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by Richard L. Weaver II
There is no doubt about the important role that fear plays when it comes to public speaking. Public-speaking anxiety is a disturbance of mind regarding a forthcoming public-speaking event for which you are the speaker. As a fear, it ranks higher than the fear of death. It is nearly universal, yet it obviously doesn’t prevent successful speeches. Not only is it widely proclaimed, but it is widely written about as well. In this essay I want to offer a philosophical perspective that I have written about in my textbook, Communicating Effectively (McGraw-Hill), but which has the potential for overcoming it if practiced regularly.
Here is the key to this approach: Focus on your speech as a communication task, not as a performance. Most speakers with stage fright view speeches as performances. In viewing speeches as performances, the goal of speakers is to satisfy an audience of critics. That is, they realize their audience members will be analyzing and criticizing their performance just as movie critics go to movies with a different purpose and point of view than ordinary movie goers.
There are other characteristics of such a performance orientation, too. Speakers view the speech as a formal talk, and because of the formality, they tend to “put on” a false front or engage in somewhat artificial behavior. The public speech, thus, is an extraordinary, exceptional, and unusual situation undertaken in unfamiliar circumstances. Because of this, speakers feel they must follow proper behaviors to be correct, and their results — how effective they are in connecting with their listeners — depends on polish, eloquence, and refinement.
The problem with a performance orientation is simple: effective public speaking is more like ordinary communication encounters than like a public performances. This is an important insight. Just as I characterized the performance orientation, above, let’s look at the characteristics of a communication orientation to see the differences. First, the goal changes. No longer are speakers trying to satisfy an audience of critics; they are, instead, sharing ideas with an audience. And the goal of listeners is not to analyze and criticize, it is, rather, to show interest in and even learn from what speakers have to say.
There are other characteristics as well. With a communication orientation, speakers must realize that public speaking is similar to everyday conversation, thus, it is normal, natural behavior — not formal, put-on, or artificial. When your communication becomes common, ordinary, and average, rather than extraordinary, exceptional, and unusual, a whole new mindset takes place that signals speakers that this is a normal activity with which they are familiar. Being something that is standard and routine, they can approach public-speaking opportunities as occasions they can face realistically and approach in a pragmatic, matter-of-fact, down-to-earth manner.
With a communication orientation, speakers frame the entire public-speaking situation in a familiar way. Their speeches will reveal genuine and true expressions of themselves, not behaviors that must adhere to some standard of proper conduct. No longer does their effort depend on polish, eloquence, and refinement; their results depend simply on whether or not they shared their message.
Do these differences make a difference? A communication orientation has several advantages for speakers. First, and I am quoting my textbook here [without using quotation marks] it means that all those negative past public performances you may have had — from elementary school through high school — can be deleted from your memory. After all, those were “performances,” and they no longer fall under your new mindset, your communication orientation.
Second, you do not have to memorize your speech. Performances create anxiety because of the fear of forgetting words, thoughts, or your place in the speech. One of the biggest fears people have regarding giving speeches is forgetting what they have to say during the speech. It is being embarrassed which is the overpowering thought. Think about it, how often do you have memory blocks during conversations with others? Seldom, of course. When you are talking with others during speeches, you are having a conversation with your listeners, not talking at them.
The third advantage of a communication orientation is that speakers can focus on their real purpose in speaking to their listeners — getting audience members to accept and understand their information or change their attitude or actions. There is an important and worthwhile consideration here that may help speakers change their focus: Listeners are more interested in what speakers have to say than in evaluating their performance.
One thing that happens when speakers change from a performance to a communication perspective is that they become less concerned about themselves—the performer—and more concerned about their mission. Performers have to be concerned about their performance for that’s what they live for. Now, with a communication perspective, speakers can stop their preoccupation with themselves, “How do I look?’ “How will I do?” “What will they think of me?” “Will they like me?” This is a major re-orientation because it will quiet their mind by reducing the amount of self-chatter. They will be able to stop defending their ego against failure and criticism. Threats to their ego have no real implications now.
