Chapter 24 How to prepare before giving a speech

Only a well-prepared speaker can have complete confidence.How can one talk about conquering a fortress of fear if not being prepared is like going into battle with out-of-ammunition and battered weapons? A few years ago a prominent government official was the keynote speaker at a Rotary Club luncheon in New York, and we waited for his talk to hear how his ministry was doing. We found out that he hadn't prepared beforehand.He began to try to improvise and talk, but found nothing worth saying.So he took a stack of notes from his pocket.However, the notes were disjointed, like a wagonload of broken iron.He rummaged through these things in a hurry, but couldn't find anything useful, and his speech became more and more awkward and clumsy.As the minutes passed, he felt more and more hopeless, and he didn't know what to say.He kept apologizing, struggling to sort out some clues from the notes, and held a glass of water with trembling hands, bringing it to his parched lips.It was a horrible scene, and he was completely overwhelmed by fear, just because he had hardly prepared for the speech.Finally he sat down, and I saw one of the most humiliating images of a speaker.He speaks in the same way that Rousseau's love letter is written: he begins without knowing what to say, and ends with not knowing what to say.

Since 1912, I have, for professional reasons, reviewed more than five thousand speeches each year.This taught me the most important lesson, the admonition that towers as high as Everest on the mountains: Only a well-prepared speaker can have complete self-confidence.How can one talk about conquering a fortress of fear if not being prepared is like going into battle with out-of-ammunition and battered weapons?Lincoln said, "If I have nothing to say, I will inevitably be ashamed of it even if I have a lot of experience and a lot of experience." If you want to develop confidence, why not do the things that will give you a sense of security when you give a speech?The apostle John said, "Perfect love overrides fear." Perfect preparation does the same.Daniel Webster once said that being in front of an audience unprepared is the same as being naked.

Does "complete preparation" mean memorizing speeches?To this question, I have to categorically say "no".To protect themselves from going blank in front of their audience, many speakers fall headlong into memory traps.Once this error is committed, time is hopelessly wasted on such preparations, which will only ruin the whole speech. Veteran American news critic, HV Carterborn, entered a speech contest while a student at Harvard.He chose a short story entitled "Gentlemen, Kings."And then memorized it verbatim and pre-told it hundreds of times.On the day of the game, as soon as he said the title "Gentlemen, King," his mind went blank; not only was it blank, it went black.He was almost dazed with fright, and in desperation he had to tell the story in his own words.But when the judges awarded him the first place, he couldn't believe it.From that day on, HV Carterborn never read or memorized a single speech, which is the secret of his success in broadcasting.He just took notes and spoke to the audience naturally, never using a script.

Writing a speech and then memorizing it is not only a waste of time and energy, but it is also prone to failure.Speaking comes naturally to us, never bothering to refine the words.We are thinking all the time, and when our thinking matures, words are like the air we breathe, flowing out unconsciously. Winston Churchill learned this lesson the hard way.When he was young, Churchill often wrote and memorized speeches.Until one day when he was reciting his speech in the British Parliament, his train of thought suddenly stopped and his mind went blank.He felt embarrassed and ashamed.He repeated the last sentence, but he still couldn't think of anything, and his face turned liver-colored.He sat down slumped.Since then, Churchill has never recited speeches.

If we memorize the speech script verbatim, when we face the audience, we will inevitably forget the words because of nervousness.Even without forgetting, I'm afraid it would be dull to tell.why?Because it doesn't come from our heart, it's just from memory.When we talk to someone in private, we tend to focus on what we want to say and say it without paying particular attention to the words.Since it has always been done this way, why change it now?If we have to write speeches and recite speeches, we are likely to repeat the mistakes of Vance Buschner. Vance, a graduate of the Maribou School of Art, is now a vice president of Equitable Life Insurance Company, one of the world's largest insurance companies.Many years ago, was asked to speak at a meeting of Equitable Life representatives at White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia, attended by two thousand Equitable Life representatives from all over the United States.At that time, he had only been in the life insurance industry for two years, but he was already very successful, so he was arranged to give a 20-minute speech.

Vance is very happy, he knows this is a great opportunity to increase his status.Unfortunately, however, he wrote down his speech and memorized it very hard.He rehearsed 42 times in front of the mirror, carefully preparing everything, including every word, every gesture, every expression, and even the details of how to get on stage and come back.It was just right, flawless. However, when he stood up to make a formal speech, he suddenly felt afraid in front of an audience of 2,000 people.He just said: "My position in this plan is..." and there was nothing left in his mind.In a panic, he took two steps back and wanted to start over, but his mind was still blank.So I took two steps back and tried to start over, but it still didn't work.The podium was four feet high, with no railing behind it, and a 2-meter gap from the wall.So, when he repeated the performance for the fourth time, he fell off the podium and disappeared into the gap.The audience roared with laughter, causing people to fall off their chairs and roll into the aisle.Never before, nor since, has there been such a burlesque of the Equitable Life Insurance Company.What makes people overwhelmed is that the audience really thought this was a specially arranged show for fun. The old-timers in "Equity Life" are still talking about his performance.

But what about Vance Bushner himself?He told me personally that it was the most embarrassing time in his life.He felt so ashamed that he wrote his resignation.But Vance's boss persuaded him to tear up his resignation and help him rebuild his self-confidence.After this experience, Vance became one of the best public speaking experts in the company.However, he never recited his speeches again.We should take this as a lesson, so as not to do such stupid and ridiculous things again. I've heard many people memorize their speeches, but I can't remember anyone who, after throwing them in the wastebasket, spoke more vividly, more effectively, and more humanly.Throw away the speech, maybe forget a few points, and it will be more scattered, but at least it will appear more humane.

Lincoln said: "I don't like to listen to sharp, boring speeches. When I listen to people preach, I like to see him talk like he is fighting with bees." He likes to hear a speaker who is free, casual, Speak with passion.Memorizing speeches, you will never act like you are desperately fighting bees. So what is the proper way to prepare a presentation?Then let me tell you.In your life, you should pay attention to those meaningful experiences that have given you guidance about the connotation of life, and then collect and sort out the thoughts, ideas, and insights gained from these experiences.The really useful preparation is thinking deeply about the topic of your speech.As Dr. Charles Reynolds Brown said in his speech at Yale University many years ago: "Consider your topic, brew it mature, overflow with the fragrance of thought... and write all these ideas, as simple as you can express the concept clearly. You can... write them on slips of paper—by organizing them in this way, the scattered pieces are easy to arrange and organize." Sounds easy, right?In fact, it is really not difficult, just need a little concentration and thinking.

When the preparation has reached a certain level, do you want to try to talk about it?It should be.Here's a simple and effective way to keep you foolproof.Talk about your thoughts with friends or colleagues in everyday conversations, it doesn't have to be all about it, just lean over the lunch table and start with something like: "Joe, you know, the other day I Something unusual happened." Joe might like to hear your story.At this time, you have to carefully observe his reaction and listen to what kind of ideas he has. Maybe he will have some new and interesting ideas, which will be very valuable.He doesn't know you're rehearsing, and it's okay to know.He might say, what a joy to talk.

The eminent historian Alan Nivens has similar advice for writers: "Find a friend who is interested in your subject and tell him what you think at length. This way, you can discover your Insights that might have been missed, debates that could not have been foreseen, and finding the format that best told the story."