PUBLIC SPEECH: CHARACTERISTICS, TYPES, EXAMPLE - LITERATURE - 2024

Public discourse is defined as a text in which a topic is developed that is of interest to a group of people and has the general intention of persuading, informing or entertaining. The group of people is known as the audience and the person who verbally presents the text is the speaker or exhibitor.

This type of speech is based on oratory, the art of expressing oneself and transmitting a point of view in a clear and understandable way before an audience. This had its origins in ancient Greece and Rome. Considered an important skill in both public and private life, it was studied as a component of rhetoric.

On the other hand, the term discourse comes from the Latin discursus which has, among its various meanings, that of "the action of running between two parts." This meaning comes from the fact that it allows an idea to be known from person to person or from one party to another. The idea is reinforced by the use of gestures, voice control, and eye contact.

In public discourse, the topics addressed are of interest and domain of the group of people to whom it is addressed. Among the wide range of common themes that are the subject of public discourse are political, religious, community, academic, business, motivational, and others.

characteristics

Transmitter

In public discourse, the issuer is invested with authority, representativeness and competence. In the same way, he has knowledge about matters of collective interest.

It is addressed to a recipient who represents a certain community or a sector of it. There is a hierarchical category in the sender-receiver relationship.

Topics or subject

All matters of collective importance or relevance are grounds for public discourse. The community identifies the solution to their concerns in the discourse.

Once this identification is established, the sender-receiver link is reinforced. The speech then achieves acceptance in the group.

Purpose

Public discourse has the purpose of communicating a certain conception, vision or interpretation of issues and problems that concern a community.

The speaker seeks to influence her, make her aware or reflect on these. Likewise, it guides or moves him to share visions and goals in order to make decisions, agreements or adopt certain attitudes or behaviors.

The context

Public discourse occurs in a context of formality. This is ritual and characteristic. It is a "staging" with a careful selection of the formal level of speech, and the verbal and non-verbal resources used. The context facilitates the collective reach and effectiveness of the message of the speech.

Types

-According to the purpose

Informative

One of the purposes of a public speech is to inform. In an informational speech, the presenter will share information about a particular place, person, place, process, object, concept, or problem.

Speeches of this type include presentations to present business reports, those prepared by teachers for their students in the classroom, and training or coaching.

Persuasive

Second, a public speech can be intended to persuade. The presenter then tries to reinforce or change the beliefs, attitudes, feelings, or values ​​of his audience.

Persuasive speeches include sales speeches to potential customers, campaign speeches by politicians, or debates during a public forum.

Of leisure

Finally, an ultimate purpose may be to commemorate or entertain. These types of speeches often reinforce the bonds between audience members.

Through discursive action, the audience recalls shared experiences. Other speeches of this type are intended to entertain the public through humor, stories or remembrances

Examples of this purpose include words during a toast, a groomsman speech, and words of condolences during a funeral. In the same way, the words offered during a graduation or on the occasion of the presentation of the award winners belong to this type of speech.

-Depending on the topic

Community

According to the theme, a wide variety of public speeches can be found. Among them, the community ones stand out - developed in front of representative groups of a particular community. The topic is of common interest and the language depends on the cultural and social level of the audience.

Politicians

Also, political speeches are in this classification. In these cases, the issuer is a public or government authority, or a candidate for office.

Among others, the message may be related to declarations of authorities, reports, accounts, political program proposals, government plans, important issues for the country.

Religious

On the other hand, among the wide range of types of public discourse, are religious ones. These are those issued by authorities or members of religious groups.

In this group can be mentioned sermons, encyclicals, important religious celebrations, sermons and calls to the community of the faithful.

-According to the preparation

Extemporaneous

In the first place, according to the way of preparing the speech, you have the extemporaneous. This is carefully prepared and practiced before facing the audience.

In these cases, the speaker uses notes or an outline as a guide while delivering the speech. Despite this, a conversational tone is used.

Makeshift

In the second instance, there is the improvised public speech. These are spoken without indicative notes or guides. They do not have any type of formal preparation and they develop very spontaneously.

Manuscripts

The third line of this classification is made up of the handwritten speeches. These are speeches in which all words are recorded in writing. In them, there is no room for improvisation and the speaker reads the manuscript throughout his speech.

Memorized

Finally, the memorized speeches close this classification. They are those in which all the content must be previously memorized by the speaker.

The speaker does not improvise anything and does not consult guide sheets or scripts. It is the riskiest speech because any forgetfulness can be harmful since there is no supporting material.

Example of a public speech

Throughout human history, there have been public speeches that have been memorable both for the theme and for the effect they have caused. One of them was that of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., which was held at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, USA on August 28, 1963.

Baptized with the name of I have a dream (I have a dream), it took place within the framework of the marches for freedom and works carried out by blacks. In his speech, King urged the United States to "make the promises of democracy a reality," and sought to capture the need for change and the potential for hope in American society.

On the other hand, this was the largest march of the civil rights movement (more than 200,000 people). Also, millions of people saw it on television.

Thanks to this speech, classified as the best of the 20th century, Dr. King was named Man of the Year by Time magazine and won the Nobel Peace Prize the following year.

The speech, which was about 17 minutes long, was an example of a handwritten speech. A King collaborator prepared and delivered the original version. However, it had modifications in the content and in its title.

In the end, some passages in this excellent oratory piece were the result of improvisation of the genius and wit of the orator.

References

1. The new world encyclopedia. (2015, November 09). Oratory. Taken from newworldencyclopedia.org.
2. Spencer, L. (2018, June 18). What is Public Speaking? & Why Is It Important ?. Taken from business.tutsplus.com.
3. Indian Hills Community College. (s / f). An Introduction to Public Speaking. Taken from indianhills.edu.
4. Stanford University. (s / f). "I Have a Dream," Address Delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Taken from kinginstitute.stanford.edu.
5. Britten, N. (2011, April 04). 'I Have a Dream': 10 Martin Luther King speech facts. Taken from telegraph.co.uk.