otherwise he/she cannot deliver an effective speech. Good health helps you maintain your body weight and keeps you away from diseases. It also helps keep your mind clear, so that you can think straight during meetings or public speaking events. In short, it makes your life easier!
Confidence
Confidence is essential to becoming a good speaker. It helps you deliver your message with confidence and ease, which gives others confidence in you as well. Confidence is important because it puts the audience at ease, making it easier for them to listen and learn from you.
Proper knowledge
The speaker should be well-versed with the subject he or she wishes to address and should know about it in detail so that he or she can speak on it confidently. They must also be able to answer any question from the audience without hesitation. The audience will feel satisfied when they are given answers to their questions, and they will also be able to understand what the speaker is saying easily. A good speaker should be able to explain complicated topics by using simple words and sentences, so that all people can understand him/her easily.
Good voice
A good voice is typically clear and audible. It should be pleasant to listen to, appropriate for the occasion, controlled, and confident. A person who speaks with a high-pitched or whiny voice will have trouble being taken seriously by most audiences. A person whose voice is too low-pitched will also struggle to be heard above competing noise levels in large venues. By contrast, a speaker whose speech sounds natural and relaxed is usually easier on the ears than someone who shouts or whispers into their microphone.
Interesting delivery
A good speaker does not have to be a great orator. A person can be an excellent speaker without being a good public speaker. Listening to a boring and monotonous speech is not the same as watching a movie or reading an interesting book. In order for one to become successful in this field, he must learn how to talk in a manner that will capture the audience’s attention and keep them interested throughout his entire speech. If you want your audience to remember what you say, then you should always be mindful of the following:
- Make use of gestures
- Use facial expressions
- Use body language (including eye contact)
- Deliver your words clearly using voice modulation techniques such as pauses and volume changes
Effective body language
Good body language is not only important for a speaker, but also for the audience listening to them. Body language is a form of communication and it can affect how others perceive you. Effective body language includes using gestures, eye contact and facial expressions appropriately. Good speakers pay attention to how they are standing or sitting while they speak and make sure their posture is open so they appear approachable and friendly.
Good speakers use appropriate hand gestures when speaking in order to reinforce what they are saying verbally. For example, if you are talking about something new that you want people to learn about, you could use an upwards motion with your hands as if pulling up information from the ground into your mind – this shows that there is more information available on the topic that can be learned by others if desired by them as well
Bad body language includes crossing your arms across your chest or putting one leg over another during presentation time signs of hostility towards others who might be listening in on what’s said during lecture sessions
Properly organized speech
- A good speaker is well prepared. In order to convey a message, you must have all the facts necessary to do so. You cannot speak on something that you do not know about or about which you have insufficient information. A good speaker will not just read from notes but will also be able to speak extemporaneously as it adds credibility to what they are saying.
- A good speaker is organized in his thoughts and ideas. He knows exactly what he wants to say and how he wants the audience to perceive it. This gives him confidence when talking because there are no surprises waiting for him along the way that may throw off his train of thought or keep him from getting his message across clearly and concisely.
- A good speaker is clear about her/his message: She/he knows exactly what she/he wants out of an audience; whether it’s convincing them that there should be more support given by local government agencies towards helping homeless people find employment opportunities; persuading them into thinking differently about cultural diversity (by showing different types) than their peers do; encouraging them take action against political leaders who don’t care about human rights violations occurring within their country borders
A good speaker influences his audience.
The quality of speaking is often the most important in a speaker. A good speaker has the ability to influence his audience and guide them through his message. The main qualities of such a person are:
- He should be able to expand his knowledge and understanding.
- He must understand the message he wants to convey and present it in such a way that others can easily understand as well.
- His words must be clear, concise, and easy for others to relate with their own lives or experiences in order for them to grasp what he’s saying and retain it longer than just from one meeting or presentation at work or school where they were given the topic material beforehand along with questions they should ask themselves while listening out loud during class discussions afterwards so everything feels like new again when presented orally instead (such as with speeches).
