"The most satisfying lives are those which involve challenge, fear and struggle."
So says psychologist Paul Bloom. I would probably have to agree - even if based solely on my relationship with public speaking.
After speaking (preaching) in churches and other places for 14+ years, I have been absolutely horrified at the thought of standing in front of people for the past 8 or 9 since then. However, I must confess, I am starting to kind of miss it. So much so that I've been thinking of getting in a Toastmasters club.
I don't know if I could "preach" again or not... but I feel like there's a bit of extrovert trying to claw its way out in some way.
Anyway, I happened across this great little article by Ted Gioia at The Honest Broker, "My 10 Rules for Public Speaking." I thought it was pretty good, and I hope I can remember to read it again if I ever speak in front of people again.
The 10 rules by themselves don't do it justice (read his post), but here they are:
- The Podium is Death
- Invade the Audience's Space
- Embrace Sponaneity - Even (or Especially) If It Seems Risky
- Remember That The Audience Always Wants You To Succeed
- Don't Be Afraid of Humor, or Even Silly Jokes
- You Really Don't Need Slides, and if you insist on using them you must deal with the consequences
- Tap Into Your Own Craziness
- Don't Be Shy About Giving Your Roadmap To The Audience
- Pay attention to other speakers, and steal all their best techniques
- Be A Rock Star and Savor the Moment
One of the best lines was under rule #9, "By the way, the three best kinds of speakers to study are comedians, preachers, and TV wrestlers. Politicians are surprisingly bad at this kind of stuff." Haha.
So, if you are a public speaker, or want/need to get better, I suggest giving Ted's 10 tips a try!
***
Ephesians 4:29
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."
No comments:
Post a Comment