What all of this means is that if speakers dress in comfortable clothes, practice positive self-talk, are well prepared, picture (visualize) themselves doing well, take several deep breaths before speaking, pick out friendly faces and make eye contact with them, and plan to offer a reward after the speech, all the elements of potential distraction will have been eliminated, and all the elements of comfort, encouragement, and support will be supplied so that the communication orientation has a real opportunity to work at full capacity.
Speakers can do all of the things recommended for eliminating, or at least reducing, the fear of public speaking. There are many of these, and what works for one person may not work as well for another. The overarching, umbrella-like concept, however, that can make it all happen — whatever the individual elements employed — may just be a broader, more comprehensive principle. To adopt a communication perspective rather than a performance perspective may be the very key that unlocks the door to confidence, comfort, and effective public speaking.
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Daniel J. DeNoon’s article, “Fear of Public Speaking Hardwired: Speech Anxiety Worse for Some, but Most Can Overcome It” (reviewed by Amal Chakraburtty) at the website WebMD Health News MD http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/20061101/fear-public-speaking
This article reports a study that “shows that those who suffer most over speaking in public get more anxious -- not less anxious -- as their presentation gets under way. And when it's over, instead of feeling relief, they feel even more anxious.”
At Suite 101.com, Naomi Rockler-Gladen writes about the “Fear of Public Speaking.” Visit the web site: http://collegeuniversity.suite101.com/article.cfm/fear_of_public_speaking and learn how to overcome speech anxiety. Gladen has some excellent suggestions. , and they are provided in a succinct, straightforward manner.
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Contact Richard L. Weaver II
ANNOUNCING: And Then Some Publishing, LLC, has just published Public Speaking Rules! - All You Need for a GREAT speech! This book contains the nuts-and-bolts rules necessary for giving a great speech. The rules are easy to read and easy to use. You can view the table of contents, introduction, and chapter excerpts at publicspeakingrules.com The book is available at Amazon.com.
Thursday’s essay celebrates the publication of the public speaking book and is about a method of overcoming the fear of public speaking. On the publicspeakingrules.com website, there is another essay on the fear of public speaking: “Six time-tested ways dealing with fear of public speaking.” These two essays actually work together — this one offers a covering philosophy or way of thinking about fear while the other offers some specific suggestions.
Share your And Then Some Story about the fear of public speaking. Are you a person who has been affected by speech anxiety? Have you been able to overcome it, or at least deal with it? We would love to hear your story? Do you have a friend, a family member, a neighbor, or someone you just know from a distance who has experienced the fear of public speaking? Can you tell his or her story? Feel free to use a pseudonym for the person’s real name. The fear of public speaking is real, and it can have a significant impact when sharing knowledge and ideas with others. If you try the philosophical perspective written about in this essay, let us know how it worked for you.
And Then Some Essay - June 26, 2008
Fear of Public Speaking: A Method for Overcoming It
by Richard L. Weaver II
Excerpt:
There is no doubt about the important role that fear plays when it comes to public speaking. Public-speaking anxiety is a disturbance of mind regarding a forthcoming public-speaking event for which you are the speaker. As a fear, it ranks higher than the fear of death. It is nearly universal, yet it obviously doesn’t prevent successful speeches. Not only is it widely proclaimed, but it is widely written about as well. In this essay I want to offer a philosophical perspective that I have written about in my textbook, Communicating Effectively (McGraw-Hill), but which has the potential for overcoming the fear of public speaking if practiced regularly.
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by Richard L. Weaver II
Throughout my professional career I have confronted the “curse of knowledge”—although it has not always been called that. I was even told that because I was a professor who writes textbooks, that it was unlikely (virtually impossible) I could ever publish a trade book—a book specifically designed for the popular market. My language was too sophisticated, my approach too technical, and my sentences too complicated, cultured, and refined.
Before I go on, I want to give credit where credit is due. The term “curse of knowledge” was popularized in a book entitled, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die (Random House, 2007), a book by Chip and Dan Heath along with a speech called “Sticky Ideas” in the August, 2007, issue of Vital Speeches of the Day.
One problem that most educators face—any adult whose interest is communicating with others—is something Heath and Heath call “the curse of knowledge,” and unless we are aware of it, it is unlikely we will compensate for it.
