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You must persist

2020-07-16T20:40:00.001-07:00

When we learn any new thing, like French or golf, or speaking in public, we never advance steadily, we do not improve gradually.

We do it by waves, by abrupt starts and sudden stops.

Then we remain stationary for a time, or we may even slip back and lose some the ground we have previously gained.

These periods of stagnation, or retrogression, are well known by all psychologists, they have been named “plateaus in the curve of learning,”.

Abruptly they have acquired naturalness, force and confidence in their speaking.

I would like to share statement that I really like. Lincoln said “ If you are resolutely determined to make a lawyer of yourself , the thing is more than half done already…Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.”.

I guess he knew and he had gone through it all. It really encourages me by reading what Lincoln said. I am certain I will find these principles and techniques in this book are applicable every day and I think I can analyze the speaking that I do every day.

I can even use it in friendly chitchat and I may be using speech to persuade my child to suggest something. I can apply the techniques to everyday conversation. I can make myself more effective, get my ideas across more efficiently, and motivate others with skill and fact.

Appeal for action

2020-07-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

There is a speaker who could make his hearers laugh and sometimes cry , and often remember for a long time what he said. He was not a professional speaker. He never went in for ringing words or fine phrases. From experience, however, he had learned one of the secrets of successful communication. He knew that if a talk is to go over well, it has to have a good ending.

He realized that the conclusion of a talk is the part toward which all that precedes it must reasonably move if an audience is to be impressed.

The close is really the most strategic point in a talk, what one says last, the final words left ringing in the ears when one ceases these are likely to be remembered longest.

This chapter listed most common errors and you probably hear often with “ that is about all I have to say on the matter, so I guess I shall stop.” This is almost unpardonable and if that is all you have to say, why not round off your talk, and promptly take your seat and stop without talking about stopping.

I didn’t think about a closing talk strategy before. So, It was interesting to hear some techniques about closing a talk. I think I naturally use some of my closing talk by mentioning key takeaways or discussion bullet points which summarizes the talk or meeting. Also, ask for actions. So, I am already using some of these techniques in general, but I didn’t pay attention to that.

Also, Don’t try to say something too general. As an example, Don’t try to say “ Help the Red Cross.”. Instead “ Send your enrollment fee of one dollar tonight to the American Red Cross “

So, I am trying to be more specific in my talk as well. I tried to say that my meeting will start at 10:03AM, instead “ let’s wait for a few minutes” . it is too general.

It is good to see that I am already using some of these techniques that this chapter highlighted and It is good to recognized that it is a good thing.

A demonstration with or without an exhibit

2020-07-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

In the longer talk to secure action you might make three, or at most, four points. They could be uttered in less than a minute. To recite them to an audience would be dull and boring. It is the support material you use. This is what gives sparkle and interest to your talk. By the use of incidents, comparisons and demonstrations, you make your main ideas vivid ; by the use of statistics and testimony you substantiate the truth and emphasize the importance of your main points.

We often use demonstrations to explain some complicated scientific data or something which is not very common or familiar with general audience. I also can see these types of speaking techniques when I attend a seminar to learn some technical technologies or trainings.

This demonstration technique can help an audience to understand something easily and that will motivate the audience to connect with the speaker.

From this chapter, I learned several techniques and some of them are very common and we often used them without knowing that we are using these speech techniques.

In a long talk, the speaker is very apt to cover too much ground that at the close the listeners are a little hazy about all the points. So, they are misled into assuming that because these points are crystal clear in their own minds. I don’t think it is a good idea to assume something without checking and all these techniques will help a speaker to communicate more clearly with an audience.

Use the testimony of experts

2020-07-10T19:26:00.002-07:00

This chapter provided a technique that people can effectively back up the points they want to make in the body of their talk by the use of the testimony of an expert. Before using a testimony, it should be tested by answering these questions.

1. Is the quotation I am about to use accurate?

2. Is it taken from the area of the man’s expert knowledge? To quote Joe Louis on economics would obviously be exploiting his name but not his forte.

3. Is the quotation from a man who is known and respected by the audience?

4. Are you sure that the statement is based on firsthand knowledge, not personal interest or prejudice?

He said “I believe the true road to pre-eminent success in any line is to make yourself master in that line.”

