Real Reference: A Study Tool

• Public speaking anxiety (PSA) is the nervousness we experience when we know we have to communicate publicly to an audience (p. 404).
• Communication apprehension (CA), fear or anxiety associated with communication, is a common barrier to effective delivery (p. 404).
• Common anxiety triggers include upsetting past experiences, fear of evaluation, and distaste for attention (pp. 404–405).
• Confidence comes from being prepared, desensitizing yourself, visualizing success (particularly through performance visualization), taking care of yourself, and lots of practice (p. 407).

• Speaking from manuscript is helpful when you need to get the details 100 percent correct but can be static and dull (p. 408–409).
• Speaking from memory, referred to as oratory, doesn’t invite rapport with the audience and is rare today (p. 409).
• Speaking spontaneously—when you’re asked to speak with no warning beforehand—is known as impromptu speaking (pp. 409–410).
• Extemporaneous speaking makes the speech look easy and spontaneous, but it’s actually based on an outline of key points and practice, practice, practice (pp. 410–411).

• Use pitch to vary your sound range and avoid a monotone (p. 412).
• Cue the audience as to what’s important by adjusting your speaking rate and volume (pp. 412–413).
• Add drama to the speech by pausing for effect (p. 413).
• Speak clearly and precisely: use proper pronunciation, practice careful articulation, and avoid mumbling (pp. 413–414).
• If you have an accent, be aware of how it might influence your audience (p. 414).

• Dress appropriately for the speaking occasion (pp. 414, 416).
• Make brief eye contact with almost everyone, using the technique known as scanning (p. 416).
• Facial expressions and gestures must match the verbal message of your speech (p. 417).
• Maintain a steady, confident posture by positioning your legs at a distance equal to your shoulders, with slightly bent knees, in the stance known as planting (p. 417).

• Share your passion for the topic with your audience through effective use of emotion (pp. 418–419).
• Gauge the audience response and adapt to it (p. 419).
• Generate immediacy with your audience (p. 419).

• Effective presentation aids help listeners process and retain information, promote interest and motivation, and convey information clearly and concisely (p. 422).
• Based on the needs of your presentation, you can choose among helpful presentation aid types, including props and models, media clips and images, graphs and charts (including bar graphs and pie charts), posters and transparencies, flip charts and whiteboards, handouts, and presentation slideware (pp. 422–427).

• Make sure the key words in your speaking outline are meaningful prompts (p. 427).
• Do a run-through with your presentation aids (particularly the electronic ones), and try to simulate the actual speaking conditions (pp. 427–428).
• Focus on the message (p. 428).