Given the demands for good communication skills as a citizen of the world and in the workplace, a course in public speaking is perhaps more important than ever. Unfortunately, there isn’t a quick path to a great speech. Good speaking is developed through preparation and practice. And while practice may not make perfect, it does instill confidence.
A speech is a form of oral communication with two integral parts – content and delivery. Both are critical for success. For example, the speech that has weak content, even if verbalized effectively, is of little value. In addition, the speech that has excellent content is often destroyed by poor delivery. While both parts of the speech are important, a successful speech must first have good content. This means a speaker must have a thorough knowledge of the subject. Knowledge of a subject is achieved through both personal experience and research; you will surely rely on both to accomplish every effective speech. You should allow yourself sufficient time to conduct the necessary research for each speech. If you wait until the last minute to begin research, the odds are you will not have enough time to obtain the necessary knowledge of your subject, let alone the time to practice and become familiar with the content of your speech for purposes of good delivery. In short, a speech is a creative act whose content is comprised of multiple sources uniquely blended together to establish an individual’s purpose.
