Chapter 68 Pay attention to the environment of the speaking venue

Major James Pound has been Henry Beecher's manager for the past 14 years, which has required him to travel all over the United States and Canada.At the time, the famous Brooklyn preacher was popular.Pound often went to inspect the place where Beecher was going to preach before the believers came, and carefully checked the lighting, seating, temperature and ventilation.Pound is a yelling ex-Army officer who likes to wield authority.So if a mission was too hot for the air to circulate, and he couldn't open the windows, he would take a book and throw it at the window, smashing the panes of the window with a single blow.He was convinced: "The next best thing to a preacher next to the grace of God is oxygen."

Lighting is another factor that affects the success of a speech.Unless you're performing a conjuration in front of a group, try to keep the room as well lit as possible.To arouse enthusiasm in an audience as dimly lit as the inside of a thermos is as difficult as taming a wild quail. If you read the great filmmaker Pilasco's writings on stage production, you will find that the average speaker has absolutely nothing to say about the importance of proper lighting. Let the light shine on your face.People want to see your face clearly.That subtle change in your five senses is part of self-expression, and the most authentic part.Sometimes it's more your appearance than your words.If you stand directly under the light, you may have shadows on your face; if you stand directly in front of the light, you must also have shadows on your face.So, before you get up to speak, isn't it a smart move to choose a spot with the best light? !

Never hide behind a desk.Audiences want to see the full face of the speaker.Have you noticed that some people even poke their heads out of their seats in order to look at you, so that they can see the whole body of the speaker clearly. Well-meaning speaker organizers are sure to set up a table, a jug and a glass for you.In fact, if you have a dry throat, consider taking a pinch of salt in your mouth, or tasting a lemon, and they'll get your saliva flowing again, more than Niagara Falls. You can't have jugs or cups and all the useless and unsightly crap that normally sits on your podium.

You have to get rid of all the useless stuff. Henry Beecher said, "The most important thing in a speech is the people." Therefore, you must make the speaker stand out in the whole venue, like the snow-capped summit of Jungfraujoch against the blue sky of Switzerland. Once I was in Landon, Ontario, Canada, and happened to meet the Prime Minister of Canada giving a speech there.When he was giving a speech, a worker walked from one window to another with a long wooden stick, adjusting the opening and closing of the windows one by one.So what happened?Almost unanimously, the audience temporarily forgot the speaker on the stage and turned to look at the worker, as if he was performing some kind of magic trick.

Neither listener nor spectator can resist—or should I say they are unwilling to resist—the temptation to look at moving objects.If only the speaker can remember this truth, he can save himself from troubles and unnecessary troubles. First, he should refrain from fiddling with his fingers, fiddling with his clothes, or making nervous little movements that would distract others from him. Second, if possible, the lecture organizer should seat the audience so that they cannot see latecomers coming in and thus prevent them from being distracted. Third, the speaker should not arrange for VIPs to sit on the podium.A few years ago, Raymond Robbins gave a series of lectures in Brooklyn.He invited me to sit on the podium with a number of other distinguished guests, which I declined.The rationale is that it's not good for the speaker.On the first night, I noticed a lot of VIPs moving their bodies and putting one thigh on top of the other, then back down, etc.Every time any one of them moved slightly, the audience's eyes shifted from the speaker to the guest.Next day I reported the situation to Mr. Robbins for his attention.So, in the next few nights, he was very clever and stood alone on the podium.