Public Speaking Tip: You Speak All The Time



The above quote is so true but is something that 98% of the population don't realize.  Every time we open our mouths to speak, to communicate an idea, a feeling or a message, it is a form of public speaking, the only difference being the size of the audience.

Mention "public speaking" to most people and they will balk at the idea.  Asked to send a representative from a group to speak for them and they will point to an unfortunate soul who will have no choice but bite the bullet and do it rather than volunteer.

However, think back to the time when we were children, when we absolutely adore the opportunities to regale our parents and friends with stories spun from our imagination or what happened at school today.  When did we lose that enthusiasm?  When did we become so self conscious about what other people will think about us?

So perhaps the trick is to pretend that you're talking to an old friend, rather than a room full of strangers.

Have an important interview?  Wouldn't it be easier to talk to the interviewer on friendly terms rather than keeping things uptight and formal?

Have an important presentation to the boss?  Maybe this is the time to be a kid again rather than being anxious.  This will let your enthusiasm shine through, help you relax and be natural.

If you would like the opportunity to hone your public speaking skills as well as learn leadership skills, join us for our bi-monthly meetings on every 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month.  Our meetings start at 8pm.  For further information please contact us at gurneyhydrotoastmastersclub@gmail.com or refer to our Next Meeting page for information on our next meeting.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Public Speaking Tip: Types of Speeches

Image
There are many different types of speeches and depending on the audience and/or topic, a good public speaker will be able to tailor his/her speech in the right format, delivery and style accordingly in order to have the most impact. Here are the most common types of speeches and our take on how/when to use them. 1. The Narrative The narrative speech is most suitable for when you are telling a story.  This is the easiest speech but yet so many people fall flat when attempting it.  Everyone thinks that telling a story is a piece of cake, but it is an art that takes some finesse. The most important ingredient in a narrative speech is being as descriptive as possible but keeping your language plain and easy to understand.  Remember, this is your story and you want your audience to be interested in it.  The only way they can follow the story is through your words.  You need to be able to paint a visual picture so that they can see in their imagination how ...
Read more

Leadership Series: Four Crucial Leadership Characteristics

Image
If you study any great leader, you will find they have many characteristics that contribute to their success.  Below are four that are the most fundamental.  Start with these first and build upon them. Leadership Characteristic #1: Compelling Desire When you take on a leadership role in any project or organization, you must have a goal, a vision of the end game that you want to achieve.  That goal must be driven by a compelling desire for it to happen.  Why do you want to achieve this?  For everyone, it’s the pain/pleasure factor – to get away from a pain or to gain pleasure.  Simple as that.  What is yours? For example, you take on a leadership role in your Toastmasters club because you want to see the club membership grow.  Why?  So that it will be easier to fill roles?  So that your club can achieve the DCP goals? Ask yourself the reason until it becomes so compelling that nothing will stop you from achieving it. Leadersh...
Read more

What's In Your Bucket List

Image
"Nothing is certain in life except death and taxes," so says the quote. So what can you do to make sure you live your life in a way you would be proud of so that in the end, you can say you've really lived and not existed? One of the ways is a bucket list, a list of things that you want to do like travel to far off and exotic places, a skill that you've always wanted to learn or doing something so big that it seemed like an impossible feat to accomplish. Here are some of the things that are in our attendees' bucket list: Go to Disneyland Travel around the world Move to New York Go on an adventure once a year Go to a third world country to do charity work Own their first home These are all worthwhile dreams to aspire to and we really hope you guys achieve them. We had two speakers for the night. Speaker #1: Preezzilla Tan Finally, this very successful real estate agent did her speech on something that she is very passionate about - investin...
Read more