The Art of Oratory and Speech Culture

The Problems of Public Speaking

Lack of Confidence If you don't have confidence in yourself, you'll risk alienating the audience. Lack of Attention to Audience Make sure you know the audience, or the presentation will be unsuccessful. Researching their ages, culture, values and current level of knowledge is essential to shaping the speech’s tone and content. Lack of Organization You can lose credibility by not spending enough time gathering and organizing material. Conducting research about the audience, topic and sources are preliminary steps.

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    The ways of engaging the audience
    

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    Choosing words correctly: abstract and concrete words in public speaking
    

Abstract Language: Image not found Abstract words have no physical referent. They refer to intangible qualities, ideas, and concepts that we only know through our intellect, like love, success, moral, or a lot. They are very ambiguous. Because each audience member holds a different understanding of abstract words, these words work very well when appealing to or evoking emotion from a large audience. They enable each audience member to relate in their own way. They should be avoided, however, when providing instruction or other instances when detail is necessary. Concrete words refer to tangible qualities or characteristics—things we know through our senses, like apple, rose, or laptop. If a word is concrete, then you will know which of the five senses it appeals to: sight, smell, touch, taste, or hearing. Words like purple, burnt, hot, spicy, or loud are all concrete. As you may have noticed, not all concrete words are specific. When a word conjures up different images, it isn’t very solid. Therefore, when needing to illustrate a specific idea, such as a thesis, try using a tool called the ladder of abstraction. The ladder of abstraction moves a word from general to specific. General words, like jobs, games, or purple become a more narrow and precise descriptive word when advancing through the ladder, making it easier for the audience to visualize your words.

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