PURPOSE
The Public Speaking credential documents the essential competencies required for academic and workplace professionals who develop and make presentations for a variety of purposes.
AUDIENCE
This credential is appropriate for any academic student or workplace professional that develops and makes presentations to others for a variety of purposes such as informing, persuading, and ceremonial purposes.
JOB/CAREER REQUIREMENTS
Public speakers must master a variety of competencies including how to listen effectively to determine the needs and attitudes of others, how to analyze an audience to ensure that the presentation meets their needs, how to plan speeches and supporting documents, how to organize a presentation, and how to introduce and conclude a presentation. They also must understand how to create different types of presentations including informative speeches, persuasive speeches, and ceremonial speeches. Finally, public speaking experts must master skills related to delivering the presentation including applying effective delivery techniques, creating appropriate and professional looking visual aids, using appropriate language, and ensuring that the presentation is ethical.
PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKPLACE TASKS:
- Expert public speakers must listen to potential audience members or clients to ensure that audience needs and goals are met in the presentation.
- Expert public speakers analyze the audience of a presentation or speech to determine their needs, goals, and attitudes, gather relevant information from a variety of resources, and adapt speech components so that the speech is appropriate for the audience.
- Expert public speakers must apply steps in planning and organizing a speech to develop an effective speech blueprint.
- Expert public speakers must creatively develop and use materials to support a speech.
- Expert public speakers must be able to develop presentations for specific purposes including persuasion, information, and ceremony.
- Expert public speakers must be able to deliver a speech with confidence, apply professional speaking skill, use notes and outlines skillfully, and manage fear and nervousness.
- Expert public speakers must speak ethically and maintain credibility.
- Expert public speakers must be able to use language and delivery techniques to achieve speaking goals and engage the audience.
- Expert public speakers must develop presentation aids and use them effectively in the presentation.
EXAM STRUCTURE OVERVIEW
Number of Questions in Exam: 130
Total Time: 120 minutes
Overall Passing Score: 70%
(All sections require an individual passing score of 70%)
