Public Speaking for Young People - Keeping it Hip!
Public Speaking for Young People [http://www.survivingspeakingdisasters.com] may involve sharing the same information conveyed to a younger audience, yet still require that a speaker adapt his comments to accommodate their mindset and understanding of a topic.
Why is public speaking for young people different than it is when addressing older audiences? The reason is two-fold:
1. Their youth means that their life experience is not as great. And even if they already have a grasp of what a speaker is addressing, he may still be limited in referencing life events such as marriage, mid-career challenges or other situations which they have not encountered yet
2. Because of their youth, younger audiences may not be as disciplined. As a result, speakers have to adapt the same comments that they may share with their audience's parents to one that is more laid back
Public speaking for young people may also mean that comments related to historical events have to be changed in ways that include:
* Further explanation of the events (Example: It's not enough to only
compare a dictator to Hitler without providing a history lesson of the misery he brought upon the world during World War II)
* Relating comments in a presentation to current events or popular
celebrities that a younger generation can relate to more effectively (Example: A discussion of newscasters for an older audience may include a reference to Edward R. Murrow, but a younger audience would relate better to the use of Anderson Cooper)
* Eliminating a historical reference altogether and replacing them with something else if a speaker is not confident that he can frame his comments in a manner that younger audiences can understand
Speaking for young people may also demand that a speaker take the time to educate himself on the things in which they are interested. Just as doing homework about what an audience wants to hear and researching a subject is necessary, it never hurts for a speaker to know the mindset of his audience by determining which rock groups, sports team, movies, etc. excite them.
Young people, for better or worse, are prone to emotion. That's why addressing younger audiences can be easier than most speakers realize. This is because it offers an opportunity for sharing rhetoric that will stir their emotions, prompt interest and motivate them to make a change as it relates to a topic about which a speaker is addressing.
A speaker may also want to take the time to learn a little bit of the lingo associated with the younger generation. But beware, this can also be dangerous if he attempts to act too much like he one of them.
The trick is not to come across sounding like a young person, only make sure that they can hear a speaker in a manner to which they can relate.
Effective speaking is a lot like preparing for a wedding. All the planning in the world can't assure there will not be problems. But preparing speaking disasters and knowing in advance how to tackle speaking disasters means they do not have to ruin your presentation.
Check out Surviving Speaking Disasters [http://www.survivingspeakingdisasters.com] to discover how to handle and avoid seven different kinds of speaking catastrophes. Get real solutions for real-life speaking disasters.
Why is public speaking for young people different than it is when addressing older audiences? The reason is two-fold:
1. Their youth means that their life experience is not as great. And even if they already have a grasp of what a speaker is addressing, he may still be limited in referencing life events such as marriage, mid-career challenges or other situations which they have not encountered yet
2. Because of their youth, younger audiences may not be as disciplined. As a result, speakers have to adapt the same comments that they may share with their audience's parents to one that is more laid back
Public speaking for young people may also mean that comments related to historical events have to be changed in ways that include:
* Further explanation of the events (Example: It's not enough to only
compare a dictator to Hitler without providing a history lesson of the misery he brought upon the world during World War II)
* Relating comments in a presentation to current events or popular
celebrities that a younger generation can relate to more effectively (Example: A discussion of newscasters for an older audience may include a reference to Edward R. Murrow, but a younger audience would relate better to the use of Anderson Cooper)
* Eliminating a historical reference altogether and replacing them with something else if a speaker is not confident that he can frame his comments in a manner that younger audiences can understand
Speaking for young people may also demand that a speaker take the time to educate himself on the things in which they are interested. Just as doing homework about what an audience wants to hear and researching a subject is necessary, it never hurts for a speaker to know the mindset of his audience by determining which rock groups, sports team, movies, etc. excite them.
Young people, for better or worse, are prone to emotion. That's why addressing younger audiences can be easier than most speakers realize. This is because it offers an opportunity for sharing rhetoric that will stir their emotions, prompt interest and motivate them to make a change as it relates to a topic about which a speaker is addressing.
A speaker may also want to take the time to learn a little bit of the lingo associated with the younger generation. But beware, this can also be dangerous if he attempts to act too much like he one of them.
The trick is not to come across sounding like a young person, only make sure that they can hear a speaker in a manner to which they can relate.
Effective speaking is a lot like preparing for a wedding. All the planning in the world can't assure there will not be problems. But preparing speaking disasters and knowing in advance how to tackle speaking disasters means they do not have to ruin your presentation.
Check out Surviving Speaking Disasters [http://www.survivingspeakingdisasters.com] to discover how to handle and avoid seven different kinds of speaking catastrophes. Get real solutions for real-life speaking disasters.
