Chapter 43 Image building for public speaking occasions

I have also taken many detours in teaching the art of speaking.When I first taught public speaking, I spent a great deal of time teaching my students vocal exercises to increase their volume and add lightness to their final notes.For those who can devote three or four years to improving their vocal expression skills, these trainings are indeed a good way.But for adults, these are completely useless things.So I started looking for these more important goals worth spending time and energy on.In this way, I will achieve fast and long-lasting amazing results.I did it wisely, and it worked really well.

I used to urge my students to come out of their shells of shyness, and while it took time, it was rewarding.This is like what Marshal Foch of France said when he explained the art of war: "Although the concept is extremely simple, unfortunately, it is very complicated and difficult to execute." The biggest stumbling block in speaking is nervousness and shyness, which is not only physical Yes, and psychological, and it will become more stubborn with age. It is not an easy task to speak naturally and fluently, it needs repeated practice to achieve.When you were a kid, you probably dared to go on stage and speak fluently to everyone!However, when you are 24 or 45, can you still have the unconscious spontaneity of your childhood?Maybe, but it's more likely that you'll become stiff and shy, and quickly withdraw into your shell like a turtle.

Therefore, I think the point of teaching adults to speak in public is not to help them increase their personality traits, but to help them eliminate psychological barriers and react most instinctively. Once you dare to express yourself freely and casually in front of everyone, you will not hold back anymore.You will suddenly feel that you are like a bird flying out of the cage of confinement, and you can spread your wings and fly high. Another person's style can never be perfectly reflected in us, and this is something we must keep in mind.We are always envious of certain orators who incorporate performance into speech, express themselves without difficulty, and have the flexibility to say what is on their minds in their own unique and charismatic way.The most important point here is the attitude when speaking. You need to know that "what to say" and "how to say it" are two different things and must not be confused.

I sat next to a young lady at a public recital.When the famous pianist Paderewski played one of Chopin's dances, she was also looking at the score.To her bewilderment, Paderewski's fingers struck the exact same notes on the piano as she did the dance, yet her performance was far less impressive than Paderewski's. Fascinated, so beautiful that it is indescribable. The key here is not the note, but the way it is played.It is the feeling, artistry, and personality that Paderewski puts into his playing that make the difference between a genius and a mortal.Similarly, when the Russian painting master Brulov made some revisions to the work of one of his students, the student looked at the picture in amazement and exclaimed: "Ah! You only changed a little, But it's totally different!" Brulov said, "True art consists in a little change."

Talking is the same as painting and playing the piano.There is no one else in this world exactly like you; likewise, there is no one else who thinks and thinks exactly like you, and few people can talk and express your own opinions the way you can.This is your unique personality trait. As a speaker, this is your most valuable asset.Be sure to grab it, cherish it, and work on it, it will give your speech great power. "This is the only and true proof of your personality".Please remember, don't put yourself into a mold and obliterate your own personality.It is precisely because these successful speech masters have brought their unique talents to the extreme that they are different, more contagious and persuasive.

Some people think: "What you say is definitely not more important than how you say it." The important factors of speaking include not only words, but also the attitude of the speaker.A good speaking attitude can make very simple things have long-term effects.For example, in speech contests at colleges and universities, the winners are often not those who speak the best subject matter, but those who speak with the best attitude, because this attitude helps them get the best out of their speech subject matter. I will illustrate the correctness of my point of view through the following example.

The speeches of British politician Edmund Burke are excellent works no matter in terms of logic, reasoning, or article structure. Even now, more than half of the colleges and universities in the world still use his speeches. Speeches serve as classic models for speeches. But what you may not imagine is that Burke himself was a failed speaker. He didn't have the ability to express his outstanding works, and he couldn't make his speech attractive and shocking.He was once nicknamed the "dinner bell" of the British House of Commons, because as soon as he stood up to speak, other MPs coughed or played cards, or just slept, or even walked out of the meeting room in groups.

From this we can see that the key to the quality of a speech lies in the attitude of the speaker, and has nothing to do with the speech.So, be sure to pay attention to your speaking attitude. You talk to people in a way that makes them feel as close as talking to an old friend.You might go well and end up actually answering the question to the audience.For example, you can say something like this in a conversation: "Do you have any doubts: Is there any evidence for what you say? Of course, I have sufficient evidence. I will explain to you as follows..." Next, you should answer your The question posed in imagination.This will appear very natural, which will help break the monotonous situation of singing a one-man show alone, and your speech will also appear direct and pleasant, more like chatting with friends about homework.

I had the honor of hearing Sir Oliver Rocky speak.He used the results of his half a century of thinking and research as the title of his speech - "Atoms and the World".These have become part of his heart, mind and life. He feels that there is something that must be said, so he doesn't worry about anything at all, and he has long forgotten that he is giving a speech.Sir Oliver Rocky was concerned only with telling his audience about the atom.Ebullient and intent on wanting us to see what he saw and what he felt, his speech was clear, fluent, and emotive. As a result, he delivered an otherworldly speech that captivated the audience and left a deep impression on them.He put his heart and soul into speaking, however, I don't believe he thought of it that way himself, nor did those who heard him think of him as a "public speaker."

