Chapter 7 6. Take every opportunity to practice

Quote: You know, even if you fail your speech, the sky will never fall, and no one will blame you. When George Bernard Shaw introduced his experience in improving eloquence to others, he said: "I borrowed from my own method of learning ice skating-I made myself look stupid until I learned it." Whether you want to be an excellent speaker like George Bernard Shaw, Whether you just want to take your time speaking in front of people, you should take every opportunity to practice and try to "make a fool of yourself". We all know that one can never learn to swim if one does not get into the water.The same goes for the ability to speak.No matter how much you learn about eloquence or about pronunciation, you can't learn it if you don't speak.

After World War I, the curriculum I taught at the Young Christians on 125th Street changed from what it had been.Every year I add new ideas to the curriculum and some old ones get thrown out.But one thing has not changed, that is, every student in the training class is required to speak in public at least once, and more often at least twice.I don't think you'll ever learn how to speak if you don't practice it a lot.Therefore, this book is only a guide for you, and you have to have your own practice. Everyone will have an ideal self-image, and hope that others will see themselves in a favorable light.When he comes into contact with a stranger, interacts with the opposite sex, talks with authority figures, or speaks in public, he will involuntarily realize that his self-image is facing some kind of threat, worrying that he will make mistakes and make a fool of himself in public. Fear that others will say that I am "stupid", "not good enough" or "pushing", "good performance", etc.Many people are reluctant to speak because of the uncertainty of the possible consequences of speaking.This worry is completely unnecessary.You know, even if you don't say yes, the sky will never fall, and no one will blame you.

Opportunities to speak abound.Look around yourself, and you will find that there is no place where you don't need to talk.You can consciously join some organizations and engage in some work that requires speaking; when you are in a meeting, don't let yourself hide in a corner, but command yourself to stand up and speak bravely.Only in this way, you will know how you have progressed, and you will learn the ability to speak. When you speak, you may not even know what point you want to express at first, let alone the literary grace and embellishment, but it is not a big deal.The most important thing is that you have managed to speak, and if you can keep at it, that's what you need to care about next.No matter how profound your knowledge and how wise your brain is, don't expect to be able to express it clearly to others at the beginning.Any successful talker has come from this step.

"I understand all the reasons you said," a young business executive student said to me once, "but I still hesitate. I seem to be afraid of the difficulties and trials of learning." "What is the difficulty, what is the trial?" I said, "throw away these thoughts quickly! Why can't you look at the matter with a right conquering spirit?" "What spirit is that?" he asked. "Adventurous," I said.Then I talked to him about some examples of success through speaking, and good changes in his personality have also taken place. "I'm going to try it, and I'm going to take on this adventure," he concluded.

The book you are reading is a book about risky action.As you continue to read this book and plan to put it into practice, you are also taking on the same adventure as he did.You will find that your self-direction skills and keen observation skills will help you in this adventure; you will also find that this adventure will change you from the inside out. Cherish every opportunity to speak: (1) When you miss an opportunity to speak, you should feel very sorry. (2) Take every opportunity to speak.If you don't speak, you will never improve your speaking ability, and others will get this opportunity to exercise.

(3) Progress comes slowly one at a time.Every time you deliver a public speaking, you are one step closer to your goal of success.