How to Wow by Frances Cole Jones

Author:Frances Cole Jones [Jones, Frances Cole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780345507709
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2008-04-28T14:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

Stand and Deliver:

Giving Speeches That Bring People to Their Feet

The ancients said, “When Cicero speaks, people say, ‘What an intelligent man is Cicero.’ When Demosthenes speaks, people say, ‘Let us march.’”

This, to me, is the speaking “ideal”: to leave your listeners more than informed—to leave them inspired enough to join you on the barricades.

Is this easy to do? No. It takes work.

Can you do it? Yes. I promise you can.

For many people, speaking in public feels a lot like being thrown to the lions. Clients tell me their hands sweat, their hearts pound, sometimes their faces turn red….

You know what? My hands sweat, my heart pounds, sometimes my face turns red….

The trick in this moment is to tell yourself—and believe—that these are good things.

How can they be good? Because all of these signs are just manifestations of extra energy. And an energetic speaker is an interesting speaker.

They also mean that you care. If you didn’t care, they wouldn’t happen. And caring is key. Caring equals commitment. And commitment is what carries the day even if you forget half your points, spill your water, and trip as you leave the stage.

If you doubt this, think back for a minute to any school play you’ve attended. Were the performances Shakespearean? Were the costumes breathtaking? Did the special effects knock you out? Probably not. But were those kids so excited to be on that stage performing for you that none of these things mattered? I’m guessing, yes. I’m guessing you were clapping wildly along with the rest of the audience when they came out to take their bow.

So if it wasn’t about the technical aspects of their performance, what were you responding to? Their commitment—their genuine enthusiasm for entertaining you. Commitment is the X factor, and this chapter’s where you find it, along with all the other tools you’ll need to be polished, informative, and delightful. The tools that will get your audience to, “Let us march!”

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