Earlier this
week I was attending a civic meeting. I
recognized a woman who had brought us in to speak at her group’s meeting. She asked how the public speaking consulting
was going and without waiting for my answer volunteered, “Getting up in front
of a group never bothered me. I am not
afraid of talking to groups like most people are. I’ve always been good at presentations and
speeches.” She rambled on longer and I
simply nodded and listened with interest.
What really interested me was the fact she is a terrible speaker. I have seen her present a couple of times
when she was president of her organization.
She rambles on with no apparent central idea or goal. And worse, she takes a long time doing
it. I think we all could have walked out
without her noticing it. I am being
extreme here; however, her story makes a good point: Just because you are not
afraid to speak in front of groups doesn’t mean you are an effective speaker.
“You have to
give a speech.” Normally, people fill up
with anxiety when they hear any form of these words. Their knuckles tighten, their stomach becomes
one big knot, and their knees begin to wobble.
But, what if you don't feel any of these things? Does that mean you are a natural, and therefore
above speech anxiety? Base on the story
above, clearly not.
I have found
the opposite to be true. It's that this false
sense of security that can really knock you for a loop. This is the kind of presentation that might
turn out OK in spite of itself, but think of how fantastic it would be had the
presenter paid attention to the details.
Mark Twain
is noted for saying, "There are two types of speakers; 1) the nervous and
2) the liars." That profound
statement says quite a bit. Twain was a
respected orator and comedian; however,
he still placed value on preparation with a clear message and goal, practice,
and performance. He also knew that he
was not above fear, because no one is.
The audience
must be first and foremost in the speaker’s mind. Make no mistake; they are not there to see you. They are there to listen to their favorite
radio station WII FM—what's in it for me?
Don't set yourself up for failure by believing your lack of fear means
that you're a shoe-in. My friend’s Dad
used to say, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." A similar road may also be paved with
overconfidence.
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