Using Public Speaking to Increase your PR Network

The first time I was assigned an oral presentation as a collegefreshmen, I figured it would be an easy A. But much to my dismay,as I stood in front of the classroom, my palms became drenchedwith sweat and I couldn't remember a word of the material I hadso laboriously researched.You might be wondering, "So what does this have to do with my PRcampaign?" Surprisingly, it might be more than you think. Let'ssay your company had decided to sponsor a charity event, and thedirector of the organization asks you to say a few words at theevent. Whether this invitation is spur of the moment or planned,if you don't have a few good public speaking skills under yourbelt, you could end up doing more harm to your company's facethan good.Public speaking is not an easy task, and one that takes a fairamount of practice and confidence. Many people perceive speakersthat give off a certain air of knowledge to be experts on thetopic being covered. Even if you aren't really an expert, itdoesn't hurt to sound like one, right?The first thing you should take in account when planning aspeech is who you will be presenting to. Demographics andpsychographics are two things that should be looked at carefully.Demographics deals with such issues as age, sex, socio-economicstatus and education level, while psychographics leans towardsthe ideologies and beliefs systems of the audience. Obviously,presenting to a group of high schoolers will necessitate adifferent tone and speech type than would a presentation to agroup of science junkies at a physics convention.You also need to look at the message that you wish to convey toyour audience. This will lead to figuring out what sort of speechyou need to work on. There are different types of speeches,including demonstration, informative, or persuasive. If youexpect an audience to listen, you have to give them a reason.Play off their motivations-- always remember that humans act anddirect their behavior according towards wants and needs.However, it doesn't matter how much you appeal to someone'semotions if you have no credibility. Establishing credibility isimportant because it builds trust between you and the audience.Some common ways to portray credibility is by the use of facts,statistics, narratives, and defining the jargon that youraudience might not be immediately familiar with.During the deliverance of your speech or presentation, it is keythat you order your points in a way that will make sense to theaudience. Chronological, spatial, and cause and effect orderingare a few examples of ways that work well.Along with the points you make in your speech, good visual aidswill oftentimes reinforce the ideas for your audience. An imageor graph makes your key concepts much clearer for the listener.Finally, speech deliverance is of utmost importance because let'sface it-- no matter how much preparation you put into yourspeech, it won't matter much if you forget every word once you'reup there.The four main delivery formats used in speech making includeimpromptu, extemporaneous, manuscript, and memorized. If you'vedone all this preparation, chances are you're not giving animpromptu talk. So let's look at the other three. You already knowwhat a memorized speech is, and you might have guessed that amanuscript is one that is simply read allowed verbatim.Extemporaneous speaking, however, involves very few notes andmemorization. This is sometimes harder than the other forms, butat the same time usually involves fewer blunders and allows formore eye contact with the audience.By the end of my college career, I could stand in front of fairlylarge audiences with enough confidence to glide through my pointswith ease. Granted, I did stumble across some unexpected pitfallsevery now and again, but the more I spoke the easier it was togracefully ease my way out of those hairy situations.Making pubic presentations and speaking part of your PR campaigncan reinforce your image as a trustworthy and intelligent person,especially concerning whatever it is you're trying to sell. Overtime, your charisma and demeanor will reflect the confidenceinvolved in public speaking. Sales will start rolling in.