Public Speaking

Yesterday I had to speak in church.  I have not had to speak in church for over three years.  Also, I am not a good public speaker anyway.  However, I am an experienced audience member to many church talks.  I have thought for a long time how I can deliver a good talk when called upon.  In studying this principle, here is what I came up with.

• Prepare beforehand
• This should be a no-brainer.  A good talk can be delivered on short notice, however, as I am not a strong speaker, I wouldn't want to risk giving a poor talk because I failed to prepare.
• At the same time, prepare to be flexible.  It is common to run out of time or to simply feel inspired to change ones message.
• Don't start with negative statements
• Sometimes people start by mentioning how unprepared they are, or how the or not a good speaker, and that we, the audience, should "bear with" them.  This, ironically, has the opposite effect, and causes people to pay less attention to the talk.
• Voice and appearance
• Vary tone of voice to add emphasis and color to the talk
• Smile
• Exude confidence
• If you don't have confidence, "fake it until you make it"
• Share stories and personal experiences
• From Marcus Sheridan, "Delivering an Effective Talk," Ensign, Aug. 2010, 42-43
  "When we share a powerful story or personal experience, our message can have a lasting impact on our listeners. People love to hear stories. That’s why heads pop up and attention increases when we share them."
• Have a collection of notes to draw things from
• I keep a habit of studying every day.  As it is a good study habit, I take notes.  It is much easier to prepare a talk when I already have good material stored up in an organized set of notes.
• Explain things well
• Explain the context of quotes used
• Given a general audience (like mine yesterday) it is nice to explain things in a way that even the most uninformed listener can understand
• Don't exceed the time limit
• "The difference between an interesting meeting and a boring meeting is five minutes"
• I don't know why, but when a meeting goes over, my mind automatically turns off.  I know that this is the case for most people as well.

I tried to incorporate these principles into my talk yesterday, and I felt good for having completed the assignment.  I'm just not sure that very many in the audience paid attention to my talk as there was a large quantity of small children in the congregation yesterday.