How would you define public speaking? Let’s examine some definitions of public speaking:
Public speaking is making a speech before a large audience in a formal setting in which you, the speaker, display your talent for eloquence and oratory.
Public speaking is communicating ideas using words and actions so that others know what is going on in your head.
Public speaking is an art of facing a group of people and communicating your thoughts and feelings to them through effective speech.
Public speaking is direct communication with the audience: the creation of an idea in other minds through the stimulation of words, facial expressions and movements.
Personality is one factor that makes for effective public speaking. Personality: It is impossible to make interesting speakers out of uninteresting people. Only people with interesting personalities make good speakers. Therefore, personality is a factor that we cannot ignore in the formation of a person as a speaker, since his personality determines his speech.
If we are going to define personality, we can say that it is the sum total of all our physical, mental and emotional traits. Personality is not a matter of height, color, shape, etc., but a development of all the traits of an individual.
Through speech, we express our individual personality, our total self. While we speak, others see, hear, perceive and feel our personality. What we say bears the imprint of our sympathies, prejudices, passions, fears, and aspirations as it filters through our inner selves on the way to expression. Our spontaneous speech reveals our mental states and emotional attitudes, our upbringing and level of education. Therefore, speech reveals our personality.
For you to become an interesting and engaging personality, consider the essential PERSONALITY factor in cultivating the necessary characteristics or traits of a successful speaker:
Personal cleanliness. The speaker’s appearance has a lot to do with how well he will be received by his audience. Even in simple conversations, his outward appearance affects his simple conversations, his outward appearance affects his listeners. For this reason, he must pay close attention to his personal appearance when he engages in public speaking. Consider these questions as a guide to good preparation:
As a speaker, is your dress appropriate for the occasion?
Are you clean and comfortable?
Do you choose clothes that establish basic similarities with your audience so that they feel comfortable and at ease with you?