By Edward Hope A speech can be interesting, informative and highly entertaining without being humorous. Most speakers are invited because they are well informed on a specific subject and it is of interest to the audience, the listeners do not necessarily expect to be entertained. For entertainment they would hire an entertainer. However, humor has [...]

By Edward Hope Today, effective public speaking is about successfully communicating ideas and information that is worthwhile to the audience. It is no longer a fine art that only a few can aspire to. This means it is now easier for the ordinary individual to become an effective public speaker. With effective public speaking being [...]

Public speaking is communication in action. It is an audio and visual experience for the audience. Of course, the main means of conveying the message is by voice and it needs to be expressive to maintain the audience’s interest. But also required is good visual appeal of the speaker to give the message real meaning [...]

The rewards of being a confident speaker are great. You will be recognised as being of leader material. You can achieve more through 5 minutes of effective speaking than 5 years of grind. A few well chosen words on the subject under discussion will receive favourable attention and command respect. Getting started in any field [...]

Enthusiasm is a necessary qualification for effective speaking. When you show enthusiasm it is contagious. The enjoyment and knowledge that is demonstrated for your subject will result in increased listener enjoyment and your speech being more convincing. For public speaking, the enthusiasm required, as described by Coleman Cox, “is inspired by reason, controlled by caution, [...]