Vocal qualities of a good speaker
- Good voice quality. A good speaker has a pleasant, clear voice that is easy to hear and understand. It does not have any problems such as breathing or vocal tension, which might make it hard for others to listen to the speaker without being distracted by those sounds.
- Clear diction. A good speaker can speak clearly so that listeners can understand everything they say without having to ask them to repeat themselves (or using their fingers). This means that they don’t mumble or slur words together into one sound (for example, saying “somms” instead of “some”) and they don’t use slang or informal terms in formal situations such as lectures at school or business meetings at work.
- Clear enunciation . When you talk about something that interests you very much—say, your favorite movie star—you probably talk faster than usual because excitement helps give you energy! If someone who speaks English well says this sentence out loud while excitedly talking about his/her favorite movie star, he/she would probably say: “You know who my favorite movie star is?” However , if he/she were tired after watching an action packed film last night then maybe he/she wouldn’t have time today so instead he/she would just tell us what happened instead – like “I saw John Wayne shoot down all these bad guys last night.” But during class we’re supposed listen carefully too so here’s how we would write this sentence down when describing our favorite scene from another classic western film starring Clint Eastwood called The Outlaw Josey Wales:
Conclusion
A good speaker can make a difference in the world and inspire people to do great things. A good speaker is also able to influence his audience and change their minds about things. The qualities that a good speaker should have are many, but they all come down to being knowledgeable, confident and clear when speaking with others.
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There is a commonly cited statistic that people are generally more fearful of public speaking than they are of death. The idea of performing a speech in front of an attentive audience is a nerve-wracking concept for most people. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be. Being a great speaker is a skill that is learned just as much as any other. When you have a strong command of your voice and self-presentation, confidence with public speaking tends to fall into place.
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Listen to recorded speeches. If you want to become a great speaker, you should first have an idea of what it means to be great. Famous speeches became that way in part because the speaker knew how to wring the most feeling and meaning out of what he was saying. Pay attention to the pauses they take, the words they emphasize, and the steady pace most famous speakers perform at.
- One of the most famous speeches is «I Have a Dream,» by Martin Luther King Jr. This is not his only speech, but it is one of his more famous ones.
- Other notable public speakers: Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy.
- Listen to Ted Talks to see examples of great public speakers. These are especially helpful if you are giving a speech with time constraints, as Ted Talks are 18 minutes or less.
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Talk slowly. As a public speaker, you should never feel the need to rush through a presentation. Because anxiety tends to make people speak much faster than they normally would, you should be aware of your rate of speech. Make a conscious point of speaking slowly. If your speech is happening at a more manageable rate, it will be easier for you to feel like you’re in control.[1]
- Speaking slowly does not mean speaking in a monotone. Just because you’re taking your time doesn’t mean you need to be boring. The best public speakers will keep a steady speaking pace and use that extra time to inject more expression into their act.
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Minimize filler words and stammering. Filler words include things such as «like» and «um.» They are words that only exist in a live presentation because the speaker’s mind needs a second to catch up with the rest of the speech. Mishaps like this and other verbal slip-ups are most often the result of anxiety. While anxiety is totally natural and is to be expected, it’s a good sign you need to slow down. A speaker speaking really slowly is better than one who is stuttering through important lines.
- If you need a moment to recollect yourself in the middle of your speech, pause.[2]
While filler language will only detract from your presentation, a pause can give your audience time to mull over what you said. - If you freeze up, turn it into a joke. Say something like, “My memory was a lot better when I practicing this speech in front of my dog, Samuel.”
- If you need a moment to recollect yourself in the middle of your speech, pause.[2]
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Emphasize or repeat particularly important lines. Even if you have gone over every word of your speech with a fine-toothed comb, there are going to be lines that are most important to the central idea you’re discussing. In the case of these especially important lines, it’s crucial you bring added attention to them somehow. This can be done by saying them more slowly, more loudly, or repeating the same line twice.
- Your audience will immediately pick up on this and will take extra care to remember that point.
- A good example of this is through the repetition of «I have a dream» in Martin Luther King Jr.’s «I Have a Dream» speech.
