From the days of the earliest storytellers, people have spoken to each other to convey common human experiences. Sharing these experiences brings together people from many different lifestyles and helps them connect.
Every day, you’re on the receiving end of public speaking. For the most part, you might not even be aware that someone is “doing” public speaking. The best speakers and presenters speak in a natural way that invites you to make some change in your life, no matter how small. There are four essential purposes of public speaking, listed below in random order.
1. To entertain
It seems that the best public speakers these days tend to be the comedians and storytellers who can make us laugh or touch our emotions. If you have good storytelling techniques, you can command the attention of any audience. As a public speaker, you can lift the spirits of your listeners through an entertaining presentation and still hit any of the purposes listed below.
2. To educate
A well-prepared public speaker can help anyone of any age learn new ideas, concepts, and skills. In formal settings such as schools, a good speaker moves students beyond “Do I hafta learn this?” to “I can’t believe I learned so much!” Outside of learning institutions, there are plenty of places for anyone to give great educational speeches, such as community organizations and health care institutions. Smart people of any age always want to learn, and there’s a place for you to teach through public speaking.
3. To convince
If you want someone to change their mind about a subject, public speaking is the key to that change. The Internet has brought us many ways to stay in touch, but the well-told story from an authentic speaker is still king in communication.
4. To inspire
The “motivational speaker” may be a cliché that gets abused on comedy shows, but a person who’s passionate about their topic and has coupled that with effective audience-reaching speaking skills can inspire both young and old to reach for something beyond themselves.
While most public speakers try to create positive messages, it’s possible to fall into a fifth reason for speaking: to manipulate. When you speak, think about your goals and your reason for speaking. Are you trying to build up your community and the people in it? Or are you attempting to build up something or someone through false stories and lies? Be wary of manipulating your audience through your speeches.
Public speaking can be fun and educational for both your audience and you. Create some good presentations today.
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Many people are nervous about public speaking, but a good coach and teacher can help you overcome that hurdle. Sean Buvala has been speaking about and training clients in the use of storytelling techniques for public speaking since 1986. Hundreds of companies and thousands of individual learners have experienced his work as a coach. Learn more at seantells.com
This article originally appeared on Storyteller.net on November 2010.