How can you use public speaking to promote social change?

Public speaking is an art which encompasses the power of story telling. The speaker should know the audience very well, come up with the meaningful application based content, engage with the listeners during conversation with quality discussion. Most importantly, give live examples of cases, personalities etc, that gives a positive understanding. Thank you.

Public speaking can be a powerful tool for promoting social change by amplifying voices, raising awareness, and inspiring action. However, to do this, you must first know your purpose by identifying the specific social issue you're passionate about and the change you want to see. Then, you craft speeches that educate, engage, and empathize with your audience, using storytelling and compelling evidence to drive your message home. Leverage speaking opportunities at events, conferences, and community gatherings to spark conversations, mobilize support, and advocate for solutions. Remember, each speech is a chance to ignite change and make a difference.

Before you start the conversation, you have to decide whether you truly believe in the question posed. You're to be responding to a question / provocation? Or there is misinformation or a bias or an injustice, which touches a nerve, professionally or personally, that you have something important to share with others. If you don't care about the subject matter, whatever presentation or story you're conveying, your audience will smell the insincerity. If you're not 'the one' for this platform, find the on in the organisation / your network who is. Remember, you can always introduce the person, who is better equipped to advocate for the cause. It's great for CPD and staff morale. They're likely to excel and you can both bask in the glory.

Think about what the most diverse audience you can reach is (doesn't have to be all at once, could be across multiple engagements). How can you normalize positive goals? By sharing a story people can identify with? By building a more personal connection between yourself and your audience? By showing the benefits of the change you want to create? By helping your audience understand how this change will positively impact them? By clarifying a nuanced topic? (Or, you know, go for all of the above!). No matter what technique(s) you use, tailor them to the audience and aim to impactfully reach as many people as you can, as many times as you can.

Be authentic first. We can all check the boxes, but if we don't believe and act on what we believe, our words will desiccate into nothing-ness.

Cada vez que me toca facilitar algún espacio de diálogo en lo primero que me detengo a pensar es en la audiencia; si nuestro mensaje no es sentido a nuestros interlocutores, sólo estamos traspasando información, pero difícilmente vamos a lograr inspirar o movilizar acciones.

It is important to know the demographics, values, beliefs and concerns of your audience. Knowing your audience will help you connect and communicate with them at the same wave length and include real-life examples that will speak better to your audience.

Public speaking is a potent vehicle for driving social change. By crafting messages that resonate with diverse audiences and delivering them with authenticity and passion, speakers can educate, inspire, and mobilize communities toward collective action. Through storytelling, factual presentations, and persuasive rhetoric, speakers can raise awareness about pressing social issues, foster empathy, and galvanize individuals to advocate for change. By modeling commitment and offering tangible solutions, speakers empower audiences to contribute to positive societal transformation, creating a more equitable and inclusive world for all. Whether addressing systemic injustices, environmental sustainability, or public health concerns.

If you haven't watched Benjamin Zander's TED talk yet, do yourself a favour and look for it now. I love how he says that the role of an orchestra conductor is to evoke possibilities within the players and that you know you are doing it when their eyes are shining. The same applies to public speakers - evoke possibilities among your audience and look for their shining eyes.

This goes back to being transparent. If you are there to speak about Climate change, bring slides to emphasize your presentation and to attract the interest of your audience. Do not choose topics for an initial presentation that you are not familiar with.

A good message has to be authentic -with a mix of facts, real world application examples and a touch of humor. Success for me is always about the audience learning something new and leaving with the motivation to try something different.

In conferences such as COP or SBs I have seen so many times people memorizing what they are about to say. Of course, it is important to be sure of not saying something wrong but I do believe having space for adapapting your speech to the moment it is even more important. Why ? When you do this you can connect more with your audience. Inviting them to immerse themselves on your words. Know your message as a base, adapt your intervention as a goal. Don't be a robot.

I was once asked to speak at the opening panel of a global summit in Canada. So, what I did was to decide what are the messages I want to come across. Then I had to develop specific short anecdotes to bring home my point. I even brought a red ribbon and a cutout red dress which symbolizes my main message. The visuals also helped. Looking back, I can say that being passionate about the topic I was asked to speak about was helpful in my successful delivery of the message. Thanks!

Tener un mensaje o discurso extremadamente preparado o estructurado puede quitarnos la oportunidad de conectar con la audiencia, sin embargo, siempre recomiendo tener mensajes claves y una estructura simple considerando: mensaje de entrada, mensaje principal y mensaje de cierre. De esta forma evitamos divagar, pero le damos espacio a la espontaneidad.

A good message connects to the inner person. It should be able to trigger reflection. Whereas reflection in itself might be plain, positive thoughtfulness should be the aim for a message. For example, each time I am speaking to audiences, I ensure I connect positively with their emotions. As a matter of fact, emotions influence rational thinking.

It requires a lot of practice to master the art of delivering a powerful speech. Use persuasive techniques, incoporate facts & figures and avidence to support your argument. Use story telling technique to appeal emotions and creat a stronger connection with your audience.

Please don't use PowerPoint unless you have a compelling graph, video, or photo. If you are a good speaker, YOU are who people want to see.

Many people are scared of public speaking, but the more you do it, the more you develop your style and the easier it gets. I love walking on the stage, sometimes even going down to the audience, having a solid presence and engaging the audience. Use personal stories and be ready to be authentic and vulnerable if you truly want to engage them.