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Express emotion through inflections. Although you may feel very anxious going into a speech, it may actually make things easier if you allow yourself the ability to connect emotionally with the topic and express yourself. Raising and lowering your voice to denote certain feelings can do a ton to engage an audience. As a general rule, people like to feel like they’re being spoken to by a red-blooded human being. Acting like a robot may seem like a safe route if you’re nervous about speaking, but you’ll get a lot farther if you’re candid with your audience.
- Avoid a monotone delivery. This approach is common with people who put too much emphasis into a rote memorization of the speech lines, and didn’t leave room for an organic quality.
- Another good reason to avoid a monotone delivery is that you will simply bore your audience. They will lose interest in what you have to say.
- However, make sure you’re in control of your emotions. Avoid getting overly emotional, tearing up, or actually crying. These may be signs that you aren’t ready to discuss the topic publicly.
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Pause for effect. Much as with an emphasis technique on a given word, a well-placed silence can say a lot. Pauses are a good thing to place after a particularly heavy or important idea has been stated, or in between relatively unrelated points to serve as a sort of paragraph break. A pause also gives the audience a chance to show their appreciation. Even if you don’t need the warmth, members of your audience will feel more confident in your abilities if they see other people in the crowd cheering you on.
- Take advantage of the pause. Use it to catch your breath, steady your breathing, and recollect your thoughts.
- Be sure to maintain eye contact with your audience. Don’t lose that connection!
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Interact with your audience. Speeches can be memorized with enough time and practice, but a truly gifted orator will use parts of his speech as an opportunity to communicate directly to the audience. If an audience member has a question, it would be a wasted opportunity not to answer it. The audience will be impressed by your willingness to play off the books and interact seemingly spontaneously.[3]
- An audience won’t interact with a speaker unless some stakes have already been raised. You have to get an audience interested in what you’re talking about if you want them to respond actively.[4]
- Trying to engage the audience yourself is always a risk. You can’t control what an audience member will say, and you’ll need to improvise a response to whatever they say. Worse still, getting no response from an audience will embarrass you as a presenter.[5]
Avoid putting the audience on the spot or asking too many questions. - Let the audience know if you’ll have a question and answer session at the end of your speech. Avoid taking questions or comments while you’re talking, as this could derail your message.
- An audience won’t interact with a speaker unless some stakes have already been raised. You have to get an audience interested in what you’re talking about if you want them to respond actively.[4]
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Keep a firm posture. A strong posture is one of the most telling signs of confidence. Suffice to say, it’s a look you’ll want to have whenever you’re speaking publicly. Keep your back straight, and your shoulders jutted outward.[6]
- If you’re someone who struggles with a slouched posture, it may take some time to reprogram yourself. After a while, however, you’ll be able to do it without thinking.
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Allow yourself to express emotion through your face. If you’re nervous, your face will freeze up. Words alone only go so far in communication. The best speeches are emotionally hard-hitting, and it’s intensified when the same feelings are being mirrored by the speaker. Whether rehearsed or not, matching facial expressions will lend your speech with a great air of authenticity.
- Don’t force it, however. While you certainly want to make yourself animated, you don’t want to appear unnatural. You want your expression to match your tone and words.
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Stake a claim on your personal area. Whether you’re speaking on stage or something more casual, chances are there’s a larger physical space you could be occupying. Even if you’re the most riveting speaker, there is going to be a part of your audience that wants to be engaged visually as well. Getting your audience’s eyes to follow you as you stride across the stage will make your presentation (and topic) feel all that more dynamic.
- If you’re addressing the audience directly with someone, you should walk towards them on the stage. This creates an effect of urgency.[7]
- It’s best to move while you’re transitioning to a new topic, as this lets the audience know that something is about to change.
- If you’re addressing the audience directly with someone, you should walk towards them on the stage. This creates an effect of urgency.[7]
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Scan your eyes across everyone you’re speaking to. Eye contact is essential if you want to foster a connection with the audience he’s speaking to. This doesn’t need to be a constant thing, and you don’t need to make eye contact with each individual in the crowd. Instead, simply scanning your eyes around your audience from side to side can instill a sense of interaction between the speaker and his attendees.[8]
- Pace yourself. While you don’t want to stare at any one person for too long, you don’t want to skim too fast either, or you’ll appear nervous.
