Editing Public speaking (section)

== Purposes ==
{{Rhetoric}}
The main objective of public speaking is to inform or change the audience's thoughts and actions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-13 |title=8.2: The Purposes of Public Speaking |url=https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Communication/Introduction_to_Communication/Introduction_to_Communication_(Green_et_al.)/08%3A_Public_Speaking/8.02%3A_The_Purposes_of_Public_Speaking |access-date=2023-09-29 |website=Social Sci LibreTexts |language=en}}</ref> The function of public speaking is determined by the speaker's intent, but it is possible for the same speaker, with the same intent, to deliver substantially different speeches to different audiences.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pertwee |first=Ernest |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hsm0WqfJK2QC&dq=effective+public+speaking&pg=PA1 |title=The Art of Effective Public Speaking |date=2006-06-01 |publisher=Cosimo, Inc. |isbn=978-1-59605-142-3 |language=en}}</ref>

Public speaking is frequently directed at a select and sometimes restricted audience, consisting of individuals who may hold different perspectives. This audience can encompass enthusiastic supporters of the speaker, reluctant attendees with opposing views, or strangers with varying levels of interest in the speaker's topic. Proficient speakers recognize that even a modest-sized audience is not a uniform entity but rather a diverse assembly of individuals.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Flintoff |first=John-Paul |title=A Modest Book About How To Make An Adequate Speech |date=2021 |publisher=Short Books |isbn=978-1780724560 |page=52 |quote=An audience is not a single entity, but a group of individuals who differ from one another perhaps as much as they may differ from you. If you forget that, the slip is unlikely to work in your favor.}}</ref>

Public speaking aims to either reassure an anxious audience or to alert a complacent audience of something important. Once the speaker has determined which of these approaches is required, they will use a combination of storytelling and informational approaches to achieve their goals.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Objectives of speech |url=https://www.coursesidekick.com/communications/study-guides/boundless-communications/types-of-public-speeches#:~:text=An%20informative%20speech%20aims%20to,or%20opinion%20of%20the%20speaker. |access-date=2023-09-29 |website=www.coursesidekick.com}}</ref>

The purposes of speech can vary depending on the targeted audience. speeches during ceremony's may incorporate humor or stories shared from moments of the person their celebrating, speeches focusing on politics will use persuasion to take a course of action, and forensics speeches is a debate in when the participants take sides and defend the beliefs judging how well they can support their argument.<ref>{{Citation |last=Horn |first=Dakota |title=Diversifying Speeches |date=2024-03-07 |work=Principles of Public Speaking |pages=219–230 |url=https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003414926-15 |access-date=2025-04-19 |place=New York |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-003-41492-6}}</ref>

=== Persuasion===
{{Main|Persuasion}}
[[File:Adolf Hitler- Speech at Krupp Factory in Germany (1935) - British Pathé.webm|thumb|A 1935 video of [[Adolf Hitler]], who served as [[Führer]] of [[Nazi Germany]] from 1933 until his [[Death of Adolf Hitler|suicide]] in 1945. Hitler's mannerisms, expressions, and public speaking are commonly cited as examples of persuasive public speaking.]]

[[Persuasion]] is a term that is derived from the Latin word "persuadere."<ref name=":11">{{Cite journal|last=Hassan Sallomi|first=Azhar|title=A Stylistic Study of Persuasive Techniques in Political Discourse |date=2018-01-01|url=http://www.ijla.net/DergiTamDetay.aspx?ID=3912|journal=International Journal of Language Academy|language=en|volume=6|issue=23|pages=357–365|doi=10.18033/ijla.3912|issn=2342-0251}}</ref> Persuasive speaking aims to change the audience's beliefs and is commonly used in political debates. Leaders use such public forums in an attempt to persuade their audience, whether they be the general public or government officials.<ref name=":11" />

Persuasive speaking involves four essential elements: (i) the speaker or persuader; (ii) the audience; (iii) the speaking method; and (iv) the message the speaker is trying to convey. When attempting to persuade an audience to change their opinions, a speaker appeals to their emotions and beliefs.<ref name=":11" />

Various techniques exist for speakers to gain audience support. Speakers can demand action from the audience, use inclusive language like 'we' and 'us' to create unity between the speaker and the audience, and choose words with strong connotations to intensify a message's impact.<ref name=":11" /> Rhetorical questions, anecdotes, generalizations, exaggerations, metaphors, and irony may be employed to increase the likelihood of persuading an audience.

