Why is public speaking so hard? Many people are intimidated by public speaking, but public speaking is important to establish yourself as a leader and influence others. In this online public speaking course, you’ll learn how to understand your audience, the nonverbal communication of public speaking, and the importance of encoding and decoding your message. You’ll get a review on how to develop an expository speech and an informative speech, and how to make speeches entertaining for your audience. Upon completion of this course, you’ll master the art of public speaking and be ready to give an engaging public speech.
Public speaking is feared by most people, but good public speaking skills offer many benefits. The purpose of public speaking is to persuade and engage audiences – an ability that great leaders possess. In this course you’ll learn public speaking techniques such as understanding your audience, encoding and decoding messages, and the nonverbal communication of public speaking. You’ll review how to create content for informative and persuasive speeches, and how to overcome anxiety.
Learning objectives
- Discover what makes a good speech
- Learn about audience analysis, topic selection, and thesis statements
- Learn about showmanship and how to develop engaging speech content
- Understand the language of public speaking
- Learn how to target your message by knowing your audience
- Discover the importance of the nonverbal part of public speaking
- Understand the dynamics of speech delivery
- Discover strategies on how to quell performance anxiety
Skills you’ll gain
Public SpeakingLecturingPresentation TrainingProfessional SpeakingSpeech ScienceSpeechwritingWhat You'll Learn
- Identify what makes a good speech and what makes public speaking hard
- Analyze your audience, select topics, and write thesis statements
- Develop engaging content for informative and persuasive speeches
- Apply communication basics including encoding and decoding messages
- Use the nonverbal elements of public speaking such as body language, paralanguage, space, touch, territoriality, and time
- Apply strategies to quell performance anxiety and master speech delivery
Key Takeaways
- Public speaking helps you establish yourself as a leader and influence others by persuading and engaging audiences.
- Understanding your audience lets you target your message effectively, taking into account audience norms and developmental stage.
- Encoding and decoding messages is central to communication and to delivering an effective speech.
- Nonverbal communication, including body language, paralanguage, use of space, touch, territoriality, and time, plays an important role in public speaking.
- Content depends on context, and informative and persuasive speeches each have their own organization, such as the motivated sequence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this public speaking course for?
It is for people who find public speaking intimidating or hard and want to build the skills to give an engaging public speech, establish themselves as a leader, and influence others.
What topics does the course cover?
It covers understanding your audience, the nonverbal communication of public speaking, encoding and decoding messages, the language of public speaking, developing informative and persuasive speech content, speech delivery, and overcoming anxiety.
What skills will I gain?
The course builds skills in public speaking, lecturing, presentation training, professional speaking, speech science, and speechwriting.
Does the course help with stage fright or performance anxiety?
Yes. It teaches strategies on how to quell performance anxiety and overcome the anxiety associated with public speaking.
What types of speeches does the course teach?
It covers developing expository and informative speeches, organizing informative speeches with research, and persuasive speech types and organization, including the motivated sequence.
Transcript
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Hello, and welcome to Public Speaking. This course will provide participants with skills to prepare and deliver an informative speech, an expository speech based on research, and a persuasive speech. To accomplish this, participants will learn about audience analysis, topic selection, creation of purpose and thesis statements, development of organizational strategies and speech outlines, use of presentation aids, delivery strategies, and how to overcome speech anxiety. My name is Jeff Buckholts, and I'm the instructor for this course. I receive my Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and Communication from UC Santa Barbara. In 2006, I received my Master of Arts in Women's Studies from San Diego State University. I'm also a faculty lecturer at San Diego State University, where I teach popular culture and counseling, a course which focuses on the ways that popular culture informs and impacts our identities. I'm also adjunct faculty at Southwestern College, where I teach oral communication and supervise the student group Men Ending Violence.
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