- If you find yourself skimming too much, consider focusing on the wall behind the audience. Don’t stare at it for too long—keep your gaze moving slowly.
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Use gestures in tandem with what you’re saying. Body language is a powerful tool on the stage, but it’s only worth as much as it relates to the topic you’re speaking about. Think of hand waves and gestures as exclamation marks in your speech. By using your body as an additional form of communication, you can ride home your point on multiple levels.
- Keep your gestures natural and spontaneous. Match them to what you are feeling. If you feel an urge to clench your fist or raise your arm, do it!
- Rehearsing gestures ahead of time is not always a good idea, as they may end up looking forced, static, and unnatural. However, you can rehearse your speech in front of the mirror and watch how you move naturally.
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Keep your movements controlled. Above all, you should keep every noticeable movement of your body under control when you are speaking. Many people will fidget and squirm when they’re nervous. This isn’t the sort of impression you want to get across if you intend on a successful presentation. Your body language should not be left up to whim or chance. If you’re not comfortable with public speaking enough yet to balance the vocal presentation with purposeful body language, it is preferable to keep yourself completely still. Rest assured, unconscious movements are going to work against your presentation.[9]
- Consider practicing your speech in front of a friend or family member and ask them to note any fidgeting or squirming.
- Alternatively, record yourself giving your speech, then watch the recording. Look for any subconscious movements, such as playing with your hair.
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Structure your speech with a beginning, middle, and end. Speeches are like oral essays. They tend to follow a similar format for the most part. If you’re writing your speech yourself, you should try breaking it up into sections in order to better organize your points. Even if you haven’t written the speech, it’s a good idea to know what structural role each part represents. Generally speaking, virtually all speeches will have three parts:[10]
- An introduction. This is where you will introduce either yourself or the topic that needs to be discussed.
- The main body and supporting points. This is where the details of your argument or discussion are fleshed out. This is by far the biggest part of a speech and is analogous to all of the paragraphs in an essay between the first and last.
- Closing statements and summary. At the end, the audience will be looking for some closure to signal the speech’s end. Take this as an opportunity to note the widespread implications of the topic, as well as a to-the-point recap of the ideas you explored in the main body.
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Include a take-home message. No matter how complex the subject you’re talking about is, there should be a line or two from your speech that will be instantly memorable for anyone who is hearing it. This could be the thesis, or central point of what you’re trying to say. A take-home message should preferably take the form of an applied request.
- Telling your audience to do or reflect upon something on their own time will hopefully keep your audience attentive on your subject long after the presentation itself has ended.
- Any messages of particular importance should be spoken more boldly, more slowly, or repeated.
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Keep time in mind. While great speakers will keep their speaking pace relaxed and take care not to speed up, you should respect the time of your audience. There is no need to have a half-hour speech where all of the same points could be covered in 20 minutes. It’s much easier to revise the speech itself than to try to speed through sections of your speech.
- If you think your speech could be shorter, give it a run through and decide for yourself which lines could be done without.
- If you start to run out of time in the middle of your speech, don’t speed up! Cover the most important points, and close your speech.
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Rehearse your speech. Nothing great ever came about without hard work and practice. Rehearsing your speech is necessary if you want your audience to take something away from your presentation and take you seriously. Perform your speech in front of a mirror and pay attention to the way you look while you’re speaking. It also helps to record yourself speaking. That way, you’ll be able to see what you’re doing right and wrong more clearly.[11]
- It’s a good idea to give your speech a run-through in front of a friend or family member before going live. That way, the other person can offer you feedback from a fresh perspective.
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Thank your audience once the speech is over. Even if you’re the one who is performing, your audience members are taking time out of their schedules to hear you speak about your topic. For this, they deserve some gratitude. Telling a crowd how much you appreciate lending their time to you will end your speech on a positive note of warmth.[12]
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Question
How do I avoid saying «hmm» or «like» in speeches?