The curse of knowledge can best be demonstrated by a simple game—a game studied and explained by Elizabeth Newton, who, in 1990, earned a Ph.D. in psychology at Stanford based on her study. She assigned people to one of two roles: “tappers” or “listeners.” Tappers received a list of 25 well-known songs like “Happy Birthday” and “The Star Spangled Banner.” Each tapper was asked to pick a song from the list and tap out the rhythm to a listener by knocking on a table. The listener’s job was to guess the song based on the rhythm being tapped.
Over the course of Newton’s experiment, 120 songs were tapped out, but listeners guessed only 2.5 percent, or 3 out of 120. You may wonder what made this result worthy of a dissertation in psychology? Before listeners guessed the name of the song, Newton asked tappers to predict the odds that listeners would guess correctly. This is what is astonishing: tappers predicted that the odds were 50 percent. They got their message across 1 time in 40, but tappers thought they were getting it across 1 time in 2.
The problem is that tappers have been given knowledge—the song title—and it makes it impossible for them to imagine what it’s like to lack that knowledge. When they’re tapping, they can’t imagine what it’s like for listeners to hear isolated taps rather than a song. This is the curse of knowledge—once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. Our knowledge has “cursed” us, and it becomes difficult for us to share our knowledge with others because we can’t readily re-create our listeners’ state of mind.
Heath and Heath remind us that this tapper/listener experiment is reenacted every day with CEOs and frontline employees, teachers and students, politicians and voters, marketers and customers, ministers, rabbis, and priests, writers and readers.
There are three areas where communicators in any field can help diminish the effects of the “curse of knowledge”: language, organization, and supporting material.
In choosing their words, communicators must use simple language, include definitions whenever possible, eliminate jargon, say things in the clearest possible way, try to increase the vividness of ideas (so they have impact), and then use repetition, internal summaries, and continually relate new ideas back to their thesis. If they are presenting new information, concepts, or theories, if they pretend they are explaining it to their grandmothers, perhaps that will help them maintain the proper perspective and frame of mind.
Order and form (organization) are important for several reasons. First, listeners’ (and readers’) attention spans are short, and it is difficult for them to keep one or two ideas in mind at the same time. They are easily distracted, and when they return to the talk (or the words), they have trouble remembering where they were, where they are, and where they are going. Often, nothing makes sense and they lose interest entirely. A simply constructed outline that contains coordinate ideas under well-defined main heads, and subordinate points that have been well-thought-out, will help listeners and readers continually understand their location within a speech or a written piece.
Assisting communicators in helping listeners understand their organizational schemes are transitions—the links established between ideas. Transitions between main heads, transitions between coordinate points, and transitions whenever a speaker or writer moves from the introduction to the body of the speech or from the body of the speech to the conclusion will help. As a teacher, I have always asked speakers to write their transitions into their outlines because I have found that a transition not prepared in advance is a transition not used. Often, transitions can include the repetition, internal summaries, and relationship of information back to the thesis or central idea as I discussed in the section on language, above.
The third area where communicators can reduce the effect of the “curse of knowledge” is in their use of supporting material. Relevant examples, illustrations, anecdotes, personal experiences, and stories, as well as facts, opinions, and statistics, all assist in information enhancement, support, and expansion. In researching ideas and talking with others, always be on the lookout for relevant, immediate, and powerful supporting material.
Another way to judge effectiveness (success) in dealing with the “curse of knowledge” is to use feedback. Maintain contact with your listeners or readers, be flexible, and make adjustments when necessary to facilitate understanding. Student evaluations and textbook reviewers always helped me. In class, I developed a half-sheet response which I used to take attendance, administer quizzes, seek questions and comments, and gain daily reflections, evaluations, observations, and opinions that would guide and direct my classroom approaches.
To be effective, teachers must use every technique and strategy they know to connect and identify with their students. This isn’t something they can do once and consider their job complete, it is an ongoing, everyday, challenging task that requires constant effort, alertness, surveillance, and adjustment. After all, to be effective, that is precisely what effective teaching (or writing) requires.
