The Proper Use Of Compound, Exclamatory and Interrogative Sentences In Public Speaking

Although it isn’t necessary for one to be an academic master in the English language to be effective in public speaking, a basic understanding of the various types of sentence structures and their usage will go a long way to lend fluency and clarity to a speech. Remember, the most important facet in public speaking is the ability of the audience to understand what the speaker is talking about-and the speaker’s ability to keep their attention long enough to say what it is that he or she wants to say. Speeches that are full of run on sentences, fragments and pointless exclamations are going to inspire the listener to go running for the hills long before they have absorbed the nuances of what the speaker is trying to convey.

The most common mistake made by the student of public speaking is the improper use of the compound sentence. Compound sentences are a great way for a speaker to put together multiple ideas in an informal discourse through the proper use of conjunctions (connecting words). The problem that many speakers run into, however, is that they do not know how to effectively use conjunctions. This is typically noted by the excessive use of the word “and”. Repeating “and” over and over causes the speaker to sound like a child who has had far too much cola; their enthusiasm carries through, but they lose the interest and attention of their audience long before they get to the end of their list.

A good rule of thumb for the beginning speaker is to avoid using “and” unless it is already part of a phrase; husband and wife, for example, or principle and interest. Run on sentences, such as “I came to this meeting and discovered only when I got here that I was scheduled to speak”, will cause the audience to tune out. In public speaking it is far more effective to keep sentences singular and to the point.

Another frequently misused tool in public speaking is the exclamatory sentence. Speakers frequently use exclamatory sentences in an attempt to pack more punch into their words, making the audience believe that it is a strong emotion on their part regarding the topic on which they are speaking that is causing their outburst. Exclamatory sentences are an invaluable tool for adding impact to a speech.

The problem is that many times the student that has not yet mastered the art of public speaking is unable to employ the proper discretion in their use of exclamatory sentences. The end effect is a speech that has been reduced to little more than a succession of grunts, groans and sobs that vaguely resembles either a soap opera or an infomercial. An effective speaker should be able to effectively convey their emotion to their audience; however, the driving force behind any speech is the idea that the speaker is attempting to convey-an idea that will not be properly understood if the audience is too busy trying to separate fact from drivel.

The interrogative sentence is the third type of sentence with which the student of public speaking should be familiar. In an attempt to encourage audience participation speakers frequently ask direct questions of their listeners. These questions may require a response from the audience or they may be rhetorical-questions that are asked only because the answer is an apparent fact that the speaker wants to impress on their listeners and very effective in making a personal appeal to individuals without a personal stake in what they are speaking about.

For an example of the effective use of the interrogative students of public speaking should review the work of Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman to be elected to the US congress. In her speech on women’s rights, delivered in Washington D.C. in May of 1969, Chisholm asks her audience, “Why is it acceptable for women to be secretaries, librarians, and teachers, but totally unacceptable for them to be managers, administrators, doctors, lawyers, and Members of Congress?” With this sentence she effectively points out the gender bias that exists against women in the workforce.

The interrogative can be an effective tool for the savvy speaker but, like the exclamatory sentence, it can be overused. It is easy for a speaker with no ideas and no knowledge of a topic to simply pull together a series of questions, leaving the audience wondering at the end why in the world he spoke when he had so little to say. Unless the answer is perfectly plain the interrogative has no meaning in a speech and should be avoided.

Effective use of the compound, exclamatory and interrogative sentence will help the speaker to become a master of the art of public speaking and convey his ideas to his audience with the clarity, enthusiasm and impact that will ensure that his words live on long after he has gone.           

My Name Is Christopher Carlin And I Want To Give You Twenty Free Public Speaking Tips

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