Well if it is not part of the speech (which is very unlikely), you simply need to keep practicing and practicing. Practice in front of someone. If it is a timed speech or something like that and you don’t have enough information to fill up the time, have some extra just in case to keep you from saying «hmm» and «like» all the time.
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Question
How can I improve communication skills?
Try to connect with your audience by making eye contact and work on being a good listener.
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Question
What should you do if someone is trying to make you laugh?
If laughter would be inappropriate, take a deep breath, put him out of your mind, and avoid looking at him. If he continues, you may need to ask him to stop.
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Include visual aids (such as Powerpoint) in your presentation, but only if it legitimately adds something of value.[13]
Also, be sure you are familiar with the technology so mishaps don’t distract from your speech. -
Public speaking doesn’t come naturally to many people. It’s something you’ll probably have to spend some serious time practicing in order to perfect. Don’t let yourself feel down if you slip up the first few times you perform. It’s a lifelong skill, and once you get the hang of it, it will stick with you for the rest of your days.
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During the time that you’re writing your speech, your subconscious may be working on it while you are doing something else. These ideas are often creative and can be some of your best points. Keep a notebook or note-taking app handy so you can jot down ideas as they come to your mind.
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You can never know for sure how an audience will react to your presentation. Be prepared for a less-than-stellar reception, and should the case arise, make sure you roll with the punches. Getting visibly on stage won’t do anything for your credibility.
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References
About This Article
Article SummaryX
If you want to be a good speaker, rehearse your speech out loud in the mirror ahead of time. Make a conscious effort to speak slowly and clearly, and use inflections to express your emotions. For instance, if you raise your voice, it could indicate excitement, and if you lower your voice, it could show your listeners that you’re saying something serious. Structure your speech with a beginning, a middle, and an end, which can help you stay on topic, and end with a take-home point that you want your audience to remember. Keep reading to learn tips from our reviewer on how listening to famous speeches can help improve your public speaking!
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Reader Success Stories
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Masyitah Izad
Jan 27, 2017
«Everything really helped, as I’m still a student. I am absolutely eager to learn more about social skills. Speaking…» more
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Public speaking is not public reading. What is public speaking? It is the process of giving a formal speech or talk on a particular subject or topic to a group of people. The main purpose of public speaking is to inform, influence or even entertain the people you are speaking to.
For many people, speaking in public can be quite a challenging thing to do. In this article we are going to take a look at the simple things that you can adopt to make yourself an excellent public speaker. You may never know when you will find yourself in a position where you’d be forced to give a talk to an audience. It is for this reason that I suggest you read with keen interest the tips I’m going to give below. The tips below are essential ingredients for public speaking:
Tips to become a good public speaker and how to prepare for public speaking
- Confidence or rather self-confidence. This is one of the major things that play a major role in determining whether you become a good public speaker or not. You can never be a good public speaker if you are self-confident deficient. Public speaking is all about self-confidence. If you do not have self-confidence then I wonder how you are going to have the courage to stand before an audience made up of different people from all walks of life and then deliver a speech or say something to entertain them. It is impossible! So you see that self-confidence is the number one thing that every good public speaker must have. Lack of self-confidence often makes the speaker extremely nervous when he or she stands before the crowd. The speaker’s heart starts to beat faster because he or she is panicking. The speaker becomes frightened by the mere sight of the crowd such that he or she can barely utter a word. More often than not, the speaker because of the nervousness he or she is facing instantly begins to experience a dry mouth and then the body begins to tremble. When the speaker is finally able to say a word to the crowd, his or her voice quavers. At this point, everybody in the crowd gets to know that the speaker is nervous. But you can easily overcome all this by just being self-confident. You have to be confident in yourself and believe that you can do what you have come to do, which is to deliver a speech to the audience. You have to throw your shyness away and forget about the number of people in the crowd. If you keep thinking of the number of people in the crowd and the fact they are all looking at you then you are going to find it very difficult concentrating, which will lead to nervousness. Forget about all this. You should remember that the audience is gathered there for one purpose, which is to hear what you have to say. The audience is not there to look at you or your appearance. So don’t keep thinking about such things. Each time your mind begins thinking about such unnecessary things, I want you to ask yourself this question: If you were a member of the audience, what would you be more interested in? The speaker’s appearance or what the speaker has to say? More often than not the speaker’s appearance is the last thing on your mind. If that is the case why then should you bother about what the audience thinks about your looks and let it lead you into being nervous? Know that the main reason the audience is there is because of what they want to hear you say. So take a deep breath, calm down, relax and give the audience what they want to hear.