This technique is another one that a speaker can use very often. We can hear this type of talk from TEDTALK or other similar types of programs. I often listen to another program which is called “The 15 minutes that changes the world “.

I enjoy watching these programs and I will hear plenty of overheated talk about changing the world and about changing myself as well.

We often deal with so many apps and online media. There is no time to relax or meditate to refresh ourselves. So, these types of talking programs can heal ourselves mentally.

Support your main ideas

2020-07-09T21:27:00.000-07:00

In the longer talk to get action you will have several points; the fewer the better, but all of them will require support material.

One good example is an experience out of an individual life and this type of example is so popular because it appeals to a basic drive in people.

I think everybody loves a story and I can see that from YouTube. Some people can’t wait to see the next series of a story, because of this reason and people continue making their own series of stories to be more popular.

This chapter mentioned that a speaker might also use statistics which are nothing more than illustrations scientifically grouped, expert testimony, analogies, exhibits or demonstrations.

Statistics are used to show the proportion of instances of a certain kind, they can be impressive and convincing, especially as evidence where an isolated example might not do as well. Also, Statistics, of themselves can be boring. I think we often use statistics data to convince others and use it as supporting data.

As we also discussed this related topic a couple of days ago, it takes extra time and effort to collect the statistics or supporting data which slows down the decision. I personally don’t think our overall schedule is tight compared to others, but these type of steps make extra hours for preparation and I think we are so used it as this type of procedure.

So, it becomes a normal process for many things and people are afraid to stand up to take a full responsibility of a decision without supporting data. I think it is also opposite of being challenged and ensures that every step is measured and calculated.

I think it is also related to somewhat innovation which is creating something from nothing. Not so much based on supporting data or statistical information. I am also curious whether there is some sort of relation with intellectual property numbers.

Do not open with an apology or funny story opening

2020-07-07T21:53:00.002-07:00

To begin a talk with an apology does not get you off to a good start. How often we all have heard speakers begin by calling the attention of the audience to their lack of preparation or their lack of ability.

I think it is sort of insulting to the audience, because the audience is there to listen to the speaker and it is showing them that it was not worth preparing for.

They don’t want to hear apologies and we want to be informed and to be interested. So, it is important to have an opening sentence capture the interest of the audience.

Also, we may have noticed that there is one method of opening a talk and one much favored by speakers that is not recommended here ; the so-called “ funny” story opening.

The painful truth that the “funny” story is often more pathetic than funny and the story may be known to persons in your audience.

A sense of humor, though, is a prized asset for any speaker. It says that
“ If you have the ability to tickle the risibility of your audience by some witty reference to a local situation or to something arising out of the occasion or the remarks of a previous speaker, then by all means do so “.

That type of humor is more likely to succeed than state jokes, because it is relevant and because it is original.

I think sometimes, it is not easy to distinguish between Jokes and humor. So, My suggestion is to create merriment while telling a story about myself. So it gets down to the very essence of humor and is safe.

Overall, it was a good comment that what I can do to avoid in the speech and what kind of things can give benefit to a successful speech. I personally like a speech with more personal stories which are based on real experiences and that touches the heart of the audience.

Promise to tell the audience how they can get something they want

2020-07-01T20:20:00.002-07:00

An almost unfailing way to get alert attention is to promise to tell your listeners how they can get what they want by doing what you suggest.

As an example “I promise that, if you will listen to me for ten minutes, I will tell you one sure way to make yourself more popular”.

The “Promise” type of opener is sure to get attention because it goes straight to the self-interests of the audience. An opening built around the “Promise“ technique would have been admirably appropriate.

I can see that this technique defiantly gets the audience attention, but it is also a commandment to ensure that you keep that promise. With that said, the speaker needs to be confident about their speech

The salesman can use this technique a lot and it is effective, because the speaker can get the audience’s attention immediately. It is also the easiest way to gain attention from the audience and recognize that how we open a talk largely determines whether the audience is going to accept me and my message.

This chapter highlighted that I have to remember one thing. I should not only capture the attention of audience, but I must capture audience favorable attention. No rational person would begin a talk by insulting his audience or by making any disagreeable statement that would turn them against the speaker and speech.

