Explanation of how to achieve your goals in speaking to groups or individuals. Also refer to self-expression, ideas, verbal communication, audiences, rewards, increased earnings, satisfaction, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions
Goals of a Public Speaker
by Ron Kurtus (revised 8 December 2006)
Anyone who is going to speak to a group must have specific goals in mind. You need to know what you are trying to achieve, what the audience would like to hear and what you want to get out of the speaking experience.
Whenever you speak to people, the goals you are attempting to achieve are to verbally express your thoughts and ideas, satisfy the listener or audience, and get rewards from the process.
Questions you may have include:
- What can be achieved in a speech?
- How can you tell what the audience wants?
- What rewards can be gotten from speaking?
This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz near the end of the lesson.
What you want to achieve
Before you give a speech, you really need to define what you want or expect to achieve in the talk. This is really the purpose of your talk, which can be any or all of the following:
- To inform
- To educate
- To arouse
- To persuade
- To move to action
- To entertain
It is important to make a personal statement of what you want to achieve before even starting to write your speech. For example, "In speaking to this group, I want to persuade them to consider our product, while also entertaining them with my stories."
Provide listener satisfaction
Speaking is a communication process. If the listener or audience does not understand or enjoy what you are saying, you have not achieved a major goal of the process.
Important factors to remember in obtaining listener satisfaction are:
- Speak with confidence,
- Speak with clarity, and
- Get the audience to participate.
Expressing your ideas
A major motivation in speaking to a group--or anyone for that matter--is to express your ideas. In some cases, people may actually ask you to express your thoughts on a certain subject.
Sometimes difficult
It is sometimes difficult to verbally express what you are thinking to other people. Those without the "gift of gab" may have trouble putting their thoughts into words or may even fear speaking to others or to a group. Even professional speakers occasionally come down with the jitters before giving a speech.
Organize your thoughts
You should organize your thoughts before speaking to a group or on a one-to-one basis with a superior. Try to keep things down to three major points. Some people can organize what they plan to say in their heads, while most need to write things down.
There are some techniques to facilitate the verbal expression of your thoughts, such as writing and public speaking methods.
Get rewards
You want to get some sort of reward for the work you have done. This may be self-satisfaction, applause from the audience, or financial gain.
Satisfaction comes from achieving your own goals and feeling that you did a good job. That is completely up to you. Don't set your expectations so high that you are never satisfied with your performance.
If you do a good job, you may get applause from the audience. Sometimes you have to set them up or even prompt them to applaud.
In school
Being able to speak well in school helps you communicate better in presentations and to the teacher and classmates. This ultimately leads to better grades.
At work
Speaking well at work in presentations, at meetings or simply in personal interactions will create a better impression of your competence and result in raises and promotions.
Professional
Some speakers are good enough to charge money for their skills. At the local level, a speaker may receive $25 to speak to a Kiwanis Club. At the top end, celebrity speakers can receive $100,000 for a half-hour speech.
Professional speakers fall into three categories: those that have a good message, those that are entertaining or eloquent speakers, and those who are famous or celebrities. The famous speakers are the ones that get paid the most for their presence and words.
Summary
A successful speaker achieves the goals of expression, listener satisfaction and desired rewards. You should be aware of your goals as you pursue success in speaking.
Set your speaking goals and then achieve them
Resources
The following are some resources on this topic.
Web sites
Books
Top-rated books on Public Speaking
Mini-quiz to check your understanding
1. What is a difficulty some people have in expressing their thoughts?
2. What is a major goal with respect to the audience?
3. Can effective speaking help you at work?
If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a Champion in Public Speaking. If you had problems, you had better look over the material again.
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Where can you go from here?
Achieving Your Speaking Goals