- You should get to know your audience before you step onto the podium. This is very important and it should be something done beforehand. There are certain things that you need to know about the type of people you will be speaking to such as the number of people and the average age range of your audience. Getting to know these little things about your audience can play a significant role in how effective your speech ends up being. For example it would be wrong for you to use informal language throughout a speech being delivered to a group of professors.
- It is imperative that you make adequate preparation. They say when you fail to prepare then you prepare to fail. It is as simple as that. The worst thing you can do is to fail to make adequate preparation before you mount the podium to begin delivering your speech. Adequate preparation will always result in a better and more effective public speech. Adequate preparation involves making a thorough research on the topic you are going to be talking about – especially when the topic you are going to talk about deals with facts and truth. This is very important because if you fail to do this properly, some people in the audience are bound to notice the errors in your research and question you. This is an awkward thing that you do not want to experience. So why not do the right thing in order to avoid this from happening? You can top this up by making a list of question that you suspect some people in the audience might ask you. Having listed these likely questions down, make sure that you have very good answers to them so that in case you are asked you can easily give the right answers. These are very important things that you should do in order to avoid looking silly before the people you are addressing.
- Prepare your notes. This is something that every beginner should do when preparing for public speaking. Many experienced public speakers don’t do this. The reason they don’t do this is because they are so experienced in public speaking that they do not need to refer to their notes before knowing what to say. They know what to say and when to say what they have to say. But you as a beginner cannot possibly have everything in your head. You might end up forgetting to bring some very important points because you did not write them down. Just get a small notebook and write down the main points you will be presenting. You can even put down the jokes that you might be telling along the speech. But please write down only the important points and not an entire note so that you are not forced to read it to the audience. Remember that public speaking is not public reading. You are speaking to the public not reading to them. The reason you need those points in your little notebook is to help you remember certain important things that you are going to talk about. This is very important for every beginner, but you will notice that as time goes on you will become so experienced that you might not see the need for the use of your little notebook.
- Remember not to bore your audience. You can easily bore your audience in so many ways; one way is by talking for too long a time. Your speech has to be concise and straight to the point. You can also make your speech interesting by being passionate and enthusiastic about the topic in question. Also remember to liven up your speech with one or two good jokes that can get the audience laughing. Good communicators know exactly when to drop their jokes.
- Pause from time to time. It is very important that you pause after each point that you make. According to experts, pauses play a very important role in holding the audience’s attention. Also pauses give you the speaker some time to think of the next point that you are going to talk about. Lastly, pauses also help your listeners to absorb what you have just told them. But remember that your pause shouldn’t be too long.
- Keep a good eye contact from time to time with the audience. Eye contacts with various people in the audience are very important in delivering a good public speech. Never underestimate the power of good eye contacts in a speech. They help in bringing about this close connection between the speaker and his audience.
- Practice, practice and keep on practicing. There is an old adage which says that practice makes one perfect. How true! Practicing you speech at home will surely make you give a fantastic and very effective speech when the time comes.
- Summarize all that you have said. In concluding your speech you can summarize all the salient points of your speech.
Some other tips for good public speaking
- Just because we say you can liven up your speech with jokes doesn’t mean you should abuse it. The humor in your speech should be used effectively and appropriately.
- If you are not good at cracking jokes naturally then don’t try injecting jokes into your speech. There is nothing more awkward than a joke that falls flat.
- Try and make your audience feel valued and appreciated.
- Always try and maintain a good posture during your presentation. A good posture can come about when you are yourself and confident.
