Public Speaking versus Conversation

Public Speaking Versus Conversation

Do you feel more comfortable giving a speech in front of a large crowd, or having a low-key conversation with your friends? If you chose the second option, you’re in good company. After all, we practice our conversational skills every day.

At first glance, conversation and public speaking may not have much in common. Public speaking is like performing a monologue: one person talks, everyone else listens. Conversation is about exchanging ideas: participants raise questions, objections, and concerns as they come up. In a conversation, it’s not polite to talk on and on without letting anyone else get a word in. In public speaking, you have to talk on and on by yourself, whether you like it or not. However, despite these differences, the skills we use in conversation are some of the most important assets for a public speaker.

Apply Conversational Skills to Public Speaking

To listen closely and reply well is the highest perfection we are able to attain in the art of conversation.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

If etiquette dictates that you should listen to your conversation partner, shouldn't you also to try to listen to the audience at a public speaking engagement? Your audience members may be sitting quietly and listening to your speech, but that doesn't mean they aren't responding – albeit silently – with their own ideas. Try to anticipate these questions, concerns, and objections, and incorporate responses into your speech. Address these ideas at the points when they are likely to occur to audience members, so your listeners don't get distracted by nagging unanswered questions. If you imagine your speech as a conversation in which you take both parts, it may be easier to give the audience's concerns prompt and thorough consideration.