How to be a great speaker?

This sounds like a basic skill, everyone knows how to speak right? But have you ever studied it? What makes a great speaker? And how to improve speaking?

We use it everyday in our life and it can have a huge impact on every part of our life. This is one of the core skills that is so important but rarely studied. This is an important just for those who are learning a foreign language or who have speaking difficulties.

Articulate definition:

If you describe someone as articulate, you mean that they are able to express their thoughts and ideas easily and well.

ADJECTIVE

1. having parts connected by joints; jointed
: usually arˈticuˌlated

2. made up of distinct syllables or words that have meaning, as human speech

3. able to speak

4. expressing oneself easily and clearly

5. well formulated; clearly presented

an articulate argument

VERB TRANSITIVEWord forms: arˈticuˌlated or arˈticuˌlating

6. to put together by joints; joint

7. to arrange in connected sequence; fit together; correlate

to articulate a science program for all grades

8. to utter distinctly; pronounce carefully; enunciate

9. to express clearly

What makes a great speaker? What are the elements of a great speaker? How to improve at speaking? How can you be more articulate? What makes a bad speaker?

What are the core speaking skills?
– Vocabulary – the core, rich, varied use of words.
– Fluency – sentence structure
– Sound – voice – emphasis / tonality, strength of voice, pitch, accentuation.
– Expressiveness – facial, body language, hand movements
– Empathy – understanding of emotions of the listener and making the story connect on an emotional level
– Logic – clear logic
– Energy
– Confidence

How can you measure how well someone is speaking?
– How engaging it is / is it fun / interesting?
– How clear it is – do you get the point?
– Succinct – fewer words is better

There are different skills and aspects to speaking public speaking Vs conversations. There are many different types of conversations with different contexts that require different skills. Storytelling, negotations, sales, educating, all have different types of requirements.

How to improve?

Check your vocabulary – learn more useful words
Writing can also help. It is related.
Understand speaking and learn the skills
Learn from great speakers – who are they and what do they do?
Practice – Make a recording of yourself. Reflect / Get Feedback.
Get a coach? Do exercises. Do acting courses / make youtube videos.
Improve and make adjustments, test and evaluate their level.
Repeat.

Is there any kind of objective test to evaluate how good you are at speaking? We have an International English Test that assesses someone for their English level.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when watching a recording of yourself practicing your public speaking skills:

Don’t just focus on the negative. I know, we all think the way to improve is by zeroing in solely on what we’re doing wrong, but that’s not 100% right. When we also identify the good public speaking skills we have—and ways we are improving over time—we actually build up some of the confidence necessary for improvement and momentum.

Turn off the sound and just watch. Notice what you’re doing with your hands. Are they moving? When they move, do they seem to move with purpose, or are they just moving for the sake of moving? What about your face? Is it expressive? Is it communicating emotion and passion? If you had to just watch your face, would you have a sense of the feelings you were trying to communicate?

Understanding Rhythmn, Pitch and Putting Words Togethr

Who are some great speakers?

– Politicians – American presidents. .
– Margaret Thatcher
– Tony Robbins
– Ghandi
– Actors