Chapter 63 Impress your audience with your own personal experience

When giving a speech, grasping the hearts of the audience is what every speaker needs to do.Ordinary speeches are bound to be more engaging if they are enriched with human stories.The speaker should only talk about a few key points, and then cite specific examples. This way of constructing the appeal of the speech will definitely attract the attention of the audience. In The Art of Writing, Rudolf Fritz begins a chapter by saying, "Only stories are really readable." He goes on to use Time Magazine and Reader's Digest to illustrate how to use this rule.Nearly every article in the two top-selling magazines, he said, was either purely narrative or generously peppered with anecdotes.It is undeniable that stories have the power to command the audience's attention in public speaking.

The sermons of Norman Vincent Peale were heard and watched by millions on radio and television.He said that in his speeches, he was most fond of using examples as materials and methods to support his arguments.He once told an interviewer for Speaking Quarterly: "A real example is the best method I know. It makes a topic clear, interesting, and convincing. Usually, I always use several examples to support each of the main points." I once asked a group of American businessmen in Paris to give a lecture on "The Way to Success."Most of them just list a long list of abstract successful traits and preach the value of hard work, perseverance, and big ambitions.

So I stopped the class and said something like this: "None of us want to be lectured, nobody likes that. Remember, make sure it's enjoyable and interesting for us, otherwise, we won't listen to what you say." Will pay attention. Also remember that one of the funniest things in the world is a neat, witty celebrity anecdote. So please tell us the story of two people you know and why one of them One will succeed, and the other will fail. We'll be happy to hear it. And remember, we might also have a lot to gain from this example." There is a student in this class who always finds it difficult to raise his own interest or to arouse the interest of the audience.But this night, he grasped the suggestion of "The Story of Human Nature".He told us the story of two of his college classmates.

One of the classmates is currently working in town selling shirts and drawing charts showing which ones will hold up to laundering the most, last the longest, and get the most out of every dollar invested.His mind is always penny-pinching.The reason for this, in his opinion, is that he thinks highly of himself after graduation, and he does not want to start from the grassroots and gradually climb up like other graduates.So when the third-year reunion came, he was still working on his shirt-washing watch, still waiting for that special good job to come to him.As a result, it never came at all.A quarter of a century has passed since then, and this man has been resentful and dissatisfied all his life, and still holds a small position for himself.

The speaker then compared the failure to the story of another classmate who had surpassed all of his original goals.This friend is easy to get along with, everyone likes him.Although he had great ambitions to achieve great things, he started as a draftsman.However, he is always looking for opportunities.The New York World's Fair was in the planning stages, and he knew that engineering talent would be needed there, so he resigned from his position in Philadelphia and moved to New York.There, he partnered and immediately started a contracting business.They did a lot of business with the phone companies, and this guy was hired by the Fair for a good salary.

What I have recorded here is only the outline of what the speaker said.He included many amusing and human details that made his lectures entertaining.He went on talking and talking.Usually, this person could not find materials to give a three-minute speech, but this time when he stopped talking, he was surprised to find that this time he had spoken for ten minutes.Because the speech was so exciting, everyone seemed to think it was too short, and there was still more to say.This is his first real victory. Everyone can learn something from this event.Ordinary speeches are bound to be more engaging if they are enriched with human stories.The speaker should only talk about a few key points, and then cite specific examples. This way of constructing the appeal of the speech will definitely attract the attention of the audience.

Of course, the rich source of this kind of human interest material is precisely my own life experience.Don't be hesitant to talk about your experiences because you don't think you should talk about yourself.It is only when a person talks about himself with hostility and arrogance that the audience is offended.Otherwise, the audience is very interested in the personal story told by the speaker.Personal experience is the surest and surest way to grab your audience's attention, and it should never be overlooked.