Linked table of contents

• Types of Public Speaking

• Top 5 Types of Public speaking

• Types of Public Speaking Skills

• How To Improve Your Public Speaking Skill?

Types of Public Speaking

Public speaking is an art. To get better at an art form, you have to have an understanding of its various aspects. For example, if you wish to improve your public speaking skills, you should be able to distinguish between different types of public speaking. In this article, we shall talk about the five primary types of public speaking, how they are classified, and more.

Types of public speaking can be classified based on how you share the information with your audience. Simply put, public speaking can be classified into speaking to inform, speaking to persuade, speaking to entertain, speaking to actuate, and speaking to demonstrate.

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Let's get straight into the 5 types of public speaking.

Top 5 Types of Public Speaking

1. Informative public speaking

As an informative public speaker, you speak to give straightforward information to your audience on the topic or niche of your choice. You will be required to give informational speeches in your academic life during class presentations or college lectures in the future. Informative public speaking is delivered in a way to disseminate information and knowledge on a particular topic or subject. 

For informative public speaking, you need substantial credible sources to back the data you include in your speech. The purpose of informative public speaking is not to share ideas or opinions. The primary objective of informative public speaking is sharing information, familiarizing your audience with new trends, spreading awareness about a particular topic or subject. Furthermore, informative public speaking requires in-depth research on your part. 

One thing that you should keep in mind while delivering an informative speech is that you are not speaking to your audience to bore them but to get them hooked. Thus, your speech or presentation should be crisp, short, and precise, consisting only of relevant information that adds value. 

The success of informative public speaking depends on how much your audience understood and remembered after you have completed your speech. Furthermore, the excellence of your informative speech also relies on the accuracy of your content and your credibility as a speaker. As time passes, you can establish your credibility by enabling your audience, fellow students and mentors to trust the information you disseminate.

2. Persuasive public speaking

As the name suggests, persuasive public speaking has the primary purpose of persuading your audience on a particular topic, opinion, statement, misconception, or more. Persuasive public speaking requires you to deliver the speech in a manner that influences the audience. 

Furthermore, powerful persuasive speeches convince the audience to think and believe what the speaker tells them to. Persuasive speeches can be informative or opinionated. 

When you deliver a persuasive speech, your primary goal should be to convince your audience to take some action. For example, when politicians persuade the audience and citizens in rallies to vote for them; they are delivering a persuasive speech. 

Furthermore, with persuasive public speaking, you try to change your audiences’ views on a particular issue, topic, or concept. With persuasive public speaking, you can get your audience to change their opinions to either favor or oppose an idea, thought, or opinion. 

Developing persuasive public speaking skills early on might prove beneficial in the future when you enter the professional world. When you begin delivering persuasive speeches, you’ll understand how challenging it might be to try and persuade someone’s long-held beliefs and opinions. You shall find influencing your fellow students easier in your academic life than persuading your colleagues in your professional life.

Showing your enthusiasm on a particular topic or concept might work to your benefit when delivering a persuasive speech. However, you should keep in mind that you don’t make any personal remarks to hurt your audiences’ feelings. 

Apart from politicians, sales and marketing professionals commonly use the persuasive form of communication to persuade their potential customers. So, if you are looking to make your career in the said fields then you can start developing your persuasive public speaking skills starting now. 

Persuasive public speaking also requires you to employ techniques that appeal to your audience and keep them engaged. Persuasive public speaking is a skill that you can develop and perfect over time. Though you can improve your persuasive public speaking skills with practice, here are some tips that can add to your practice. You can capitalize on persuasive public speaking opportunities with these tips:

• Practice persuasive public speaking by incorporating emotions into your speech.

• Use the AIDA principle.

• Practice answering questions your audience may come up with after you have delivered your speech.

• Instead of concluding with a thank you, give a quick round-up of your speech

3. Public speaking to entertain

Public speaking isn’t always formal. It can also be informal. Public speaking for entertaining your audience or giving ceremonial speeches are another form of public speaking. Ceremonial speeches or public speaking requires you to add a personal touch to your message. 

Students in their academic life are rarely required to deliver a ceremonial speech except for farewell parties at the time of graduation. However, you can deliver ceremonial speeches at weddings, funerals, retirement parties, and more in the future.

Ceremonial speeches are mostly informal as you speak to an audience with whom you are acquainted. You can also include personal stories or events about the celebrant to make your ceremonial speech more meaningful, memorable and impactful. Ceremonial speeches can include humour and emotions, depending on the occasion. 

Furthermore, you should be careful about your ceremonial speech not being perceived as snide by the audience. A ceremonial speech gone wrong can ruin the atmosphere of the occasion. 

Storytelling and comedy standups are other forms of public speaking to entertain. These forms of public speaking are intended to entertain your audience. Ceremonial public speaking techniques trigger an emotional response from the audience and establish an emotional connection. Developing ceremonial public speaking skills can help you understand how to get close to your audience and unite them. 

