Chapter 22 Bring your speech to life

For each of us, vigorous physical strength is what everyone yearns for, and you must not waste your energy.When I hire speakers and instructors for speech classes, the first thing I look for is energy, liveliness, and enthusiasm.People like to gather around energetic speakers, just as wild geese like to gather around autumn wheat fields. Not long after the First World War, I worked with Lowell Thomas in London.He was delivering a series of marvelous lectures on Lawrence of Arabia to a packed audience.One Sunday, I wandered in Hyde Park and came near the entrance to Marble Arch.Here, speakers with various doctrines, races, politics, and religious beliefs can talk about their opinions without legal interference.I listened to a Catholic explain the Infallibility of the Pope, then I went to the outer edge of another group to hear what a socialist had to say about Karl Marx, and then I wandered over to the third speaker There, he was explaining why it is correct and appropriate for a man to have three wives and four concubines... Then I walked away and looked back at the three groups of people.

Believe it or not, the guys who preach polygamy are the least listened to, only a handful.The crowd surrounding the other two speakers kept growing.I asked myself, how could this be?Could it be that the titles are different?But, I think not.I watched and found that the answer to this phenomenon lay in the three speakers themselves.The fellow who talked about how wonderful it is to have three or four wives did not seem to be interested in having three or four wives himself; but the other two speakers argued from almost opposite points of view that they were completely Selflessly blend into their respective topics.They are talking with their lives and souls, they are waving their arms and making fierce gestures, their voices are high and full of conviction, and they exude enthusiasm and vitality.Lively, enthusiastic, and vital—these three, I always think, are the first qualities a speaker should possess.

How do you deliver such a lively speech that keeps the audience's attention uninterrupted?Below I'll give you three great ways to infuse enthusiasm and enthusiasm into your presentations.