Ask for a show of hands

2020-06-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

A splendid way to get interested and attention is to ask the audience to raise their hands as an answer to a question. When you ask for a show of hands, it usually gives the audience some warning of what you are going to do. Also, the technique of asking for a show of hands gets a priceless reaction known as “audience participation.” When you use it, your talk is no longer a one-sided affair. The audience is participating in it now. The audience forgets that they are listening to a talk. They smile, they nod to a friend sitting next to them. The ice is broken. The speaker is at ease and so is it the audience.

We can see this type of speech very often. One impressed speaker was Steven Eberlein who was invited to the campus for his speech. He talked about common sense gap as it related to earthquakes challenging all of us to be a part of the preparedness movement.

He also used this technique to ask the audience to raise their hands for participation and asked several questions to know what types of audience members were there for his speech. His story was very interesting and he pointed out a viewpoint that we didn’t think of before. It is also related to physiological human behavior which is related to common sense and culture.

So, It reminds him with this topic.

State an arresting fact

2020-06-29T20:08:00.001-07:00

Making an opening speech in a conversational manner. An efficient way to discover whether you have an opener that is conversational is to try it out across the dinner table. If the way you open your talk isn’t conversational enough to be spoken across the dinner table, it probably won’t be conversational enough for an audience either.

Frequently, the opening of the talk that is supposed to get the listeners’ interest is, in reality, the dullest part of the talk.

One technique is that if you want to interest your listeners, don’t begin with an introduction. Begin by leaping right into the heart of your story like this “Shortly after I started out as a professional baseball player. I got one of the biggest shocks of my life.” And Everyone was eager to hear why and how he was shocked and what he did about it. No preaching, No lecturing, No sermonizing. No general statements.

I think it is similar to the previous chapter which is talking about “arouse suspense”. The key is obtaining the audience’s attention and I personally have the same reaction, when I listen to a priest’s speech during mass. Some priests prepare their talk on paper and start reading or constantly look down at the paper during the speech. Some priests started their talk by getting all of the children in front of the stage so that he can get their attention before he speaks and come down from the stage to be at an eye level with the audience.

During the concert, it is the same thing that singers can walk around every direction to get most of the audience attention and it all comes down to the one thing which is getting audience attention and this is key to a good speech.

Arouse suspense

2020-06-26T19:14:00.001-07:00

Curiosity! Who is not susceptible to it? Are you interested? Are you eager to know more? Has the speaker captured the favorable attention of the listeners? Do you feel this opening has held your attention, heightened your interest as it progressed? Why? Because it aroused your curiosity and held you in suspense.

Creating suspense is a sure-fire method of getting listeners interested. I think show hosts use this technique and sometimes we have to wait until they come back from 30 second commercials. We also can see this technique when we watch YouTube and they separate one episode into several segments so that people wait until the creator releases the next episode. They often add cliff hangers at the end so that it gives more curiosity to watchers.

In general, we use some sort of process or structure and no man would start to build a house without some sort of plan and it goes to deliver a talk without the vaguest notion of what we wish to accomplish. So, I think it is one method that we can use to make a plan for a speech.

It also reminds me of James.W who is the Director of Operations. When I visited the CM with him last year, he had to prepare a speech to talk in front of the CM. He did a pretty nice speech to celebrate the achievement of our product and he started his speech on how he came up with his speech. He shared his idea that he picked some words from the slogan that the CM posted on the factory wall. He checked several slogan posters and got some ideas for his speech.

I thought it was a pretty interesting speech and that is the reason that I remembered. As I mentioned before, I usually have a pretty good memory to remember things like it was yesterday and it doesn’t matter how long ago that memory was.

I will continue to read the next chapter to see more techniques to help create a plan of speech.

Begin your talk with an incident example

2020-06-25T19:58:00.003-07:00

A speaker who begins a talk with a story from his experience is on safe ground, for there is no grouping for words, no loss of ideas. The experience he is relating is his, a re-creation, as it were, of part of his life, the very fiber of his being. The result?

A self-assured, relaxed manner which will help a speaker establish himself on a friendly basis with an audience.

I think many of us use this technique to start their speech and I can see it all the time from TEDTALK.

No stalling, No “warm-up” statements, By sharing directly into an incident, I think it can make speech easy to capture an audience’s attention and also helpful to memorize the speech. So, I really like this approach as it is so natural to reach an audience with an easy talk.

