Sometimes we have panic when we have to speak. The fear of speaking in public, the fear of the mistakes that we may make, the critical observation of the audience and the refusal to meet the expectations placed on our intervention, are some of the understandable reactions when facing our listeners. Then I share my reflections, contributions and suggestions.
Use your mind, heart, and body. In this way you will transmit enthusiasm, commitment and identification with your message. It is important to feel the subject that we present and be convinced in order to be able to persuade others. If we speak devoid of conviction, we will only be transmitting information. This will diminish the quality of our preaching and its ancestry.
Within this context, educating memory is of inestimable value. Without the intention of assuming a pedantic and self-sufficient role, it is advisable to evoke quotes, experiences, anecdotes and details conducive to enriching our presentation. The wide vocabulary and the high general knowledge will make it possible to better graph our arguments. Without a doubt, the degree of wisdom serves as a support.
It is essential to have a good structure: greeting, introduction, development and conclusion or farewell. Depending on the extension, complexity and depth we can handle a mental or written scheme. In this sense, I share what was asserted by the former Peruvian head of state Alan García Pérez in his book "Ask for the word" (Lima, 2012): "… With the greeting I introduce myself to say who I am, in the introduction I specify what I come to propose, during the development I formulate and sustain the proposals, which I will synthesize in the conclusion and decorate with the final emotion, which the public always appreciates ”.
Introduce a verse, parable, or famous phrase that adorns your ideas. The former president comments: “… They refer to rhetoric as the makeup of the exact truth with the use of the best and most attractive words or sentences. Rhetoric is thus confused with deception. This is, in reality, a wrong vision, propagated many times by those who do not know how to express themselves well ”.
Order your dissertation, document yourself, study, research, measure time (in order to demonstrate organization), keep your eyes on your interlocutors, smile naturally to forge an empathic contact, avoid using innumerable figures and data that confuse. Investigate the particularities and interests of the audience and go beyond what is exposed in the audiovisual images. Preparing for a higher level than your audience will give you ample assurance.
It is essential to rehearse. Sometimes I practice while having a coffee and talking with a friend. I also choose the most representative notions of my upcoming exhibition to present them in an academic day. This exercise will make it easier to evaluate our capacity to organize and convince, among other elements of enormous help.
Avoid underestimating the questions. I advise doing a questionnaire with the most uncomfortable and tangled uncertainties and preparing the answers. Be ready for potential confrontations and assertively manage your emotional self-control. Never assume an aggressive attitude, of intellectual superiority and, especially, appeal to simplicity and spontaneity.
On the other hand, Larry King in his work “How to talk to anyone” (2006) specifies: “… Whoever learns to speak well before one person can speak to a thousand people and vice versa. Most successful individuals are successful speakers. Anyone who stands out achieves it in 90 percent of the cases because he speaks well. Therefore, the opposite does not surprise us, that the one who speaks well becomes a successful person ”. I agree with this comment. People trained to speak show loquacity, good diction, conceptual structure, and ability to concentrate in their individual talks. It is only a matter of discipline and perseverance.
I suggest avoiding reading. It will generate a first impression of ignorance, precariousness and lack of skill to support the assigned matter. Countless individuals cannot read and therefore detract from their performance. Read is a frequently downplayed attribute. Although preparing a written speech offers the advantage of not being carried away by euphoria and mood. In other words, you plan each word in your presentation in advance.
The exhibitor will be thoroughly perceived by the public. Remember to have an elegant, neat and appropriate attire that lends presence to your image. Do not display shiny garments, flashy, strident and low-quality ties (this gives splendor to men's integral clothing), or excessive accessories. Wear a solid color shirt. Make sobriety an uplifting feature: Badges on the coat lapel are distracting and project an old-fashioned, state-employee image. Obviously reload the top of your suit with old and inappropriate embellishments.
On the other hand, we must manage non-verbal communication. It is imperative to combine the oral message with the expression of the body, the movement of the hands and the bearing. It is required to adopt an optimal tone of voice, an excellent diction and accentuate certain central concepts. Project solidity.
It is common to notice exhibitors who use the podium as an emotional shield due to the fear of being listened to and displaying inappropriate postures. If you have a high fear you can memorize the first minutes in order to start with serenity and solvency. Let the hands accompany, encourage and complement your speech. Never put them in your pockets, don't play with the pointer and microphone either.
Fear will always exist, I don't think it can be avoided. However, I consider it probable to direct mistrust based on self-control. Restlessness “is essential and positive, it must be overcome by dissipating adrenaline, it can be overcome by autosuggestion and overcome if one has, at least, the first paragraph prepared and a small successive outline to develop. Never give reason to the audience out of fear. And to speak as many times as possible ”, says the author of“ Ask for the floor ”.
I recommend recording your presentation in an effort to analyze yourself. Periodically I record certain class sessions on the most salient and convoluted topics to contrast the impression generated and the sensation I experienced when talking. It is a useful exercise to overcome defects, fillers and to have judicious elements about my development. Make each presentation a means of carefully evaluating your performance.
It is interesting to notice the performance of renowned speakers. This will facilitate the analysis of coincidences, omissions, poses, gestures and a host of details aimed at deciding our style. Decline to imitate other speakers, only incorporate the favorable attributes as long as they match your personality. Define a procedure that gives you added value. Be yourself and you will give your presentation authenticity.
Train yourself by taking advantage of existing opportunities in your social, family and work environment. Apply positive autosuggestion to start with optimism. Speaking in public is a unique experience, full of behind the scenes that allow us to discover our identity, internal strength, soft ability, self-esteem and the gratifying satisfaction of transmitting our knowledge with mastery and poise. Consider the wise saying of the American politician, scientist, and inventor Benjamin Franklin: "To speak without thinking is to shoot without aiming."
