Get Speaking

By Author: Robert F. Abbott
Total Articles: 10
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On a recent Sunday evening, I watched a friend &#39graduate&#39 from a beginner&#39s class for stand-up comedians.

Needless to say, I saw many levels of competence and talent as the nine students gave their 10 minute &#39commencement speeches&#39 before an audience of perhaps 250, mostly friends and family.

Some, obviously, would never make it to prime time. Others have a good chance, given determination and patience. But, what&#39s striking is that they all got up on the stage and did their acts.

I know it takes courage to stand up on a stage and deliver a conventional speech, and it must take even more to deliver a comedy monologue, especially for the first time.

If you&#39ve itched to take the stage, but fear holds you back, perhaps their example will give you the extra push you need to take the plunge. The good news is that you can overcome that fear. And you overcome it with two things: knowledge and practice.

Knowledge refers to the strategies, tactics, and techniques used by speakers, and involves learning about the many, diverse elements that go into a ...
... speech or presentation.

In a properly-managed learning process you work with the elements individually. In one speech you&#39ll focus on the way you stand, in another you&#39ll focus on what you&#39re doing with your hands, and so on.

With practice, each element becomes more natural and eventually you&#39ll master and incorporate them all into your speeches - without even thinking about them.

Personally, my big challenge was eye contact. With a background in radio, I had lots of experience with speaking to others, speaking to literally thousands of people at a time. But, put me in a room with a dozen people looking back and I felt that gut-wrenching chill that novice speakers know so well. After a few speeches, though, I was over it. I had enough knowledge of the mechanics of speaking to get over my fear.

That takes us to the matter of practice. The only way you&#39ll learn to use your newfound knowledge is through practice - standing in front of an audience and using what you&#39ve learned.

The elements only become natural and automatic through practice. And here&#39s a bonus: you also become increasingly familiar with what happens in the audience as you speak. That allows you to adjust your content or presentation on the fly, to get the results you want.

For me, the path to enjoyable public speaking - and I now love it - came through Toastmasters. If you&#39re not familiar with it, it&#39s a non-profit organization, made up of local clubs, where aspiring speakers learn from each other. I strongly recommend it. And, hey! If you go on to do a comedy act in front of a crowd one day, maybe I&#39ll be cheering for you.

In summary, don&#39t think of public speaking as one big leap; think instead of learning a series of elements one by one, and increasing your proficiency with them through practice.

Copyright © 2005 Robert F. Abbott About Robert: Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott&#39s Communication Letter. Learn how you can use communication to help achieve your goals, by reading articles or subscribing to this ad-supported newsletter. An excellent resource for leaders and managers, at: http://www.communication-newsletter.com