My friend Scott Williams, author of Church Diversity, and were comparing speaker experiences after each of us finished our talks at a conference where we were both speaking. We discovered we had some of the same observations about speaking to groups. I have continued thinking about our conversation since then and came up with a few more thoughts.
Here are 5 random observations about public speaking:
What you think is your worst message will often be the audience’s best – Scott said that’s often because it’s old material to the speaker, after hours of preparation, but it’s new to the audience. A speaker is more comfortable delivering familiar material. It can make giving the presentation seem routine to the speaker, but the audience hears it as being more natural. (This speaks to how important preparation time is for any speaking opportunity.)
Some people are always going to misunderstand what you’re trying to say – Which is why you mix up your communication style, but still even the best speakers unintentionally leave some people behind. (Since you can’t eliminate this, all you can do is work on clarity tecniques and continue to alter communication styles.)
You won’t often hear from the ones affected the most by the message, at least not immediately – Every speaker needs to know that what he or she is saying makes a difference. It has often been months, and a few times years, before I’ve received feedback from those with the largest stories of how something I said impacted their life. (My suspicion is that we never hear some of the best results.)
You’re only the messenger – You are not responsible for the listener’s response to what they hear. It’s up to the audience to implement the message. (Thankfully, God’s Spirit is the ultimate teacher in “most” of my teaching. If I’m on my game at least 🙂 )
Every communicator can improve – Great speakers are continually asking and learning how they can get better at their presentation. (You might start by asking those who know you best how you could be improve.)
What would you add to my list that you have learned from speaking?
Thanks for sharing this post. It is good to hear that sometimes those who are most impacted by our speeches sometimes take time to let us know the impact we had on them. It reminds me not to get discouraged if I don't hear immediately what an impact my sharing has made.
Blessings,
Deborah H. Bateman
Thanks!
Learning what not to say is as important an learning what to say.
Learning when to stop talking is paramount. Better to leave the audience wanting for more than wishing you would shut up. In other words, quit while you're ahead!
<DIV></DIV> Absolutely! <DIV></DIV> <DIV></DIV>
Another important thing I've learned is "Be willing to edit yourself." You don't have to say everything you've learned in your study & preparation. This is a huge temptation for most of us, but if we download everything we've picked up in our study & preparation, at best we'll simply overwhelm our audience with information, & at worst, we'll present a bunch of disjointed ideas that lead the audience in circles & leads them nowhere. We have to be willing to edit ourselves.
Yea, the weeding out part is among the most important part of message planning.
I couldn't agree more, especially with number 1.
Thanks Paul!
Thanks Ron! Good insight!
Thank you
Ron,
good post. I've also learned over the years in public speaking to be me. It's great and wise to learn from other seasoned and exceptional public speakers. Glean what you can from them without trying to copy them.
Pastor Derwin
Absolutely! I like learning from you!
Things I have found useful are —
Before we give a speech, it is good to practice it out loud, on our feet, as though we were in front of a live audience.
Secondly, it is important to work really hard on the opening. (Traditionally, this is important to be sure!!!). Also, it is even more important to finish strong. In simple words, "Nail one's closing." The closing is the last thing people will remember. Naturally, one will desire to go out with a bang not a whimper.
Yes, excellent points.
Thank you Ron!