Speeches, who listens to them?

On numerous occasions, I have spoken with people about my upcoming speeches, only to have them respond, “Don’t worry, nobody listens anyway!” What they seem to mean by this is, you can say whatever silly things you want, no one will be paying attention anyway!

I’d like to warn you, readers, that this is false. While yes, many people have a predisposition for selective hearing, if we think about the example of receiving pamphlets on the street- some of these do actually get read, right?

At the same time, what annoys me is the idea that written discourse might be seen as more valid than spoken discourse. This is simply untrue. Further more, there are ways to ensure that people not just listen to your speeches, but also enjoy them!

Below, several pointers:

1-Set an objective (What do you hope to achieve with your speech?)

2-What message are you trying to send? (Why are you saying what you are saying?)

3-Solemn doesn’t necessarily mean stiff and rigid, nor does it mean distant.

4-If you are going to summarize historical facts or discuss something regarding your bibliography, do so briefly!

5-Use rhetorical questions and after voicing them, stop, and without saying a word, look at the audience for at least a few seconds.  This allows your audience to pause annd reflect upon what you have said.

6-Search for and be sure to mention concrete examples of the topic at hand.

7-If you are familiar with the audience or know something special about the culture, and if it would make the audience happy that you mention it, do it.

8-At last but definitely not least- don’t read! Yes, that’s right- don’t read from your notes. If you want someone to listen to you, never read. Do you like it when you are having a conversation and the other person won’t look at you? Imagine that a friend comes over to visit and reads to you everything that occured in his or her day. Wouldn’t you want to say hey listen, put down that piece of paper? Your audience is thinking the same thing! Remember, in order to connect with your audience you need to make people feel as though you are speaking directly to them personally.

Getting back to the beginning-  do you remember the first item? Of course. Think about it again, what is your purpose for creating this speech? What exactly are you trying to impart to your audience? If it is only to hear yourself speak, the rest of the items on the list don’t even merit consideration. On the other hand, if you’d like your audience to not just hear you but to also really listen, please take this article into consideration and use it to your benefit.

Iris VaninettiVaninetti was born on December 1, 1966 in Buenos Aires. She studied at the the University of Morón, where she received her degree in science and education in 1992. Prior to speaking in public, she would ask herself, “What message will the students take away? How will they see me? Is what I am saying correct?” These concerns prompted her to begin giving classes in speaking and presentation. Vaninetti continues to teach and write articles on how to present yourself to an audience and how to do it well.

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Related Courses:

Speech Writing

How to Engage a Live Audience

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