Learn about public speaking. Understand what public speaking is, learn why public speaking is important, and read a historical overview of public speaking. Updated: 11/21/2023
Public Speaking Definition, History & Importance
- FAQs
- Activities
Getting Comfortable with Public Speaking
Prep:
- Part of getting comfortable with this skill is to take it one step at a time. Think about what should happen before a public speaking experience. Consider all the variables that might affect the actual speech situation. Make a list of the preparation process as you see it. Get some feedback on your list from a teacher or fellow student.
- Choose a subject you could effectively share with others. This could be a hobby, an area of study, something in your work assignment, or a current issue you've studied thoroughly. Make an outline to assist in making a presentation concerning this topic. If possible, get a person you trust to serve as an audience for your practice activity.
Observation Activities
- Study a specific example of public speaking that occurs in your everyday world. It isn't hard to find examples all around us—maybe a school principal or teacher at a school assembly, a pastor or rabbi, or a community meeting in your neighborhood. Evaluate what you observe about the situation. Does the speaker seem anxious? Is their material well-organized? How does the audience react to what is said?
- Watch an interview-type show on television or online. Both people involved in the conversation are public speakers at that time. How prepared is the interviewer? How about the person being interviewed? See what you can learn from your observation that might help you sometime when you are in front of a crowd or a camera.
Note to Instructors
The main take-away from this lesson and these activities is to help the student be more aware of public speaking situations that happen all around us in the 'real world.' Observing is a prime learning activity in a performing type of skill. Then comes planning and finally practicing the skill. If possible, give students an opportunity to practice speaking in public in a safe-feeling environment.
What is public speaking?
Public speaking is a form of communication that includes a presenter and an audience. It is more formal than casual conversation and requires an organization of thoughts with a specific purpose or goal in mind.
What is the importance of public speaking?
Public speaking is a tool used for conveying information. The purpose of public speaking can vary and may include simply sharing information. Other purposes of public speaking include motivating, celebrating, and persuading others.
Public speaking is the art of conveying information to an audience through oral presentation. It is an act of communication and dates back to the times of ancient Greece. The purpose or intention of public speaking varies and can include informing, motivating, celebrating, entertaining, and persuading. Public speaking involves a presenter (the person speaking) and an audience (the people listening).
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There are several specific elements of public speaking that include:
- the speaker
- the message
- the audience
- the channel
- the effect(s)
The speaker refers simply to the person who is presenting, and the message is the content being presented. The audience is the intended recipient of the message. These three elements are sometimes referred to as who, what, and whom.
The channel is the medium used to the share the message--it is how the message gets sent. The effect is the result of the message having been sent and received. The effect is not necessarily consistent with the speaker's goal.
Public speaking is a more formal type of communication as opposed to small talk or other informal conversations. Public speaking requires preparation and organization.
History of Public Speaking
The art of public speaking has a long history dating back to ancient Greece and ancient Rome. The timeline includes the Classical Period from 500 BCE to 400 BCE. During this time, the ancient Greeks valued public debate as well as civic and political engagement, and scholars dedicated much time and energy to each. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are some of the Greek philosophers who advanced the study of the rhetoric. Aristotle is best known for his three persuasive proofs that include ethos (speaker credibility), pathos (emotional appeal), and logos (logic). Cicero, an ancient Roman philosopher, identified the five canons of rhetoric, a series of steps to follow when creating a persuasive public speech.
The Medieval Period, from 400 BCE to 1400 BCE, is a time noted for religious interest in persuasion. St. Augustine, a Christian clergyman and communication scholar, continued the study of rhetoric but through the lens of religious ideals.
The Renaissance, from 1400 to 1600, is noted as a time period when truth, morality, and accountability were seen as intertwined with studying communication. Francis Bacon argued for speaker responsibilities in the art of public speaking, shifting the focus from the organization of the message to include also the presenter's ethical responsibilities.
The Enlightenment Period, from 1600 to 1800, is often considered a bridge that connects the previous time periods to the current day and age. In support and defense of the new republic, orators during this period of time reflected on the previous periods with a specific interest in ethical and persuasive communication. Emphasis was typically placed on political rhetoric during this time period. Scholars, including former United States President John Quincy Adams, who was also a Harvard professor who studied and taught rhetoric, added legitimacy to the field and formal interest in rhetoric.
We are now in the New School period of time, ranging from 1900 to today. Today, people recognize the value of communication skills and the important role communication plays in all aspects of life. Students have the option, and are often required, to take a communication class in high school, as well as in college. Some people pursue communication degrees in higher education with focused areas in rhetoric and public address, organizational communication, interpersonal communication, and legal communication.