- Try your best to avoid a lot of ‘ers’ and ‘ums’ during your presentation. Doing this gives a bad signal to your audience. It gives the impression that either you are not confident or you are not sure about what you are saying.
- You should speak in a clear and audible voice. Your listeners are gathered there because they want to hear what you have to say. So speak in a way that they can hear every word you say.
- Never use any language or gesture that insults your audience or their intelligence.
- And always remember to thank your audience once you are done delivering your speech.
“Becoming is better than being”
-Carol Dweck
Good public speaking is a talent that some are born with, and others acquire over time. While there is some advantage claimed by the former, everyone has equal potential to develop this skill.
A great speaker possesses a wide array of qualities right from confidence, research skills, charisma, ability to modulate voice, appropriate body language, and more. We’ll talk about these in detail in the following article.
Before we dive into the importance of being a good speaker and applying this skill in the real world, let me clarify that you won’t be receiving the generic advice that most blogs and people out there give.
You must’ve heard things like “bring more ‘passion’ into your speech”, or “talk with confidence”, “be more energetic”, “talk louder”. But to be frank, those are all ridiculous tips with no applicability at all. Hardly anyone tells you what does ‘passion’ mean in this context, or HOW exactly is one to bring confidence on the table.
Well, if you’ve been a victim to these ludicrous suggestions, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ll tell you the exact meaning behind each of the qualities that we believe are possessed by a great speaker. Now, before we dive into the qualities…
Why is being a good speaker important?
It doesn’t matter if you’re an introvert or extrovert, a student or a professional, an artist or a manager, we all at some point in our lives have had to/will have to speak to an audience. As a student, it might be for things like elocution competitions, as an adult, it might be for business presentations.
Whether it is a daily requirement or a rare opportunity, it is important to make an impact on the listeners. Being able to deliver a message effectively gives you a sense of power over your audience and makes you feel heard. It gives your opinions dominance over others.
Now there are some nuances that need to be looked at. The qualities and traits possessed by an impactful speaker as follows:
- Precision
- Awareness
- Listening
- Eccentricity
- Command
- Relatability
- Openness
- Welcoming
- Empathy
- Story-telling
- Authenticity
#Precision
A great speaker does not beat around the bush, they’re very direct. They understand the value of time and therefore conduct themselves with precision. Sure, sometimes to build context they might indulge in stories or more personal anecdotes, however, they’re all essential to prove a point.
He/she is aware of the fact that our attention span is progressively shrinking, and so they would make sure to keep their message short and sweet.
#Awareness
That brings us to the next quality, awareness. Not the spiritual kind though, there is a very specific area of awareness that I refer to, here. A great speaker has the knowledge of when, where, how, and how MUCH to speak.
What I mean by that is he/she has the ability to analyse a situation presented to them. Don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it sounds. How you do that is you ask yourself a bunch of questions:
- Do I have something meaningful to say?
- Do I have a substantial amount of points to prove my point?
- Is the time and place appropriate for a discussion? (For eg. You can’t talk about the importance of scientific temper at a wedding or a funeral)
- Are the people you’re speaking to the intended audience for what you have to say?
Analyzing the audience is very important. What you say can differ according to the set of people you’re speaking to.
Adults would require different presentation skills and content than young children or adolescents. One needs to be aware of it.
#Listening
Being a good listener is one of the first steps to becoming a great speaker. How so, you may ask? Well, active listening is not only a pleasant trait to have but it also induces the virtue of patience in a person.
Being a patient listener allows you to grasp useful information and discard useless information which ultimately brings more clarity. It is a wise trait since it allows you to open your mind and acquire new perspectives into your own speech.
And this is a passive activity, being a patient listener to a random stranger or your colleague might end up giving you insights that you can then incorporate in your content.
#Eccentricity
A great speaker is considered great not only because of the way they speak but also (and perhaps more importantly) for WHAT they say. In this case, eccentricity is not a vice but a virtue.
What some people call “eccentric”, others call unique. Eccentricity has always had a negative connotation attached to it. However, they don’t realise that it gives a person a completely fresh perspective of the world. They see it in a different light, away from the norm.