If I start my speech with using fancy words and technical terms that nobody can understands easily, it will be very difficult to get the audience’s attention and the audience will not remember much after my speech.

I still have a couple of my favorite TEDTALK that I listened to and I didn’t try hard to remember my favorite talk. I remembered because I really connected to that speech and it was natural. Also, they shared their own experience during their speech as this chapter suggests which gives me a good connection to remember.

Express your sincere feelings in the talk of acceptance

2020-06-24T17:48:00.002-07:00

We probably heard a lot that someone says “Thank you” and “greatest day in my life” and “most wonderful thing that ever happened to me,” is not very good. It takes in too much territory and you can express heartfelt gratitude better in more moderate terms. I would like to share the list that they suggested

1. Give a warmly sincere “thank you” to the group.

2. Give credit to others who have helped you, your associates, employers, friends, or family.

3. Tell what the gift or award means to you. If it is wrapped, open it and display it. Tell the audience how useful or decorative it is and how you intend to use it.

4. End with another sincere expression of your gratitude.

I know some of the chapters mentioned a detail of the techniques that I can use, but I can see that the most touched speech is sincerity. It is OK, if the speech is not very fancy with a lot of elegant words as long as we can show sincere feelings in the talk. It is a true key to connect the audience and touch their hearts.

I think I mentioned it many times before. I personally like Oprah Winfrey , because she can talk to have this sincere feeling in her talk and she is not using any fancy words to touch other people’s hearts. We often missed this type of talk and it is very dry with no feeling. Even though Humans are the most emotional animal and we can express so many different types of feelings. So, I think it is a key to a greatest talk and it is important to express my gratitude. This chapter mentioned to try not to just say “Thank you” and advised not to say it. But it would be different, if I say it “Thank you” with sincere feelings and express that with my emotions.

Thoroughly prepare the talk of presentation

2020-06-23T20:43:00.001-07:00

“ It has been proved that the deepest yearning of the human heart is for recognition- for honor!”.

When Margery Wilson, the author, wrote this she expressed a universal feeling.

I think we all want to get along well in our own life and we want to be appreciated. So, this chapter shared a story about Althea Gibson who was the tennis star and when they made a speech presentation, they wanted to ensure that the recipient really was somebody. So, they thoroughly considered their choice of each words in presenting the honor and here is a time tested formula

1. Tell why the award is made. Explain this simply.

2. Tell something of the group’s interest in the life and activities of the person to be honored.

3. Tell how much the award is deserved and how cordially the group feels toward the recipient.

4. Congratulate the recipient and convey everyone’s good wishes for the future.

Nothing is so essential to this little talk as sincerity, everyone realizes this, perhaps without saying so. One key is we should not add words of over-praise. Exaggerated praise makes the recipient uncomfortable.

It is a pretty good tip and formula to follow, if I need to prepare an introduction for someone.

Be enthusiastic

2020-06-22T17:37:00.001-07:00

This chapter explained more details about the introductory technique and additional tips to avoid a common mistake.

The first suggestion was a manner which is quite as important. It is important to try to be friendly, and instead of saying how happy you are, be genuinely pleasant while you talk.

Secondly, If you give the introduction with a sense of building to a climax at the end when you announce the speaker’s name, the sense of anticipation will be increased and the audience will applaud the speaker more enthusiastically.

It will also applaud the speaker more enthusiastically and a good feeling will in turn help to stimulate the speaker to do his best.

I can see this type of introduction at concerts. When a main singer brought a couple of guest singers or groups, they can use this type of introduction so that the audience can have high energy with more enthusiasm. We also can see this type of introduction at boxing matches as well.

Thirdly, when you pronounce the speaker’s name at the very end of the introduction it is well to remember the words, “ pause,”, “ part,” and “punch,”.

When I think about this technique, it reminds me of a boxing match where they used all three types of this technique to introduce each player’s name. it is a such a showmanship that I don’t think I can use it.

Lastly, the key is when you do enunciate the speaker’s name , don’t turn to him, but look out over the audience until the last syllable has been uttered. Then turn to the speaker. If not, it can ruin the end because they turned toward the speaker, pronouncing his name for him alone and leaving the audience in total ignorance of his identity.

