Variations in Objectivity

Ideally, strive for a balance between subjectivity and objectivity in your speech.


Learning Objectives

List the benefits of speaking with a balance of objectivity and subjectivity


Key Takeaways

Key Points
  • Objectivity is the ability to remove your personal experience, bias or preference from your speech.
  • Objectivity gives you credibility as an impartial, unbiased speaker and subject matter expert.
  • That said, delivering a speech with 100% objectivity can feel robotic. Sprinkle some subjective moments such as personal anecdotes or how you connect to your topic to still remain relatable to your audience.


Key Terms
  • subjective: The state of being formed, as in opinions, based upon a person's feelings or intuition, not upon observation or reasoning; coming more from within the observer than from observations of the external environment.
  • objectivity: The state of being objective, just, unbiased and not influenced by emotions or personal prejudices


Variations in Objectivity


German Chancellor Angela Merkel giving a keynote speech.



Finding a Balance: You should strive for a balance between subjectivity and objectivity in your speech.


What Does it Mean to Be Objective ?

When we are subjective in our speech, we put forth our own experience and bias into the conversation. To be objective, then, is to remove yourself from your own experience and bias. For the most part, when it comes to public speaking, you want to remain as objective as possible. The reason for this is because you don't want your audience to accuse you of bias or preference as you substantiate your argument.

It's a fine line to walk between subjectivity and objectivity, one that requires you to pay close attention to your own personal biases. One of the easiest ways to determine objectivity is to take a look at the amount of facts, research and data that you have to substantiate your case. If your speech is largely guided by personal thoughts, opinions and beliefs, then it is more likely that your speech is heading into subjective territory.


Advantages of Objectivity

The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages to remain objective throughout your speech. By writing and speaking objectively–that is, removing yourself from the facts, examples, and scenarios– you lend a more compelling case for your credibility as speaker. By sticking to hard facts and data, your audience can trust your impartiality to the subject matter. When they know that you don't have anything personally invested in the outcome of or response to your speech, they are more likely to trust you as as subject matter expert.


Subjectivity Has Its Place

That said, you can also use objectivity to a point that can actually hurt your speech. By relying solely on hard data and research, your audience may find your speech impersonal and not connect to your material on a personal level. A speech without any personal anecdotes can feel robotic; on the other end of the spectrum, a speech comprised of nothing but anecdotes can feel untrustworthy. It's your job as speaker to strike that careful balance to use enough subjectivity to be relatable to your audience but not so much as to erode your credibility and authority.