A great speaker does exactly that, take their UNIQUE view of the world and present it eloquently. In a way that consumes the audiences’ attention, they stay true to their own selves and shine a light on the lens through which they perceive things.
And in today’s “out of the box thinking” world, the ability to be good at refreshingly presenting your ideas can take you places!
#Command
A great speaker usually concludes with actionable content, their speech is designed in such a manner that it urges you to do something at the end of it.
For example, after listening to a motivational speaker, more often than not, you feel inspired to change something about your life for the better. That’s the magic of the speaker. If you feel indifferent while listening to a motivational speaker, then he/she would be considered to be failing at their job.
#Relatability
They know that if something is complex, it needs to be broken down into simple words. A great speaker knows how to explain or prove a point to even a layman, that’s how strong their command over language is.
This goes on to say that you need to really *understand* what you intend to talk about, down to the T. Only then would you be able to make it relatable. People understand things better when they can relate to it, situationally, or using metaphors.
For example, a child does not understand complex concepts like business, but you must’ve seen a parent explaining to a child the idea of business like a barter system where they have to trade toys with a friend so that the child grasps what the core of the business is.
You’d only be able to mold your content or connect it to metaphors if you comprehend it well.
#Openness & #Welcoming
These two qualities are kind of interlinked. A great speaker has a humble, welcoming attitude. They’re open to criticism, feedback, and intend to turn it into something constructive.
They develop empathy because it allows them to step into others’ shoes and expand the horizon of their own perspectives. Even their demeanor indicates their patience. They know how to separate personal from professional, and maintain those boundaries.
If you wanna know how to develop the skill to interact with your audience, check out our article that’ll guide you to do just that: 11 Engaging Ways To Interact With The Audience
#Empathy
In layman’s terms, empathy is the ability to step into someone else’s shoes and consider a perspective perhaps different from your own. A good speaker has the patience to be a good listener, being kind and open to other people’s point of view is what helps a speaker expand their own horizons. It also helps you to be realistic with the call to action you provide to your audience.
#Story-telling
The ability to make a speech interesting is to add an element of narrative to it. Making it a story really helps to hook your audiences’ attention. This can include peppering a few jokes here and there, starting with a personal anecdote. What these things do is allow the speaker to access a natural flow in their speech.
Apart from this, body language is an essential tool every great speaker must improve. Here’s an article we wrote in reference to the importance of body language, check it out: Body Language And Its Contribution To The Process Of Communication
Working on these skills to a level where it seems natural ATTRACTS people to you. It makes them want to hear what you have to say.
#Authenticity
Authenticity comes with expanding your knowledge. Constantly challenging your boundaries and feeding your curiosity will add to the archive of information you hold in your brain.
Knowing more things would automatically enable you to TALK about more things.
How do I prepare myself?
You might think preparation goes unsaid if you’re planning to speak to an audience, but there are some specifics to be considered. Depending on your personality and skill, different situations of speaking require different kinds of preparation.
What I mean by that is, if you’re someone whose best work comes out when you systematically plan out every word of the speech along with subtopics on cue cards, then preparing your content beforehand and writing everything down to revise a bunch of times is a good idea.
However, not everyone functions that way. You might be the kind of person who’s a sport for spontaneity. Sometimes people function best without preparation because they know how to entertain or work an audience, or they’re naturally skilled at it.
But even so, while there is no issue with that, it is wise to have some idea of what you’re getting yourself into. Perhaps checking the kind of crowd you will be addressing, or making a list of the areas you want to tap into while talking. These things eliminate the worst-case scenarios, like you freezing up out of nerves.
So recognize your patterns and see what category you fit into, that will help you build further.
Conclusion
Well, with that said, I believe you’re covered to begin your practice! But remember, apart from patience and perseverance, it’s important to be mindful of your progress. Keeping track of where you need improvement will help you get to your goal faster.
We wrote about the techniques of self-evaluation in a presentation, which involves being a good speaker too. Check it out here: 6 Ways You Can Evaluate Your Own Presentation