Public speaking, body language in presentation, influencing and conveyancing

1. The art of public speaking

Public speaking is speaking to a group of listeners in a structured, deliberate way to inform, persuade, motivate or entertain them. Advocates, managers, teachers and politicians all depend on it. It is an art because it can be learnt and improved by practice; most good speakers were once nervous ones.

Elements of public speaking

1. Speaker: knowledge, credibility (ethos), confidence and sincerity.
2. Audience: their size, age, education, interests and expectations; the speech is built for them.
3. Purpose: inform, persuade, motivate or entertain.
4. Message: content, organised into introduction, body and conclusion.
5. Language: simple, vivid, suited to listening rather than reading.
6. Delivery: voice, pace, pause, eye contact, gestures, posture.
7. Occasion and setting: formal or informal, hall or open air, time available.
8. Feedback: watching the audience and adjusting.

Preparation

• analyse the audience and fix one central idea;
• collect material: facts, examples, figures, quotations, stories;
• organise: an opening that catches attention (a question, story or striking fact); a body of three or four main points in logical order; a conclusion that sums up and calls for action;
• prepare cue cards, not a full script; rehearse aloud and time yourself;
• check the venue, microphone and any slides.

Delivery

• speak clearly, at a moderate pace, varying pitch and volume;
• use pauses before and after key points;
• keep eye contact across the audience;
• avoid filler words (“um”, “basically”) and reading from notes;
• manage stage fright: preparation, deep breathing, a slow start;
• finish on time and invite questions.

2. Structuring body language: posture, gestures and presentation

The syllabus asks for body language to be structured, that is, used deliberately in a presentation:

• Posture: stand straight, weight on both feet, shoulders relaxed; avoid leaning on the lectern or swaying.
• Gestures: open-handed, above the waist, matching the words (counting points on fingers, an open palm to invite); avoid pointing at the audience, hands in pockets, folded arms, fiddling with a pen.
• Movement: purposeful steps to mark a new point; no pacing.
• Facial expression: a natural smile at the start; expression that fits the content.
• Eye contact: hold each person for a few seconds; cover all parts of the room.
• Voice: the paralinguistic side of body language: tone, pace, emphasis.
• Appearance: dress suitably for the occasion.

The “science” in the syllabus refers to research on non-verbal communication (see Mehrabian and Hall in the Unit I note). Body language makes the speaker appear confident and credible, holds attention and reinforces the message; when it contradicts the words, the audience believes the body.

3. Influencing

Influencing is bringing about a change in another’s beliefs, attitudes or behaviour without force. Robert Cialdini, in Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (1984), identified six principles:

1. Reciprocity: people return favours.
2. Commitment and consistency: people act consistently with what they have already agreed to.
3. Social proof: people follow what others do.
4. Authority: people defer to experts.
5. Liking: people agree with those they like.
6. Scarcity: what is rare or time-limited seems more valuable.

An advocate influences the court by preparation, credibility, logical argument and courtesy; a manager influences staff by example, reasons and recognition. Influence must be ethical: manipulation and misleading statements destroy credibility.

4. Conveyancing

(a) As conveying a message. To convey is to carry a message so that it reaches the receiver with its meaning intact: the right content, in the right medium, at the right time, with feedback to confirm it was understood.

(b) As a legal art. Conveyancing is the drafting of documents by which property, or an interest in it, is transferred: sale deeds, gift deeds, mortgage deeds, leases, exchange deeds, release deeds and settlement deeds. A conveyance in the strict sense is a deed of transfer of immovable property inter vivos. Under s. 54 of the Transfer of Property Act, 1882, a sale of tangible immovable property of the value of one hundred rupees or more can be made only by a registered instrument; s. 17 of the Registration Act, 1908 lists documents that must be registered, and stamp duty is payable under the State stamp law (in Karnataka, the Karnataka Stamp Act, 1957).

Parts of a sale deed

1. Title: “Sale Deed”.
2. Date and place of execution.
3. Parties: names, ages, addresses of vendor and purchaser.
4. Recitals: “Whereas” clauses: how the vendor acquired the property and the agreement to sell.
5. Testatum: “Now this deed witnesseth”, introducing the operative part.
6. Consideration: the price and its receipt.
7. Operative words: “the vendor hereby conveys and transfers by way of sale”.
8. Parcels: description of the property (survey number, boundaries, area).
9. Habendum: the estate the purchaser takes (“to have and to hold” absolutely).
10. Covenants: title free from encumbrances, indemnity, further assurance.
11. Testimonium: “In witness whereof the parties have signed”.
12. Signatures and attestation by two witnesses; schedule of the property.

Qualities of good conveyancing: precise and unambiguous language; complete description of parties and property; consistent terms (the same word for the same thing throughout); compliance with registration and stamp law; protection of the client’s interest through covenants.

How this is examined

“Write a note on art of public speaking” (January 2026, 10); “Discuss the art of public speaking and also mention the elements” (January 2025, 10); short note on public speaking (August 2024). “Role of body language in presentation” (January 2025, 6). Conveyancing (January 2026 both papers, August 2024) and “influencing and conveyancing” (January 2025), 6 marks each.