I saw this type of introduction many times and I didn’t know that it was part of an introductory technique.

Follow the T-I-S Formula

2020-06-19T19:15:00.002-07:00

For most introductions, the T-I-S formula serves as a handy guide in organizing the facts you have collected in your research.

1. T stands for Topic : Start your introduction by giving the exact title of the speaker’s talk.

2. I stand for Importance: In this step you bridge over the area between the topic and the particular interests of the group.

3. S stands for Speaker. Here you list the speaker’s outstanding qualifications, particularly those that relate to his topic, Finally, you give his name distinctly and clearly.

This chapter mentioned that it was a kind of oratorical fashion to overpraise the speaker in the introduction. The poor speaker was often overwhelmed by the heavy odor of flattery.

On the other hand, don’t under praise either. Someone had to respond to introductory remarks that ended in this manner and he said “Judge how it feels to crawl out in front of the audience labelled Cheaper talent”.

If I need to introduce a speaker on the stage, I would like to research about the speaker and double check as prep so that I don’t provide any incorrect information or under praise someone. After that, I can follow this “T-I-S” formula to make a frame about introduction. With that said, I think this formula is very helpful to guide me to prep the overall framework.

Otherwise, it will be very difficult to make an introduction of someone promptly, unless I know that someone very well or have known them for a long time.

Thoroughly prepare what you are going to say

2020-06-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

Even though the introductory talk was short, hardly ever exceeding 1 minute, it demands careful preparation.

Most important items are gather your facts: these will center around 3 items. The subject of the speaker’s talk, his qualifications to speak on that subject, and his name.

This can be obviated by making sure you know what the speakers subject is and refraining from trying to predict what he will say. I think another book also mentioned about the name. I think it is so important that you don’t want to make any mistakes about someone’s name.

Sometimes, it is difficult to pronounce the last name correctly and it is important to double check before the introductory talk , because it is pretty complicated sometimes and people can make a mistake so easily.

It reminds me of the general manager who I mentioned before. One day, he had to introduce a senior marketing manager who decided to take another path for his career and I was so surprised that this GM remembered all the memories about him. The products that he worked together on and shared his achievements in very fine detail. I still keep in touch with him and every time when I meet him, I’m so amazed about him, because he is very sharp to remember many things in detail.

In this chapter, one technique is preparing well for the introductory talk, but when I think about my GM, I don’t think he actually prepared it. Perhaps, He prepared about the person who he is going to introduce, but it was so natural that the listeners believe that it was an impromptu talk.

Now, I am curious about it and I would like to ask him when I get a chance to meet him in person.

Anyways, the key takeaways are preparation of introductory talk which are mainly 3 items.

Introducing Speakers, Presenting and Accepting Awards

2020-06-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

We can have many situations to speak in public and this chapter gives some techniques on preparing a longer type of talk, and this chapter will help to prepare a speech of introduction. Also, some valuable hints on presenting and accepting awards.

The speech of introduction serves the same purpose, as a social introduction. It brings the speaker and the audience together, establishes a friendly atmosphere, and creates a bond of interest between them.

it was curious to know the term of the word “Introduction”. It says that “Intro is to the inside, and “ducere” is to lead, ought to lead us to the inside of the topic sufficiently to make us want to hear it discussed.”

That is what it ought to do, but does it? Most of the time, it is not and most introductions are poor affairs, feeble and inexcusably inadequate. The next chapter will show more details of each technique and I can’t wait to learn what the techniques are. I think we have our own culture to introduce new hires to the team or the group, but it is only via e-mail. I don’t remember that we have a good introduction of new people in our group and it will be interesting to learn about that. I also can see a situation where you are in the company party. Someone can introduce some senior managers to be on the stage and ask them to speak for a quick speech.

Put your heart into your speaking

2020-06-16T20:42:00.001-07:00

Sincerity, enthusiasm and high earnestness will help to influence a human’s feeling. It will come to the surface and act spontaneously. When we are really communicating our ideas to our listeners we are making use of many elements of vocal and physical variety.

It is well to remember that all these are effects and not causes. The so-called variables, or modulations of tone, are under the direct influence of our mental and emotional state.