Effective communication is the cornerstone of any successful advocacy or activism effort. A guidelines to ensure you fulfill would be: - The foundation is research of the topic of conversation. The topic should be a societal issues that affects/impacts your community, ensure there is research and statistics to support your community/audience are affected. - Ensure you’re knowledgeable about the topic. Be a vessel of valid and reliable knowledge and ability to assess and answer questions, confidently. Practice empathy, societal issues come coupled with emotional distress and covert triggers: give trigger warnings, check in with the audience, give them assurance that it is a judgemental free zone etc.

Cuando prepares un discurso que incluye anécdotas personales, presta especial atención a tus palabras. ¿Por qué cuentas ESA historia? ¿Cómo podría tu audiencia sentirse interpelada por algo que te pasó a ti? No incluyas detalles que no sirvan a ese propósito. Es muy aburrido escuchar a alguien hablar de sí mismo si no puedo sentirme identificada con esa persona. No abuses de la atención de tu audiencia. Cada minuto cuenta. Sólo aporta detalles y datos con los que el 99% de tu público podría sentirse identificado. Si no, tu ego podría interponerse entre tú y tu mensaje.

Practice is key. There’s nothing worse than curating a heart felt message only to have that message fall flat upon delivery. Practice out loud, and often. Just like an athlete preparing for a winning season, training is important. Film yourself and watch the film back to look for any body language that needs tweaking or any misleading statements. Ask a friend or co-worker to be your practice audience. The more you prepare, the more confident you will be, which allows your audience to trust your words all the more.

Lo que hay que tener en cuenta es la necesidad de evolucionar. La vida es un constante cambio. Debemos adaptarnos al cambio. Podríamos poner multitud de ejemplos sobre cambios que hemos tenido que llevar a cabo, pero preferimos quedarnos con la idea generalista a entrar en particularidades. Nuestra conclusión es, pues, que un mentor aporta mucho en la gestión del voluntariado, sobre todo respecto a la motivación. A nosotros nos ha ayudado a tener a nuestras voluntarias y voluntarios motivados. Por eso recomendamos el mentoring en voluntariado.

As was once told to me...when you first start public speaking you cite the experts; as you get more comfortable with the content and delivery you stop directly citing others; and eventually you can talk as if the content is your own.

Reminds me of the answer to the question “how do I get to Carnegie hall”? The answer “practice, practice, practice. One of my favorite ways to practice is to say it out load while driving to and from work. And not just once, again, and again, and again. Critique yourself and do it again, and again. I will also practice before a mirror, maybe in the bathroom before bed or first thing in the morning. And I am sure to get a practice audience, maybe my exec assistant, a friend, spouse, children etc. If you have the technology, video tape yourself. Watch the tape alone and with others or have someone else review the tape and critique it. Consider a debrief for yourself, or even the audience asking what worked and what didn’t.

A crucial aspect of public speaking lies in the ability to resonate with the audience, particularly with youths who play a significant role in society. Mentoring young individuals and facilitating the development of their public speaking prowess is paramount for instigating positive societal changes. Exposure to influential speakers encourages youths to voice their concerns, actively contribute to community improvement, and seek avenues for service as they mature.

Working with the community is essential for creating sustainable and impactful change. Engaging with the community allows you to gain valuable insights, understand local needs, and build trust. Collaborating with community members ensures that your efforts are culturally sensitive and directly address the unique challenges they face, fostering a sense of ownership and commitment to the initiatives. This collaborative approach strengthens the effectiveness and long-term success of your endeavors.

Meaningful change often stems from collaboration among like-minded speakers, pooling together resources, expertise, and outreach to effect positive transformations in the environment. By aligning efforts and working in tandem, speakers can amplify their impact and foster a more significant collective influence.

When you join a community, collaboration stems, ideas spark and growth happens. By aligning efforts, ideas, resources and expertise growth flourishes.

Forgive me if I am repeating what was already said, but I would suggest taking a course, workshop in public speaking, google the topic and read articles and watch videos. Google great speeches and listen to them, and not just once. Also get some training in story telling and use stories to touch your audience heart strings. Learn how to use such things as power point, and incorporate into your presentations.

Effective public speaking necessitates a platform for raising awareness and empowering individuals to address pressing social issues. Whether through physical venues or social media channels, these platforms serve as avenues for sharing insights, experiences, and ideas to motivate and mobilize followers. Public speakers leverage opportunities such as radio shows, podcasts, and TV programs to engage in discussions and advocate for change.

Fale com verdade e saiba que é possível encontrar outras narrativas e abordagens diferentes do padrão. Tem faltado verdade e dose de realidade sobre o tema - para além da visão cor de rosa que predomina sobre o assunto - e as pessoas estão interessadas nisso também.

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that "there's only this small audience, and I need to reach so many more people to create social change!" Defeatist thinking will only cut short your public speaking career. When I was an environmental activist I cultivated multiple platforms to share my message. One positive audience was environmental studies classes at local community colleges. I also spoke to social studies classes at local high schools. I had a clear message that introduced the concern, outlined what had been done up to this point, then delivered the "ask": stay informed, stay active, continue to care. I figure if one person out of every group I spoke to got one thing out of my presentation, the ripple effect has worked.

Public speaking is a powerful tool for promoting social change as it allows individuals to effectively communicate their message to a large audience. Furthermore, public speaking allows individuals to amplify marginalized voices, challenge societal norms, and empower others to speak up and take a stand. By using their platform to uplift the voices of those who are often unheard, speakers can foster empathy, understanding, and solidarity among diverse groups of people. Overall, public speaking is a valuable tool for promoting social change as it has the potential to inspire, inform, and mobilize individuals to work towards a more just and equitable society.