Holistic-Personal-Development.com

Public speaking used to make me nervous. I remember my college days when I would be so nervous speaking in front of a group that I would stutter. But a few years later, I was winning speaking competitions sponsored by Toastmasters International. What happened to make that transformation possible? Being comfortable was the difference.

Studies show that speaking in public is one of the biggest fears that people have. But after getting experience and a little bit of success, your confidence can soar and your personality can finally begin expressing itself behind the podium. When a speech transcends the utterance of mere words to a communication of who the person is behind the words, then speaking becomes a success.

For a number of years I made my living as a saxophone player. And in my quest to be the best saxophone player I could be, I bought a book called Effortless Mastery. It was a book written for musicians but I found it helpful in public speaking as well. The premise of the book is that you take a small improvisational pattern and you play it over and over, in all 12 keys, faster and faster, until it becomes effortless, until it has become part of you. I would take one phrase and spend a week on it. After a week it was indeed effortless.

What I practiced five years ago is still effortless for me to play in any key. The idea behind this approach is that creativity is stifled if you have to struggle and think about what you are trying to play. It has to be effortless to be spontaneous. That is how mastery is in any artistic endeavor, from dancing to gymnastics to martial arts. The masters make it look effortless.

It’s the same with public speaking. Know your material so well that in 50 years, you will still know it. Don’t learn it so you can remember it 30 minutes from now, but for all time. Then you have it. Then you can mold it, modify it, and express it in anyway you want to. Then your words have authenticity.

When you are not forced to think about what to say next, you can feel what you are going to say next. And when the audience feels what you feel, you have created a powerful experience that will have meaning. That is public speaking at its finest.

If you decide to incorporate a quotation in your talk, know it so well that you can put it to music. This past weekend I had to fly to Cincinnati for my mother’s memorial service. I was going to be giving one of the tributes and I had an idea of what I would say, but it was very loose. On the flight I was reading a book that quoted Emerson about one of the most beautiful compensations of life. I decided to open my tribute with that quote. I read that quote over and over until I didn’t need to think about it. When I began my tribute, I knew it. But more than that, I felt it. And I was able to convey that, effortlessly.

The audience can sense when you really know what you are talking about. The response you provoke is much more positive when you come across in a natural and relaxed way. The audience doesn’t want to hear someone who is struggling to find his words. They want to listen to someone who is eager to communicate a message, a message that is vital to the life of the speaker. But where is the vitality in a speech when the speaker has to rely on notes or struggle to recall information?

If you are going to tell a story, know the story. Write the story out over and over again. Get in as much detail as possible. Do this over and over until you don’t omit one bit of information. The effort goes in the preparation so the delivery is effortless. When you do finally tell the story to the audience, you will enjoy the telling, because you will be relaxed and confident. You know this story better than anyone in the world and you are about to prove it.

What happens in this process is that you evolve from someone who is trying to give a speech without making a fool of himself to someone who is sincerely interested in making an emotional, intellectual, or spiritual impact on the audience in a masterful way. You are focused on what you have to give to the audience rather than what they will think of you. Public speaking is an act of service.

If you want to become an effective pubic speaker then consider joining Toastmasters International. The practice, feedback, and encouragement that you receive there is invaluable. I participated in the organization for several years when I lived in Los Angeles. Some of the groups are vastly superior to others. Find one that is stimulating for you and watch yourself evolve into a master speaker. Public speaking will then be one your great joys in life.

Here is a great site on public speaking public speaking if you would like some more information.