So, it is important that we have a topic we know and a topic we are excited about when we go before an audience.

I think I rarely raise or lower my voices from one pitch to another. One day, I recorded my own voice and listened to myself. I realized that my voice is very depressing and didn’t have any energy to be delightful. It is an excellent idea to evaluate myself in terms of volume, pitch variation, and pace. I think it would be useful to have someone help me make this a thing to check.

I think in this book, I saw several times that I need to speak and act more naturally in the sense that we express our ideas and express them with spirit. I believe that that is a key to get attention from listeners. I would like to try to record more of my voice and my speaking style so that I can see what pitch is good to make listeners comfortable. I also like to try several different tones to change and give some variable to make my idea more interesting and alive.

Converse with your audience

2020-06-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

One story is about a person who is a well-known English novelist. She had to speak and her topic was “ The future of the Novel”. She admitted that she didn’t select her topic and she had hurriedly made some rambling notes and she stood before the audience. That isn’t delivering a talk at all and It is a soliloquy.

A sense of communication is the first essential aspect of good talking and The audience must feel that there is a message being delivered straight from the mind and heart of the speaker to their minds and their hearts.

A modern audience, regardless of whether it is fifteen people at a business conference or a thousand people under a tent, wants the speaker to talk just as directly as he would in a chat with the natural tones of eloquence. That is what the audience wants.

In order to do that, it gives a tip that when you talk on the stage, you can pick out a person in the audience, someone in the back or the least attentive person you can find. Then, you can imagine that he has asked you a question and that you are answering it and that you are the only one who can answer it. If he were to stand up and talk to you, and you were to talk back to him, that process would immediately and inevitably make your speaking more conversational, more natural, more direct.

So, imagine that is precisely what is taking place. The key is disarmingly natural that the audience may never notice your manner of speaking. It requires a lot of practice to talk naturally and it is a good tip that the speaker can pick one person from the audience to pretend that there is only one audience so that it is a more natural dialog than speaking like an orator. When I grew up, There were a lot of opportunity to visit various academies which teach how to be a good orator, but I don’t personally see that much. I think it is another reason that the modern century is focusing on natural talk to communicate with an audience rather than teaching to be an orator.

Don’t try to imitate others- BE YOURSELF

2020-06-12T20:43:00.002-07:00

This chapter is saying that we all admire speakers who can put showmanship into their speaking, who are not afraid to express themselves, not afraid to use the unique, individual, imaginative way of saying what they have to say to the audience.

It also reminds me of one of my old co-workers who’s name is Rick Spence. He worked as Video Director and you probably will notice him as well, because he used to be a host of HGTV’s Curb Appeal.

He was a someone who can put showmanship into their speaking and his attitude is very different in general. It is very distinct from others and it is very noticeable.

There is something besides the mere words in a talk which counts and it is like the flavor with which they are delivered. I think it is like art. The tiny difference is the matter of painting and speaking is the same thing.

This paragraph said “A young man ought to get that idea about himself; he should look for the single spark of individuality that makes him different from other folks, and develop that for all he is worth. But don’t let that spark be lost and it is your only real claim to importance. You have an individuality and it is the most precious possession.”

Crash through your shell of self-consciousness

2020-06-11T20:29:00.002-07:00

It mentioned that there are only 4 ways in which we have contact with the world.

The four contacts are what we do, how we look, what we say and how we say it.

So, this chapter is focusing on how we say it.

It is important to talk like a natural English speaker, but the biggest subliming block, of course, is stiffness, not only of the physical but of the mental well, a kind of hardening of the categories that comes with growing up.

You know, when you were a child, say 4 years old, you probably could have mounted a platform and talked naturally to people. But when you are getting old like 24 to 44, what happens when you mount a platform and start to speak?

The key is to talk like a human being and it is not easy to speak without practicing. This chapter is emphasizing that we need to break this wall to talk naturally, when we speak.

I think it is like a little kid who started learning how to read a book. They probably started focusing on each word to speak rather than reading with chunking like a natural dialog. It also reminds me of actors and actresses who practice their script in many difference ways to find a good tone for each scene.

Don’t talk impromptu give an impromptu talk

2020-06-10T20:39:00.001-07:00

This is the last technique about impromptu talking and there is a difference as implied in the statement previously. This chapter is emphasizing that it is important to string together a series of disconnected nothings on a flimsy thread of inconsequence.

