Public Speaking

Another leadership post, yay! This lecture was really cool and probably one of my favorites so far!
Kurt Mortensen, a public speaking professor at BYU, taught us about presenting (informing) and persuading (influencing) as leaders.

He stated, "Everyone is going to persuade as a living...managers now regard speaking skills over writing skills." Leaders especially have to persuade in order to get people on the same page, and inspiring action.

Generally, I guess I never really realized how important public speaking is, and I think that we would all be surprised to see ourselves speak in front of a group. There are so many things that make public speaking a huge power skill, and I hope to shed some light on a few techniques.

Kurt talked about four things that would help us to better our public speaking: presence, presentation structure, persuasion, and place.

First, presence. So many things affect the way that people judge you when you speak. Realistically, they judge you by your appearance, demeanor, clothing color, smell, gestures, word choice, and more. Many obstructions like podiums, powerpoints, and notecards can hinder your presentation because they kill charisma, do not allow for gestures, and block you from the audience, so it is best to get rid of those or use them very sparingly.

Your mannerisms are important. You hands shouldn't be in your pocket. Folding your arms and holding your hands is bad too. Also be aware of overactive hands. You should, however, use your hands, but always come back to a neutral spot and only gesture from your hips to shoulders.

Also, pacing and swaying are big no-nos.

Vocal fillers (um, uh, like) should be used in moderation, if not at all. They can become distracting if used too much.

Vocal inflection can make your presentation come alive, and charisma can be learned. You can learn to speed up the way that you speak; it is better to speak faster than slower. It has been proven that the faster you speak, the more persuasive you are. You obviously shouldn't speed up when you are nervous and talk so fast that no one can hear, but faster than normal is typically more persuasive.

Second, Presentation structure.

You need to make it clear what is in it for the audience, and what they can get out of your presentation/what problem are you going to solve. Your presentation is not about you. Make your argument not how you like it but what your audience needs and expects.

You also need to make sure that you cater to your audience. Be aware that people learn in different ways. Some things resonate with different people and personalities.

So, use the TESS formula to persuade. Use Testimonials, Examples, Statistics, and Stories. Personally, messages hit home to me when statistics and stories are used.

Also, make sure that you have a call to action: what do you want them to do?

Oh and be careful about the words that you use.
Airlines are really good about that. Notice how they say that you need to use the life vests "in the event of a water landing." Water landing? event? Well that's an interesting way to think about a plane crashing into the ocean with the wings broken off.
The barf bags are also cleverly worded; they are to be used for "motion discomfort"... really now? I'm pretty sure its for upchuck.
And a plane is never broken. There are only delays due to "mechanical difficulties."

Additionally, there is a huge difference in using the words unborn child and fetus in court. Definitely makes a difference in your argument.

Finally, he made a few other notes. He said that visuals help credibility, but handouts can be distracting so pass those out at the end. Also humor can help credibility, and you can definitely borrow humor; it increases confidence and connectivity.

Anyways...
Three areas of public speaking that I could work on the most are probably humor, obstructions/standing/mannerisms, and catering my message to the audience.

First, I think that I could definitely be funnier and add more humor to my presentations and lessons. I think that I need a lot of improvement in my confidence and ability to connect to my audience in order to really have an influence on people. I think that a good way to learn this is to watch some funny speakers and comedians and listen/watch their technique. I also think that I could write in humor to my presentations and memorize it, then eventually I think that it will come naturally if I practice it a lot. Generally, I think that I'm not a one-liner kind of person and I am really afraid of being cheesy so I will have to overcome that fear in order to be humorous.

Second, I think that I need to remove obstructions and consciously try to tone down my mannerisms and presence. I never really realized how podiums, notecards, and tables really block the presenter from the audience, but I think that is so true. They really do kill your charisma because you can't use your hands to talk. Also I have a tendency to move my feet around and tap them, so I really need to calm that down and consciously think about planting my feet. I also have a problem with having over active hands. Mortensen talked about how all your movements need to have a purpose, and I think that I just move around a lot because I am nervous which is bad.

Third, I think that I can really embrace the TESS formula for my argument. I think that I usually structure my arguments around what things I like and what things help me to learn, but I need to realize that most people don't think like me. I think that I can cater to my audience better this way even though it takes more research and effort because it would require me to think about different personalities and perspectives. I think that I can be way more persuasive so I think that this would totally help.

So... Public Speaking is a really important power skill and you should definitely try to master it!