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Not only does Matt explain “the curse of knowledge” but the responses to his essay are fun to read as well. Check it out at http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/213-the-curse-of-knowledge
The Business Pundit, in an essay entitled, “The Curse of Knowledge - Why Communication at Work is sometimes difficult,” relates “the curse of knowledge” to business. The comments on this short essay are enjoyable as well at: http://www.businesspundit.com/the-curse-of-knowledge-why-communication-at-work-is-sometimes-difficult/
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Contact Richard L. Weaver II
ANNOUNCING: And Then Some Publishing, LLC, has just published Public Speaking Rules! - All You Need for a GREAT speech! This book contains the nuts-and-bolts rules necessary for giving a great speech. The rules are easy to read and easy to use. You can view the table of contents, introduction, and chapter excerpts at publicspeakingrules.com The book is available at Amazon.com.
Thursday’s essay is about “the curse of knowledge.” It is defined this way: once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. Our knowledge has “cursed” us, and it becomes difficult for us to share our knowledge with others because we can’t readily re-create our listeners’ state of mind. This curse has important implications for public speaking and writing. Anyone in an important position who has knowledge to share with others is likely to suffer from “the curse.”
Share your And Then Some Story about “the curse of knowledge.” Are you a person who has been in a position that required sharing knowledge or information with others? Were you able to fully and completely identify with the listeners or readers with whom you shared? We would love to hear your story? Do you have a friend, a family member, a neighbor, or someone you just know from a distance who has experienced “the curse of knowledge”? Can you tell his or her story? Feel free to use a pseudonym for the person’s real name. “The curse of knowledge” is real, and it can have a significant impact when sharing knowledge and ideas with others.
And Then Some Essay - June 19, 2008
How to overcome the curse of knowledge in teaching and writingby Richard L. Weaver II
Excerpt:
The curse of knowledge can best be demonstrated by a simple game—a game studied and explained by Elizabeth Newton, who, in 1990, earned a Ph.D. in psychology at Stanford based on her study. She assigned people to one of two roles: “tappers” or “listeners.” Tappers received a list of 25 well-known songs like “Happy Birthday” and “The Star Spangled Banner.” Each tapper was asked to pick a song from the list and tap out the rhythm to a listener by knocking on a table. The listener’s job was to guess the song based on the rhythm being tapped.
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Share your 'And Then Some Story'
And Then Some Publishing, LLC wants to hear your story. Whether you share your story through our website, link to your blog, or have a website to share your story we want to hear it.
The only way this feature can work is if you submit your story or link to us. Be the first And Then Some Fan Story to be featured or linked on our blog!
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by Richard L. Weaver IIMy own father never was on my side, and if he could see me now (he died in 1964 at the age of 53; had he lived, he would be 96), he might react differently than the impressions I gained from him during my youth: “You’re never going to amount to anything!” It could be, too, that he would demonstrate in my adult years, the same resentment and jealousy I felt from him regarding any of my successes or personal growth. There are some traits and abilities I am certain I picked up from him; however, most of what I remember I either received directly or absorbed from my mother. My father’s influence on me? It was more likely a reaction against what I experienced rather than an emulation of it.
One factor that provides a useful and accurate metaphor for my own fathering was the time I was willing to spend with my children. Whether it was playing with blocks, Lincoln Logs, or a toy train, or helping them write school essays, going to student-teacher conferences, or attending athletic events to watch the cheerleaders or marching band, my wife and I were there for them. For one of our daughters, we either chaperoned or attended her cheerleading events, no matter where it took us; for one of our sons in the school’s pep band, we attended athletic events to hear him play.
In his book, The Father Factor (Prometheus Books, 2006), Stephan B. Poulter http://coaches.aol.com/business-and-career/feature/_a/excerpt-the-father-factor/20070220113809990001, states that “Professional experience tells me that approximately 10 percent of all fathers make up this group of men (pp. 157-58).” He labels “my” kind of fathering “the compassionate-mentor father.” I have borrowed from Poulter for this essay, and I have avoided using quotation marks, for the most part, because of the distraction they cause.
