Group Project

Speech Analysis: how to speak so that people want to listen by Julian Treasure

Junjie Gao

The speech I chose to analyze was Julian Treasure’s speech, “How to speak so that people want to listen” on Ted Talk in 2013. Treasure is a sound and communication expert who wanted the world to be a place where everyone is able to listen consciously and speak beautifully. He had been the speaker for 5 Ted Talks and even wrote a book, How to be Heard: Secrets for Powerful Speaking and Learning. In this speech, he demonstrates ways people can speak and tips people should consider if they want to be heard.

I chose this speech because I feel there are many people whose voices are left unheard and this speech can really help them. This speech also resonates with me because often times I feel people aren’t really listening to me. His advice really struck out to me and they will definitely make me into a better speaker.

Treasure starts off the speech by emphasizing on the human voice and powerful it can be. It brings the audience together since it’s something they can all relate to. Then, he breaks down the bad habits of speaking into seven deadly sins. Within these sins, he would define them and give examples that people can relate to. I like how he would list everything out, from the bad habits to the ways to counter the habits. This makes the speech straightforward and really easy to understand.

Another effective method Treasure uses in the delivery of his speech is humor. “And another form of negativity, complaining. Well, this is the national art of the U.K. It’s our national sport.” I feel humor is an important aspect in public speaking. It helps engage the audience and lighten up the mood. Not only does it allow the audience to enjoy themselves, they are also more receptive to new ideas. It also sort of remove the barriers that keep everyone apart because they can all have a good laugh.

Treasure also uses visuals in his presentation. Without being said, pictures are worth a thousand words. Images helps a lot with understanding and makes the presentation much more appealing if it was just words. Pictures grabs our attention and helps us learn tough concepts. Most of the time, people are first drawn towards pictures rather than words.

Another thing Treasure did was engaging the audience in an exercise. He taught them the six vocal exercises which he does before every speech he gives. I feel this is really helpful especially for people who have trouble speaking. Not only were they very easy to follow, but it may even inspire many people to speak publicly.

Overall, I felt the speech was amazing. The presentation was perfect as it was and it definitely showed that Treasure was a professional speaker, since he is a voice specialist. His speech was well-structured and went very smooth. There is just so much I can learn from his techniques and how well he was able to execute them. I look forward to use his skills to become a better speaker.