If, after you give a public speaking session, the audience doubts that you are trained in public speaking, then you will lose face with your teachers, especially the training class teachers.We want you to speak with such ease and spontaneity that your audience would never dream that you have had "formal" training.It's like a good window, it doesn't attract attention by itself, it just silently lets light into the room.The same is true of a good orator. He is natural and undisguised. The audience does not pay attention to his demeanor, but only perceives the subject matter of his speech.

When a person is affected by his emotions, his true self comes to the surface.A person's emotional engagement, whether it's genuine and passionate, or high-pitched and impassioned, can help you accomplish anything you set your mind to.Fierce emotions will help you to destroy all obstacles.Under the urging of emotion, your behavior and speech will also be natural, so your performance on the podium will be more natural and smooth. A lot of people don't pay attention to this because it seems a little vague and not very accurate, and people generally want simple and easy advice, or more explicit advice, like the advice in a car driver's manual.I certainly hope to do the same. For many people, it will be much easier to do so.So, is there such advice or rules?There are, but they serve no purpose, they just make your speech lifeless and uninteresting.I wasted a lot of energy practicing these rules when I was young, so I know this very well.Because of this, these rules will not appear in my book, because George Bellings said: "It is useless to know so many things that are useless." How to make speech more natural?Someone might say, "I know. Just force yourself to do these things, and you'll do it." But that's not the case.If you force yourself to do these things, you will become as rigid as wood, as rigid as a robot. When the speaker communicates with the audience, he should make full use of the whole vocal organs and other parts of the body.For example, we shrug our shoulders, wave our arms, frown, increase our volume, change our pitch, and change the rate of speech, speaking faster or slower, depending on the situation and subject matter.But these all come naturally.It means that the speaker must express his ideas completely and fully.If you want to become an excellent speaker, you must constantly accept various self-training.For example, you can measure the pitch and speed of your voice with the help of a tape recorder and other equipment.It is also useful to ask your friends to evaluate it, and it is of course better to have expert advice. These are all self-practices. When you stand in front of the audience, you have to put yourself into the speech, concentrate your energy, and form a psychological and emotional impact on the audience, then you can speak stronger and more powerfully. You may have used these principles when you were talking to someone yesterday, and you didn't feel like you were using them at all, just as naturally as your stomach digested yesterday's dinner.This is the real way to use these principles, and the only way.To achieve this state, I have emphasized many times, there is only one way to practice diligently: 1. Emphasize important points In everyday conversation, we emphasize important words and skip others.Treated in this way, you can highlight some important words.This process is not unusual, as long as you listen carefully, you will find that people around you are doing the same.Maybe you said that a hundred, maybe even a thousand times yesterday.No doubt you will say the same thing a million times tomorrow. 2. Change the tone of voice When we usually talk with people, the voice will rise and fall, just like the sea is always rising and falling.Why is this so?Nobody knows, and nobody cares.But it's clearly a pleasurable way to do it, and it's also a very natural way to do it.We don't have to learn it, we can do it; we speak in this way as children, without seeking it out, but without knowing it. Now, however, when we are asked to stand in front of an audience and speak, our voices become dull, flat and monotonous, like a desert.If you find yourself speaking in this high-pitched, monotonous voice a lot, stop and reflect: "I'm talking like a wooden man now. Be human and natural when speaking to these people." Pausing briefly during your presentation will give you time to think and come up with solutions accordingly. 3. Vary the speech rate When children speak, or when we usually talk to people, we always change the speed of speech constantly.This way makes people feel pleasant, natural, and will not produce strange feelings, and has a prominent and emphatic effect.In fact, this is one of the methods highlighted. Try the following exercise: Say "30 million dollars" quickly and flatly, making it sound like a small amount. Please say "$30,000" again, slowly and with a heavy feeling, as if you were extremely impressed with the amount.Listening to it this way, do you feel that the latter 30,000 US dollars is more than the previous 30 million US dollars? 4. Pay attention to timely pauses In Lincoln's talk, when he got to a point and wanted to impress his audience, he would lean forward, look the other person in the eye, and say nothing for a full minute.This sudden silence has the same effect as sudden noise, attracting people's attention.This allows people to concentrate and listen carefully to what he has to say next. A writer who wrote a biography of Lincoln pointed out: "These simple words and his speech attitude at that time deeply moved everyone." This is Lincoln's pause emphasis method.He would employ silences to increase the force of his speeches, and at the same time to allow their meaning to reach deep into the minds of his listeners and affect their emotions. Sir Oliver Roger also paused before and after important passages in his speeches.Sometimes he would stop three or four times in a sentence, but he did it so naturally that no one would notice; and no one noticed—unless he wanted to analyze Sir Roger's oratory technique. The great poet Kipling said: "Your silence speaks your heart." Using the skill of silence skillfully in speech can play its greatest role.Silence is a powerful tool, and its importance cannot be overlooked.But unfortunately, it is often easy for beginners to ignore it. If a speaker follows the techniques presented in this chapter, chances are your speech will have a hundred flaws, such as not being exactly like your usual conversation, your voice maybe a bit uncomfortable, grammatical errors, and rude manners. , There may even be some unpleasant actions... However, as long as you can persist in training according to these methods, you can gradually improve your conversation skills and make your speech reach a perfect and natural state.