Of the important elements Poulter lists for compassionate-mentor fathers, there are a number I revealed throughout my children’s development. In the writing of this essay, I have avoided mentioning the role my wife has played because this is a Father’s Day essay. This avoidance should not suggest I considered my role exclusionary. My wife’s role in everything I do is not just significant but praiseworthy.
One of Poulter’s elements I demonstrated was a tolerance and acceptance of differences including religious, ethical, relational, and career disparities. In addition, there was an understanding of other people’s feelings, thoughts, and concerns without defensiveness or judgment. This was substantiated often through our regular family-dinner conversations. These family-dinner conversations were valuable because they provided our children easily observed trust in their personal beliefs and convictions and an allowance and understanding of their dreams and goals — which, because of the established norm and supportive atmosphere, they were happy to openly share.
In addition to the elements of tolerance, acceptance, and understanding, there was both a demonstration and support of leadership qualities simply because of the experiences I shared regarding my work and the encouragement always shown to the children when they were given, elected to take, or sought leadership positions themselves. Leadership is also reinforced by helping children understand and use the traits leaders are expected to demonstrate: listening, open-mindedness, cooperation, helpfulness, responsiveness, organization and goal orientation, respectful consideration of others, and the clear expression of ideas.
One of the most striking qualities in the upbringing of our children was the absence of negative “baggage” such as anger, neglect, resentment, and need for approval. It was, I’m sure, the absence of these emotionally draining and energy-consuming issues that allowed for the development of positive, life-affirming qualities which include self-esteem, empathy, courage, emotional security, stability, strong relationships, and a vision for their lives. Children who carry with them their father’s disappointments, frustrations, depression, and resentments often have these same experiences in their own personal lives and careers.
There is a certain pride you take when you see your sons and daughters feel good about themselves and, especially, when that strength of character is passed on to the people surrounding them in their lives. Poulter claims that children of a compassionate-mentor father “have the insight and compassion to understand others, relate to contrary opinions, and communicate their beliefs in a positive manner (p. 159).”
So, what do fathers contribute to the upbringing of their children? They help their daughters and sons develop feelings of love, self-worth, a sense of competence, and a capacity and willingness to take risks. Father support may make the difference between a child’s becoming a high school dropout, a chronic drug abuser, an unreliable employee, miserable at work, or a successful and accomplished adult. When fathers emotionally bond with their children, they establish an ongoing open line of communication which is the basis for children developing a positive sense of their world and place in it.
Looking back at my fathering, it was not without failure. There were moments of emotional outbursts and negative feelings, but from an early age my children always knew their father cared about them, even though I completely misunderstood certain situations. Their father’s guidance and love was there for them — and it was clear at all points — to guide them through periods of great difficulty and personal change. The recurrent, unspoken support is what has allowed my children to take adventurous steps, make important choices, and tackle the challenges they have faced.
I did not do what I did as a father because it was the right thing to do, because I was trained or taught to do it, nor because I knew the effect it would have on my children. I did it for two reasons: because I wanted to do it for my kids and family, and, second, because it was enjoyable. Perhaps, I would have enjoyed it more or had a greater commitment, had I known the empowering effect it would have on them to pursue their dreams, strengths, and hopes. Or, had I known that my role in their lives was irreplaceable and critical to their future development because of my emotional attachment as a parent. Only in retrospect (and after reading Poulter’s book), did I know the importance of my role in providing my children a sense of safety, support, and a feeling that things will always work out.
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“Poulter defines the mother factor as our emotional development, functioning, and ability to form meaningful relationships in family life, in social life, and with intimate partners.” This quote comes from Poulter in his essay, “How your mother's emotional legacy impacts your life. If you are interested in the mother factor, to offset what is said above about the father factor, this is a good place to begin: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/pb-hym042308.php
At the website, Fatherhood Institute, the title of the essay there says it all, “Fatherhood Institute Research Summary: Fathers' Influence Over Children's Education — Father’s Impact on their Children’s Education and Achievement: Messages from Research.” http://www.fatherhoodinstitute.org/index.php?id=12&cID=583 This is an essay full of research results with over 25 references — an excellent resource.
