UNS — Independent journalist as well as former news presenter Metro TV, Rory Asyari, shares public speaking knowledge to the students of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta in IMPACT “Elevate Your Skills, Enhance Your Passion”, Saturday (26/9/2020) afternoon. In his presentation entitled “Let’s Make Voice Heard! With Effective Public Speaking” during the second session of Impact-Communication Skills, Rory states that the opportunity to speak in front of many people is a show. Therefore, all aspects pertaining to it must be prepared thoroughly.
“Must master the art of public speaking because most often, when we speak in front of many people we always feel nervous and ended up blank,” said Rory.
In front of 125 participants of the Impact-Communication Skills, Rory exemplifies the mistake that Michael Bay had made when speaking on a TV station. Without preparation and due to the experienced nervousness, the Producer of Transformers and Pearl Harbor left the audience when the prompter he uses was suddenly turned off. Reflecting on this unpleasant incident, Rory who is the alumnus of the Communication Science Study Program, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) UNS, suggested that a public speaker must have plan B.
Plan B, according to Rory, can be in the form of a question to the audience or a joke lighten the atmosphere. He also states that the first impression of a public speaker lies in the first thirty seconds and becomes the key to master the stage. “There was once when my microphone is turned off, I handled it by creating a joke for the audience, thus they can laugh,” he explains.
When speaking in front of many people, Rory stressed the importance of the content or material of the presentation, thus the speaker will be considered as a credible figure. This can be done by weighting the information that will be delivered, use persuasion, and inspire the audiences. Moreover, in presenting material, Rory states that a public speaker must prioritize credible, convincing, and reliable. To be a credible figure, a public speaker must be a trusted figure, delivers information in accordance with their competency, and consistently establish their credibility.
Convincing refers to the condition where a public speaker must be a convincing figure, delivering opinion based on data and sample case, can put themselves in an appropriate position, and establish interaction with the audiences. As for reliable, Rory exemplifies the previous Head of Center for Data, Information and Public Relations, National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB), the late Mr. Sutopo, as an excellent public speaker. The late Mr. Sutopo is considered as a great speaker because of his dependable, consistent, passionate, creative, and adaptive figure.
“We must be reliable, as Mr. Sutopo. A person who can be relied on for the delivered topic and consistently delivers innovative and easy-to-understand information. Become a communicator must be easily accessible, remember this,” Rory stressed.
Rory also discusses the technique to prepare presentation material. There are several important aspects for a public speaker to deliver an appropriate speech during a presentation. The aspects are hook to story, personal introduction, the message (delivering the message that relevant to the hook to the story), proof point, and punchline.
“To establish a hook to story can be started with a joke, this was done by Cak Lontong during the inauguration of the title of the Doctor of Honoris Causa Doctoral to Susi Pudjiastuti in ITS. You can also ask a question to the audiences, such as asking the cause of the increase in rape cases in the campus area,” he added.
Closing the Impact-Communication Skills, Rory reminds the participants to be able to control themselves while speaking in front of many people, finding a relevant topic, preparing a plan, establishing the atmosphere in accordance with the facts and data, and do not feel nervous. Humas UNS
Reporter: Yefta Christopherus AS
Editor: Dwi Hastuti
