Qualities of a good speaker By Anil Kumar Gupta Librarian Kendriya Vidyalaya Fazilka

Qualities of a good speaker

By

Anil Kumar Gupta

M.Com., M.A(Economics and English Literature)., DCA, M.Lib. & I.Sc.

Librarian

Kendriya Vidyalaya Fazilka

Introduction: - Qualities of a good speaker is a quality which can change your world of exposure. This enables how you are accepted by the listeners in a large gathering. How different you are from others. This quality can take you to your destination by virtue of your thoughts and opinions on various contents you are taking to the world of listeners. There are some quotes of eminent personalities of the world : -

Ralph Waldo Emersion: - “All the great speakers were bad speakers at first”.

Thomas Chandler Halliburton: - “I have learnt a good deal from my own talk”.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge: - “I pass like night, from land to land; I have strange power of speech”.

C. F. Forbes: - “The sense of being well dressed gives a feeling of inner tranquility”.

                   Speaking in public is not a simple task. It requires practice and confidence. Now a day it is treated as art also. This requires skill and command on language with expression and feelings.

                   As you all know that we come across so many parties, debate, public speech, family occasion, club gatherings and many more events in our life. Every individual event requires different skill of speaking.

                   Nervousness plays a major role in this regard. This may spoil or can take over in the situation and the job may be lost simply because it is so difficult to convey thoughts to the person standing or sitting before you. To overcome this nervousness, one must practice mainly on verbal communication. To charge your attitude to this very public arena is really very hard and difficult. No one will pretend that speaking in public is easy. The more you speak, the better you will become. After some time you will be able to feel it and express it. To build confidence in public speaking, first of all one must know himself/herself. You know your strong and weak areas. Try to overcome your weaker part and improve it by practice. Try to keep a handsome voice which may attract others.

                                      There are numerous qualities of a good speaker. Some of them are as under: -

·       Always have smile on your face.

·       Be self controlled at every stage.

·       Keep in mind a sense of audience reaction, so that you come out much better.

·       One should be capable of fine use of vocabulary and language.

·       Always maintain a carrying voice, so that your voice could reach to every person hearing you.

·       Always keep a confident appearance.

·       Keep yourself in a way that you can be a part of attention gaining manner.

·       You should keep vitality in your presentation of ideas.

·       Always have the power of persuasion.

·       Have knowledge of how to adapt to a particular occasion.

·       Always keep a genuine desire to communicate.

·       Have precise timings.

·       Know your subject matter thoroughly. This will make you prompt in your contents.

·       You should be able to keep a touch with your listeners in some ways.  This will create a positive relationship between you and your listeners.

·       Timing plays a very vital role to succeed in your speech. Always finish your ideas and thoughts in the time allotted to you.

·       You have to adapt yourself according to the needs of the listeners. Your command on language and contents may play a major role in this regard. Always keep your own way to express your ideas. Please do not imitate others.

·       Always give your ideas progression means you should be capable to continue with your thoughts, one content relate to the other one in a way of progression.

·       Clarity in your voice and thoughts may play a vital role.

·       Keep in mind that you are a speaker not a comedian. Do not be an egoist.

·       Dignify yourself in the beginning.

·       Address about the chair person, guests and audience with description.

Don’t

A good speaker need to be cautious and do not do the followings: -

·       Exceed the time limit.

·       Be superficial (feels self superficial an all ways).

·       Over talkative attitude.

·       Speaking but not prepared.

·        Patronize your listeners

·       Quotes without references

·       Using Jargon or acronyms (go beyond listeners mind and you are putting the meaning of those words in between your speech)

·       Use of statistics which may create bareness among your listeners

·       Repeating information time and again this may lose your listeners attention to your speech.

·       Using off colour jokes.

·       Display mannerisms like taking out glasses time and again.

·       Keeping eyes on notes, not on listeners.

·       Speak in monotone.

·       Speak in a hurry to finish contents.

·       Learning speech by heart and reciting before the listeners is a bad habit.

·       Ignoring the structure of speech.

·       Showing apologetic attitude due to lack of preparation.

·       Emphasis only on notes, no your own views and thoughts.

·       No preparation, side by side information on the speech contents.

·       Over use slang expressions.

·       Thankless ending of the speech to listeners. (Views will not thank you)  

·       Laughing in between the speech on your own content not observing listeners reaction.

·       Dress code is not proper.

·       Hair style.

·       Shoe not as per dress code.

·       Involvement of audience is avoided.

·       Don’t keep in the mind that you are the only speaker.

·       Appearance.

·       No proper use of hands during speech.

·       Standing, if not proper.

·       Need not to over asses your audience.

·       Selection of language, if not done as per the choice of the listeners.

·       If, the speech is illogical.

·       Lack of slogan and quotations.

·       Use of new words, not heard earlier.

·       Lack of amusement.

·       Expecting over praising.

·       Over references.

·       Typical language.

·       Speech should be speech, not debate at all.

·       Do not over pleasure the speech.

·       Over patriotism in speech.

Two important “Never” for a good speaker

1.    Never apologize for lack of preparation.

2.    Never indicate that you are going to conclude your speech.

A good speaker must keep in mind the following things before speech:

 A good speaker must keep in mind few things which may change his way of speech. She/he may put best before the public or in large gathering by doing something different. They may go with followings: -   

  

·       What is my role as speaker?

·       What contents I have to go with?

·        What type of programme is it?

·       What will be the time limit for me to express my views and opinions?

·       Is it a live programme or a recorded programme?

·       Who will be the chairperson for the programme?

·       Do I need to have audio visual contents with me?

·       Am I the only person to speak before audience?

·       Is there need for a set of readymade contents or I have to prepare at the time of presentation?

·       Is this programme is a recorded programme, will it allow editing in the end?

·       Can I have the opportunity to go with important contents earlier?

·       If it is an interview, could I guess the questions, will be asked?

·       Will the contents be in mother language, regional or in foreign language like in English?

·       Could I be treated as important guest?

·       Will I be having liberty to present my views bilingually?

·       Will there be a question round or open question round to interact?

Good speaker always create

A good speaker always find himself/herself to create the followings by virtue of his/her way of speaking in public with confidence: -

1.    Always observe silence and smiling faces all around.

2.    Always leave an impression that audience ask for more.

3.    Not bother or in fear of controversy.

4.    To justify thoughts, always keep in mind some facts for justification.

5.    Interacting with audience showing inter – personal relation.

6.    A good speaker never let lame ending of speech.

7.    A good speech always waits for appraisal in the form of applause.

Major contents for a good speaker 

 Some of the major contents which may play a very vital role in presenting a good speech are as under: -

·       Matter

·       Preparation

·       Pauses

·       Manner

·       Practice

·       Pitch

·       Method

·       Pace

·       Punch

By following the aforesaid mentioned contents a speaker may change his world of speaking in public with confidence. By watching the videos and contents of the learned and intellectual speakers, one may learn the way of speaking in public with confidence. 

I wish for your better future

Please read this article and submit your comments and opinions