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Contact Richard L. Weaver II
ANNOUNCING: And Then Some Publishing, LLC, has just published Public Speaking Rules! - All You Need for a GREAT speech! This book contains the nuts-and-bolts rules necessary for giving a great speech. The rules are easy to read and easy to use. You can view the table of contents, introduction, and chapter excerpts at publicspeakingrules.com The book is available at Amazon.com.
Sunday, June 15th is Father's Day. Share your And Then Some Story about fathers. Are you a person who has either had or not had a great father? We would love to hear your story? Do you have a friend, a family member, a neighbor, or someone you just know from a distance who has a great experience (or negative one) with a father? Can you tell his or her story? Feel free to use a pseudonym for the person’s real name. What are the characteristics of great fathers? How did your father inspire you? What do you do when fathers fail? Let us know what you think.
And Then Some Essay - June 10, 2008
Most fathers have no idea the influence they have on their childrenby Richard L. Weaver II
Excerpt:
One factor that provides a useful and accurate metaphor for my own fathering was the time I was willing to spend with my children. Whether it was playing with blocks, Lincoln Logs, or a toy train, or helping them write school essays, going to student-teacher conferences, or attending athletic events to watch the cheerleaders or marching band, my wife and I were there for them. For one of our daughters, we either chaperoned or attended her cheerleading events, no matter where it took us; for one of our sons in the school’s pep band, we attended athletic events to hear him play.
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Share your 'And Then Some Story'
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The only way this feature can work is if you submit your story or link to us. Be the first And Then Some Fan Story to be featured or linked on our blog!
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by Richard L. Weaver IILet’s just say that as things have worked out in your life, that what you would like to have more than anything else comes down to giving what must be considered the speech of your life. How you come across, how you present yourself, and how you affect a group of people, is going to determine whether or not you get what you want.
The speech of your life comes from you, and your success depends on your message, you the messenger, and your magic. You can think about your message being the meat, you the messenger being the potatoes, and the magic being the spice. Let’s look at each factor.
The meat of your message depends first on study. Study is what makes greatness. Whether it is based on your own background, the experiences you’ve had, or research and investigation, great speeches reveal a depth of knowledge and understanding.
When your message comes from deep within you, it reveals your soul. Soul is that animating essence that we associate with your life. A great message is not just words; it is emotion, body language, and passion or spirit. People listen to your soul.
Finally, in a great message speakers share their scars. They reach into their storehouse for the blemishes, faults, and sores that make them human. Sharing their scars makes them human.
The important aspect of you as the messenger is that you be yourself. Know who you are. To know who you are, be a self-monitor. Examine why you do the things you do, why you say what you say, and why you think what you think. Look at your behavior.
Be introspective. Examine your thoughts and feelings. This involves self-searching, self-reflection, and self-contemplation. Know yourself, and show yourself. Tear away the veil, and reveal the true you—who you really are.
As a messenger, you must be sincere. This means being open, candid, frank, honest, and truthful. When the covers of your book are opened, are your contents thin, superficial, and shallow? Then enrich yourself by reading, listening, observing, and experiencing.
Finally, as the messenger, be direct with your audience. Let your audience understand what you know. Develop and polish rich, personal, soul-wrenching stories that will grab, hold, and bind your audience’s attention to your message.
As the messenger, you must project confidence (positive self-assurance), credibility (an authentic, believable, convincing, and trustworthy nature), comfort (that you are pleased and satisfied with your ideas), success (accomplishment, achievement, attainment, and victory), and polish (that you have spent some time perfecting, refining, and improving your ideas).
In public speaking, nobody asks for perfection; they can, however, expect polish!
Your magic represents the spice. It can be revealed in your writing, in your delivery, and in your embellishment. “Magic” does not come from supernatural powers or slight of hand. It comes from careful, thoughtful, planning and preparation.
Write out some of your ideas. Use antithesis (opposites), or the setting of one clause or other member of a sentence against another to which it is opposed. “It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.” “What counts is not the number of hours you put in, but how much you put in the hours.”
Effective writing, too, utilizes parallel structure. Sometimes referred to as continuums, serializing, or stacking, it occurs when ideas of equal worth are given the same syntactical form. From the famous poem constructed in parallel form, “Children Learn What They Live,” by Dorothy Law Nolte, just two lines as examples: “If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight....” At the end of Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream,” speech: “So, let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York....”