Some of the most famous public speeches in history include:
- "The Gettysburg Address" by Abraham Lincoln
- 2016 Democratic National Convention Keynote Address by Barack Obama
- I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- "The Hill We Climb" by Amanda Gorman
- "Tilbury Speech" by Queen Elizabeth I
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Public speaking is important to both the presenter as well as the audience. From a presenter's perspective, public speaking can serve as a method of sharing information and potentially persuading others. From an audience's perspective, it can be an opportunity to learn and better understand. The results of effective public speaking can include enlightenment and change as well as unification and empowerment. It can serve as a tool to change attitudes and behaviors or to reaffirm the status quo.
The ability to effectively present what one is thinking and feeling through public speaking can impact one's confidence level. Improving one's public speaking abilities can actually increase self-confidence.
Speeches are often used to mark important occasions throughout history, as with Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. The address honored the fallen soldiers who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg, a battle with mass casualties. Public speeches can serve as reference points, identifying wins or important lessons learned. Barack Obama's Democratic 2016 National Convention Keynote Address celebrated the momentum of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. This campaign was history-making with Hillary Clinton being the first female candidate of a major political party to run for president of the United States. Public speeches can also name goals for the future, as with Dr. King's I have a Dream speech. In this speech, Dr. King named the goal of equality for all people, including people of color. The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman similarly named a series of goals including unity and resilience during a time of mass division. Finally, speeches can motivate, as with Queen Elizabeth's Tilbury Speech. In this speech, she rallied the troops (considered the underdog in terms of numbers) through her own continued commitment and confidence.
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The art of public speaking is a means of conveying information and, potentially, changing how people think (and even behave). It is a formal and organized method of communication with a presenter, message, audience, channel, and effect. The presenter is the source of information and sometimes referred to as the who. The message is what is communicated and also referred to as the what. The audience is the intended recipient of the message and sometimes referred to as whom. The channel is how the message is communicated, and the effect is the impact or result.
The art of public speaking has a long history, dating back to the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans. Philosophers and rhetoricians have studied the art of public speaking for centuries. The initial focus was on persuasion with an interest in process in the context of political engagement. In time, the focus shifted to an acknowledgement of political implications, civic engagement, and ethical responsibilities. Communication is a currently a discipline at universities where scholars can earn degrees in the subject and study rhetoric, public address, organizational communication, and interpersonal communication. Public speeches often mark important events in history. Speeches may even be important historical events as they can serve to motivate, unite, entertain, and empower people. Improving one's public speaking skills can also increase one's self-confidence.
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Video Transcript
What Is Public Speaking, Anyway?
Think about a time that you had to stand in front of a bunch of people and tell them something. Maybe it was an oral report in grade school or a proposal at work. After gathering your materials and preparing what to say, you arrived at the podium and started talking.
That, my friend, is public speaking, and it involves communicating information before a large audience. What makes public speaking different than, say, just talking to a crowd of people, is in the way information is conveyed. In public speaking, the information is purposeful and meant to inform, influence or entertain a group of listeners.
There are five elements of public speaking, and it basically boils down to who is saying what to whom using what medium with what effect. In other words, who is the source of the message. What is the message itself. Whom is the audience, while the medium is the actual delivery method and ending in the effect. Think of the effect as the speaker's intent for the speech.
Public speaking dates back centuries, yet still remains one of the most important skills we can acquire in modern times. So, why is it so important to know?
Why Do We Need to Do It?
So, you're thinking of a time when you had to present something in front of a group. And the only memory you have might be of sweaty palms and knocking knees. There are some very good reasons why you need to know how to do it. Actually, there are so many reasons why everyone should learn how to speak in a public forum. Let's check out a few:
- Every time you speak in public, it increases your self-confidence
- As we become comfortable speaking, we become more comfortable around people
- We can reach a large audience in a shorter time than having individual conversations
- It's a great way to show how much you know about a subject
- You can build a fan base of followers
If these reasons are not enough to convince you to step up to the podium and give it your all, perhaps you should know that good public speaking skills get the attention of employers. In fact, a person who has what it takes to capture an audience's attention is likely to outshine others in the workplace, in school or even in his or her own personal life. By taking the microphone, you can influence the world around you by shaping and affecting the way groups of people think.
Lesson Summary
To sum things up, public speaking involves communicating information before a large audience. There are essentially five elements of public speaking and they look something like this. Who is saying what to whom using what medium with what effect.
Remember, who is the source of the message. What is the message itself. Whom is the audience. The medium is the actual delivery method, ending in the effect, or speaker's intent.
There are so many reasons to learn public speaking skills. Employers look for people who have what it takes to command an audience. It also increases self-confidence and we become more comfortable around people. It also lets us show off how much we know about a subject. This helps us build a fan base of followers. Good public speaking is useful in school, work or even in our personal lives.
Learning Outcomes
After watching this lesson, you should be able to:
- Define public speaking
- Identify the five elements of public speaking
- Explain why public speaking skills are important
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