Though historically uncommon, speakers today are enabled to utilise [[statistics]], [[data]] as well as other sources of information, such as [[the internet]], in order to strengthen their argument, stance or proposal; This has only evolved during the modern era, having been generally unavailable at the current rate in the years beforehand with the exception of [[media (communication)|media]] via [[newspapers]], [[television]], although claims given by speakers have often been [[fake news|subject to inaccurate information provided]] by the aforementioned, often in direct correlation with the [[big lie]] means of oratory. This has been further intensified through the [[History of journalism#Radio and television|recent evolution]] of [[mass media]] in [[Mass media#Professions involving mass media|most nations]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

=== Education ===
Public speaking can often take an educational form, where the speaker transfers knowledge to an audience. [[TED (conference)|TED Talks]] are an example of educational public speaking. The speakers inform their audience about different topics, such as science, technology, religion, economics, [[Society|human society]], and [[psychology]]. TED speakers can use the platform to share personal experiences with [[Psychological trauma|traumatic events]], such as abuse, bullying, grief, [[assault]], [[suicidal ideation]], near-death encounters, and mental illness. They may attempt to raise awareness and acceptance of stigmatizing issues, such as disabilities, racial differences, [[LGBT|LGBTQ]] rights, [[children's rights]], and women's rights.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TED: Ideas Worth Spreading |url=https://www.ted.com/topics |access-date=2023-08-17 |website=www.ted.com}}</ref>

TED Conferences, LLC, is a media organization that posts talks online for free distribution under the slogan: "ideas worth spreading". TED was originally built by Richard Saul Furman in February 1984 as a conference and has been held annually since 1990. Talks delivered in these conferences are usually posted online. The videos of these recorded speeches and talks inspire native and non-native speakers of English to learn the language and presentation style that is used. As such, TED Talk videos can help improve speaking skills and vocabulary retention'''.''' <ref>{{Cite book |last=Salem |first=Ashraf |title=A Sage on a Stage, to Express and Impress: TED Talks for Improving Oral Presentation Skills, Vocabulary Retention and Its Impact on Reducing Speaking Anxiety in ESP Settings |date=May 17, 2019 }}</ref>

There have been many studies that have proven the benefits of teaching public speaking strategies to students in an academic setting, including a higher level of self-confidence and helping to render community well-being with access to a variety of information.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365349685|title=Public-Speaking Skills: Vital in the Personal and Professional Lives of Individuals}}</ref> [[Harvard University]] offers a range of courses in public speaking, including persuasive communication and personal narratives.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://pll.harvard.edu/subject/public-speaking | title=Public Speaking &#124; Harvard University | date=24 July 2023 }}</ref> With the continued popularity of academic conferences and TED talks taking place worldwide, public speaking has become an essential subject in academia for scholarly and professional advancement. Additionally, work meetings and presentations require proficiency in public speaking to actively formulate ideas and solutions, and modern technology helps companies release information to a wider audience.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guiding Students to Be Comfortable With Public Speaking |url=https://www.edutopia.org/article/guiding-students-be-comfortable-public-speaking/ |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=Edutopia |language=en}}</ref>

=== Intervention ===
The [[Rhetoric of social intervention model|intervention style of speaking]] is a relatively new method proposed by rhetorical theorist William R. Brown. This style revolves around the theory of [[idealism]], which holds that humans create a symbolic meaning for life and the things around them.<ref name=":13">{{Cite journal |last=Opt |first=Susan K. |date=September 2019 |title="To Intervene: A Transcending and Reorienting Goal for Public Speaking." |journal=Atlantic Journal of Communication |volume=27 |issue=4 |pages=247–259 |doi=10.1080/15456870.2019.1613657 |s2cid=181424112}}</ref> Due to this, the symbolic meaning of everything changes based on the way one communicates. When approaching communication with an intervention style, communication is understood to be responsible for the constant changes in society, behaviors, and how one considers the meaning behind objects, ideologies, and everyday life.<ref name=":13" />

From an interventional perspective, when individuals communicate, they are intervening with what is already a reality and might "shift symbolic reality."<ref name=":13" /> This approach to communication encompasses the possibility or idea that one may be responsible for unexpected outcomes due to what and how one communicates.

This perspective widens the scope of focus from a single speaker who is intervening to a multitude of speakers all communicating and intervening, simultaneously affecting the world around us.<ref name=":13" />