Wise Tips on Public Speaking
by
Randall Lynn Phillips
From the Heart, Not the Head
Hello
and welcome fellow Toastmasters, those thinking of becoming Toastmasters, and
those simply having inquiring minds wondering what are Toastmasters. And, to basically answer the latter, we are an
organization of people helping people be, not only great public speakers, but
to also help each other become…….. outstanding!
This covers building leadership, teaching, motivational skills, and
more. Oh! And we’re big to. One can find us just about anywhere. Look us up to learn how we can be a service
to you, or you to us.
In today’s topic, From the Heart, Not the Head, I’m going
to look into an issue which I know will help many of us feel much more comfortable
and confident when giving a speech. Have any of you ever been suddenly called
upon by teacher to answer a question?
How about having a teacher (any grade or college level) order you to
pick a book from their list and do a paper or speech on? I’ll also include them allowing you to pick
the book, only it has to be on the topic of said teacher’s choice. Well, I’m going to answer for you. If you’ve attended any type of learning
facility the answer is, yes!
Now, let me ask, how did you
feel? Let’s see. Were you comfortable? Did you know the answers to the
questions? Did you really care about the
subject you were ordered to research and present? Did you even like the books you were forced
to read? If not mandatorily needed for a
job or career, did you try your best to retain what you may have learned? Ok!
For the minority, yes may be their answers to some or all of these
questions. However, for us, the
majority, our answers were then, and are now, no with an emphasis! We didn’t like or give a rat’s fuzzy bottom
about the tasks forced upon us. We only
did what we had to, and most likely, only put just enough effort into it to get
a passing grade. Surely everybody wants
A’s, but in these cases anything but an F would put a smile on our faces. We’d be happy we got it done; it’s over and
in the past.
So readers, would you believe the
same type of feelings and results apply to a person choosing to speak on their
own? Why, sure it does! If one isn’t so called, into it, what comes
out will reflect or expose this fact.
Odds are the speaker won’t be enthusiastic. If they are it may be very easy for the audience
to see its fake, or said another way, the speaker is only acting. They might as well break out into a song and
dance routine.
Other times they may come across as
being bored, and are simply going through the motions. In addition, even the material or topic being
presented may come across as boring by the result of its uncaring delivery. Could there be more? For sure!
Allow me to give you a few more big kickers. If the speaker is uncomfortable with the
topic, they are, in fact, uncomfortable themselves. If the speaker has no confidence in the topic
they’re presenting, most likely their own confidence level is low. If the speaker doesn’t really know the topic
they’re delivering and are basically relaying something they heard or was told
to say, trust me, the audience isn’t ignorant.
One can usually tell when this is being done.
A great example would be the president’s press
secretary. Have you ever noticed how
uncomfortable they look? Only a few, in
a handful of times, come across as genuine.
They look to say, “Hey! I’m only
doing my job!” and this is especially when they’re being questioned. At times you can plainly see them ad-libbing,
and that very same tactic is used with the average speaker pushing something
they really don’t know. They make up
stuff trying to sound intelligent or to fill in for time. Some may even switch to another topic
altogether in their attempt to get around their lack of knowledge on the
subject.
With all of the above said, I’d like to continue with this
fact. Toastmasters has been around a
long time and have helped millions to be better speakers. To help do so a book with guidelines is given
to new members. Within are listed
various topics for one to do a speech on.
Once the topic is covered the member moves on to the next. In my opinion each are designed only to do
what I’m suggesting, and that is to make us feel more comfortable, and to
improve our speaking abilities. Are they
like the teachers I talked about earlier?
No! They actually allow you to
subjectively decide on what you want to say, thus giving you the chance to
speak from the heart and not the head. When
this is done a person is more at ease, overall, throughout their presentation.
When a person truly cares, knows, loves, or for the better word,
passionate about what they’re speaking, everything seems to fall in place. You’re
more confident. You’re more
relaxed. It’s comparable to rushing home
and telling family and friends about the good time you just had. Plus, you will be well versed in the material. This will allow you room to breathe by having
plenty of facts to go to when needed.
You’ll be able to go into detail after detail without having to result
in the old ad-libbing trick. You’ll know
that you know and the audience can tell.
Note: The average audience is already on your side. They’re rooting for you and want to hear what
you have to say. But guess what? When you speak from the heart you’ll only win
them over more. It’s like gaining a
brand new group of friends, and this will serve to boost your confidence level
in return. On the other hand, should
your speech come from the head only, the audience may distance themselves. You may have a disconnect resulting in them
becoming bored and caring less. You’ll
push them away instead.
So, there you have it.
If you ever decide to do any public speaking, do it from the heart. Be passionate about whatever it is you want
to say. This may be a little hard to
understand, but let your topic be real even though it may be a fictional
story. If you love the story it will
come from your heart and come across as real to the listeners. If you don’t love it or at least have a
connection to it, don’t tell it! Again,
know your stuff. When you do you can roll
with it. You’ll be able to flow with it
and take the audience along for a joyful ride.
And, most importantly you’ll have much more confidence, be more relaxed,
and your delivery will come across in a far more receptive way.
So, am I promising that you’ll be fearless when you get up to
speak? No! I’m simply saying it will be much
easier. Please understand even professional
speakers get a taste of the jitters every now and then. Be it newscasters, reporters, company
spokespersons, preachers, singers, show hosts, comedians, actors, etc. All speakers deal with fear or nervousness
occasionally, but what they do is fight through it. How?
By using techniques like what I’m sharing with you now. And don’t worry. There are plenty of them to learn. Many often come up with their own fear
bashing routines. Keep speaking and you
will find and/or create them for yourselves as well.
In closing I want to add these words for you to ponder. The Bible teaches, “…out of the heart the
mouth speaks….” I believe this is true
and when one doesn’t, it’s often a big pile of stinky stuff, lies, and
hogwash. The Bible also teaches where
God Himself tells Jeremiah, “while speaking to the people, don’t be afraid of
their faces for I shall be with you.” I
also believe this to be great wisdom when it comes to public speaking. They may frown, smile, laugh, stare
glaringly, or even fall asleep; whatever the case may be, do not fear them. Who knows what they may be thinking or how
little sleep they got last night. The
one with a frown may have to go to the bathroom real bad. The one who keeps looking at their watch may
be late picking up their kids. So ignore
those expressions, stand bold, and deliver your speech.
Sincerely, Randall Lynn Phillips