Effective writing utilizes triplets, or, a list of three things. A list of three is always better than either two or four. Three is always more than four! “People are born, people live, people die!” “If you want to enrich today, plant flowers. If you want to enrich years, plant trees. If you want to enrich eternity, plant ideas.”
Your delivery, too, contributes to the magic. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Delivery is a tool for expressing clear, interesting ideas without distracting the audience. Effective delivery is conveyed by your voice, language, and body.
Your voice is the sales tool that can sell your feelings and emotions. It is the most powerful, persuasive, professional tool you own. Vary your pitch (the highness or lowness of your voice), select the best rate (it depends on your personality, the mood you’re trying to create, the nature of your audience and the occasion), and avoid vocalized pauses (uhms, and ahhhs). Pauses are for time to breathe, for messages to sink in, to give listeners time to breathe, and for emphasis.
Language is important, and effective word choice can be magic. Study all your life to be a wordsmith—one who knows, works with, and shapes words. Pronounce words correctly, because incorrect pronunciation strips away credibility. Use proper grammar; it is a key indicator of who you are and what your background is.
Your body is an important part of your delivery. Pay attention to your posture, personal appearance, facial expressions, eye contact, and hands (forget your hands, but don’t forget to use them). And, never give your ideas to an audience; give your speech to individuals in your audience. Connect with one individual at a time. Weak eye contact looks insincere, insecure, and uncomfortable.
Finally, embellish your speech by telling key stories, using power phrases (“Attitude, not aptitude, determines altitude”), and using humor and quotations. Don’t use humor to get a laugh; use it to revitalize your audience. The best humor occurs naturally.
The speech of your life comes from you. Now, when you are faced with giving the speech of your life, you know you have control over the message, the messenger, and the magic. The real greatness within you awaits your recognition.
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On June 14, 2005, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, gave the commencement address at Stanford University. Although not labeled as “the speech of his life,” clearly this was an outstanding address, and it includes a number of the elements discussed in this essay. Find the address at: http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html
Guy Kawasaki wrote a terrific essay, “How to Get a Standing Ovation,” on January 18, 2006, http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/01/how_to_get_a_st.html at his website, “How to Change the World.” His practical advice includes “Have something interesting to say,” and “Tell stories,” and all of it is useful and to the point. The comments about the essay that follow it are both worthwhile and entertaining.
Debra Hamilton, president of Creative Communications and Training, Inc., writes a basic essay entitled, “Giving a great speech: 7 secrets to dynamic, memorable public speaking,” which begins with advice such as “use an icebreaker,” and “focus your material.” Her essay is available at the ezinearticles.com website. Solid advice is given, and it is fundamental to giving great speeches. See article: Click here ______________________________________________________________________________
Contact Richard L. Weaver II
ANNOUNCING: And Then Some Publishing, LLC, has just published Public Speaking Rules! - All You Need for a GREAT speech! This book contains the nuts-and-bolts rules necessary for giving a great speech. The rules are easy to read and easy to use. You can view the table of contents, introduction, and chapter excerpts at publicspeakingrules.com The book is available at Amazon.com.
To celebrate the publication of Public Speaking Rules! this Thursday’s essay is “How do you give ‘the speech of your life?'" Once you know the fundamentals—all discussed in the new book—you need to have the motivation and enthusiasm that inspires you to greatness. This essay offers a great place to begin.
Share your And Then Some Story about giving great speeches. Are you a person who has either heard or given a great speech? We would love to hear your story? Do you have a friend, a family member, a neighbor, or someone you just know from a distance who has given a great speech? Can you tell his or her story? Feel free to use a pseudonym for the person’s real name. From where do great speeches come? How are they inspired? What do you feel are the essential qualities that make up great speeches? Let us know what you think.
And Then Some Essay - June 5, 2008
How do you give "the speech of your life"?by Richard L. Weaver II
Excerpt:
The speech of your life comes from you, and your success depends on your message, you the messenger, and your magic. You can think about your message being the meat, you the messenger being the potatoes, and the magic being the spice. Let’s look at each factor.
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