4. Public speaking to actuate

Public speaking to actuate is a higher form of public speaking. Public speaking to actuate requires you to go a step beyond persuasion and convincing your audience. The primary aim of public speaking to actuate is to motivate people to take action. It’s all about motivating your audience to act. 

Public speaking to actuate is a more powerful form of persuasive public speaking. It can take years of practice to master the art of motivating your audience enough to make them act. Starting early on in your career can prove beneficial. Only after years of practice and public speaking can you achieve the level of excellence. 

Public speaking to actuate taps into the emotions of your audience. Motivational speeches can be delivered in any setting. With motivational speeches, you can drive change by encouraging and stimulating your audience to take action. 

Mastering the art of delivering motivational speeches might also prove helpful when you enter the professional world in the future. Big brands and employers hire motivational speakers to motivate their employees to work harder, bring in more clients, make more sales, and achieve targets.

Motivational speakers guide their audience with clear and direct steps to achieve their goals. The primary qualities of motivational speakers include using a string of emotional words to deliver their message and a display of conviction about the issue. 

Generally, you don’t deliver a motivational speech to state facts, data, and information. Through a speech to actuate, you aim to trigger an emotional response from your audience to wholeheartedly accept your ideas, thoughts, principles, beliefs, and reasoning.

5. Public speaking to demonstrate

Lastly, public speaking to demonstrate focuses not just on words, facts, accuracy, credibility, or conviction of the speaker but also on how the speech is delivered. The core idea behind demonstrative public speaking is to bring together both verbal and non-verbal communication methods. 

If you practice the demonstrative form of public speaking, you stand a better chance of delivering your message to your audience. With demonstrative public speaking, you can make your audience better understand what you are trying to say.

An example of demonstrative public speaking can be taken from the commercials you see play on the internet or your televisions. When a person goes on about explaining a particular product or service, including its features and how it's the best in the market; it’s an example of demonstrative public speaking. Furthermore, role-playing scenarios also fall under the purview of demonstrative public speaking. 

If you wish to excel in demonstrative public speaking, you need to practice both verbal and non-verbal communication aspects. You should understand how both aspects of communication can add to your demonstrative public speaking. 

Public speaking to demonstrate can be extremely essential for informing, updating, and getting feedback from your audience. Feedback can help you get an insight on how they feel about your speech or presentation. Besides your words, you need to be mindful of your body language during a demonstrative speech. 

Now that you are familiar with different types of public speaking, let’s get into types of public speaking skills that can help you get better at communicating, persuading, informing, motivating, and more.

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Types of Public Speaking Skills

Public speaking skills how well-versed you are with the given concept and how well you can engage your audience. Here are the top 3 types of public speaking skills that you can perfect over time with practice.

1. Communication skills

To get better at public speaking, it’s essential to communicate your message, share your ideas and opinions articulately. Furthermore, you also need to practice different aspects of communication, including controlling your voice, speed of talking, self-awareness of your body language, and more. With practice, you can also excel at aligning your speech patterns to your audiences’ level of expertise. 

2. Clear articulation

Avoiding verbal interference while delivering your speech makes you an instant hit with your audience. Verbal interferences such as ‘um’ and ‘ah’ can distract your audience from your speech. Furthermore, excellent command over the language, a rich vocabulary, clear pronunciations and the use of proper grammar make you a good public speaker. Clear articulation lends your audience more clarity and understanding of the concept, issue, or topic. 

3. Ability to connect with the audience

When delivering a public speech, it’s important to establish a connection with your audience and gain their trust. The ability to connect with your audience goes a long way in persuading and motivating your audience to act. Creating an atmosphere that encourages your audience to engage with you is what makes you an effective public speaker. 

Apart from the types of public speaking skills mentioned above, there are other secondary types of public speaking skills. These include confidence, presentation style, and passion.

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How To Improve Your Public Speaking Skill?

We have listed down some of the most common ways to improve your public speaking skills.

1. Practice speaking. The more you speak with others, the more confident and comfortable you get at addressing large audiences.

2. Practice orating your speeches to yourself and then to your family, friends, teachers, etc. Get their feedback and work on points of improvement.

3. Record your speeches and evaluate them to find areas of improvement.

4. Your body language can either support your public speaking or it can undermine your performance. Focus on your body language, including how you use hand gestures and facial expressions to emphasize and highlight some parts of your speech.

5. Don’t use a monotone voice. Play with your voice tone to engage your audience and trigger a response. 

6. Practice voice modulations and pitches to get your audiences’ attention. 

7. Hear well-known public speakers deliver their speeches. 

8. Don’t break eye contact with your audience. You can practice maintaining eye contact while you talk to your parents, classmates, and teachers. 

9. Look confident and be self-assured. It can take you a long way when you begin your professional life. The audience instantly connects with speakers who look confident on the stage.

10. Lastly, but definitely not the least. Enroll in a public speaking class. 

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And, well, we can help you with upgrading your public speaking skills. With PlanetSpark, you can master different forms of public speaking. We’ll help you start from scratch, including how to craft a proper speech, get better at picking up non-verbal cues, capture your audience, adjust your speeches based on the audience, and audience.

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