Introduction
Public speaking is a common fear, and everyone’s experienced being petrified while standing in front of an audience.
Will people like you? Will they laugh? Will they fall asleep? These are just a few of the many questions and concerns that run through your mind right before it’s time to speak.
However, there are so many different, interesting techniques out there for dealing with your fears (and becoming awesome at public speaking).
For example, did you know that there are four different types of public speaking? In the below sections, we’ll go over each one so that you can calm down a little bit if you know what to expect when preparing for your next speech.
Spontaneous Speaking
Spontaneous speaking is when you are asked a question and you have to answer it immediately.
You may be given 10-15 seconds to prepare your answer, but the rest of the time is spent on answering questions.
You need to be prepared to speak on any topic, at any time, and for as long as necessary.
In fact, some professional speakers are paid by how much they talk! But how do you plan for this type of speech?
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Impromptu Speaking
When you’re giving an impromptu presentation, you don’t have any time to prepare. You may be asked to give a speech on the spot or present something to your boss.
This type of speaking is not only a great way to practice what you’ve learned in class but also a good way to test your public speaking skills.
As an example, let’s say that your boss asks you for a report on what happened at the last company meeting. You know the basics of what was said and done there, but now he wants it all written down in detail so that he can send it out as an official notice later on.
If this sounds like something similar to what might happen in real life (and let’s hope it does!), then here are some tips for how best to handle such an assignment:
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Extemporaneous Speaking
Extemporaneous speaking is the art of communicating in a spontaneous fashion.
The speaker prepares a basic outline but improvises the exact words and order of the presentation.
The ability to think quickly on one’s feet can be extremely rewarding, but it takes time to master.
The best extemporaneous speakers need to be able to think creatively on their feet, as well as be able to elaborate and expand upon ideas quickly.
They must also possess good memory skills so that they can remember what they’ve said up until this point if they are interrupted mid-sentence by a question or comment from an audience member.
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Memorized Speaking
Memorizing a speech is the best way to stay calm, confident, organized, and prepared.
You have a few options when it comes to memorization:
- You can use outlines (or notes) and refer to them as you speak – this is called “parallel” speaking. The advantage of this method is that you can adjust your presentation on the fly by referring back to your notes if needed. The disadvantage is that if you forget something or even misread one line of text in an outline, everything else could be thrown off balance for the remainder of your presentation. Parallel speaking also requires more mental energy than other methods because it’s almost like performing two tasks at once; speaking while also reading from notes simultaneously can cause a lot of stress or cognitive overload over time.*
- You could write out each word exactly as they appear on slides using words-to-slide software programs like Keynote or Powerpoint (not recommended). This method prevents any additional stress by eliminating all possible errors without having any distractions—but since most people are not used to writing like this anymore there may be some awkwardness during delivery
Public speaking can be really scary, but there are some interesting techniques for dealing with that.
Public speaking can be really scary, but there are some interesting techniques for dealing with that.
You can get over the fear of public speaking by learning to be a better speaker, listener, and person.
Conclusion
The most important thing to remember about public speaking is that there are many different types of it.
Some require a lot of preparation and memorization, others require almost no preparation at all. There isn’t one right way to do it.
The most important thing is finding which type of public speaking works best for you, and then practicing until you feel comfortable doing it in front of an audience.