Also, it is important to keep the ideas logically grouped around a central thought which might well be the point the speaker want to get across.

At the beginning of practicing this technique, it might be a good idea to do a little preliminary planning so that I can keep myself aware of the possibility of being called upon during a meeting. The another key is to pay attention to other speakers and try to be ready to condense my ideas into a few words. I don’t think these techniques are something special and yet we don’t pay attention to these types of details in general. I often can see a situation where the executive managers are fully focusing on every detail for each agenda or program so that they can ask a key questions that are related to each agenda item. Especially for the big groups of audiences in meetings, the presenter can focus on their own topics and other remaining audiences are doing something else such as checking e-mails or messaging during the meeting.

Usually, I pay attention to the executive managers and see how they handle these types of meetings. One example is a general manager of my past company. He is very smart and I was amazed that he always asks a key question for all topics. His background is close to marketing, but he seems like on top of all cross functional groups in depth. As he is a general manager, it is important to understand all the key points so that he can lead the company to the right direction as it is his main role.

Use the principle of the here and now

2020-06-09T17:19:00.002-07:00

This chapter is talking about a situation where the time came when someone assigns you to ask a few words without any warning. Some people can panic in this situation and there are 3 suggestions to handle this type of situation.

First is the audience itself. Talk about your listeners, who they are and what they are doing, especially what specific good they perform for the community or for humanity. Use a specific example.

The second is the occasion. You dwell on the circumstances that brought the meeting about.

Lastly, if you have been an attentive listener, you might indicate your pleasure in something specific another speaker said before you and amplify that.

The successful impromptu talks are those that are really impromptu, because the speaker feels in his heart about the audience and the occasion.

I can imagine this type of situation from the end game. The reporter usually comes to the best player or someone who made a huge impact to the game. In this type of situation, I don’t think the player well be prepared to answer the questions that the reporter might ask and I can see that some of these techniques can fit to handle the situation.

Speak with Animation and force

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If the speaker speaks with energy and forcefulness, the external animation will have a beneficial effect upon the speaker’s mental processes. It will attract a group of eager listeners and the relation of physical activity to the mind is a close one, because we use the same words to describe manual and mental operations. It will help to insure the success as an impromptu speaker.

I think we can see this type of speaker from advertisements a lot. it is so effective that people can remember it so easily and it also gets stuck in the brain for a long time.

It also reminds me the speech from Priest at the church, because I can see many different types of priests and I also have several priests that I really like, because I enjoy listening their speech. Most of time, I enjoy their speech, when they get off the stage and get close to the audience.

I think the interaction is important between Speaker and Audience. So, it is another way to get closer and talk more freely rather than reading some sort of preparation paper.

With that said, I can see that speaking with extra energy and animation can give a real benefit of effectiveness. Also, another book also mentioned the same thing to influence people by showing action full of enthusiasm.

Be Mentally ready to speak Impromptu

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If you are a pilot, you have to be ready to act with cool precision in an emergency by continually posing to yourself problems that could arise at any moment and speaking is the same thing that the man who shines as an impromptu speaker prepares himself by making countless talks that are never given. So, such talks really are not “impromptu”, they are talks with general preparation.

This chapter is talking about being ready for impromptu speaking all the time and becoming adept at this is to prepare yourself mentally for these situations. One technique is when you are at a meeting keep asking yourself what you would say now if you were called upon and what aspect of your subject would be most appropriate to cover at that time. Also don’t apologize because you are unprepared, because it is the expected thing and launch into your topic as soon as possible.

Usually, the Human brain doesn’t want to work all the time and tries to find a way to avoid working. With that said, it would be good to train slowly and not get stress all the time by continuing to be alert and to be ready for impromptu speaking. It also reminds me of one of my own stories. It was the first day of one of my past companies which I worked for and I expected to have some sort of introduction as it was the first day, but I didn’t know that this company had some sort of own culture to ask about your own personal Power animal. I didn’t know that sort of thing even existed and never thought about what my power animal could be. It was a similar situation that they asked my power animal and I had to think about it at that time and answer it promptly. I think I came up with something along the explanation of why I liked that as my power animal.