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9 Things I’ve Learned About Public Speaking
One of the glories of the Internet is Maria Popova’s The Marginalian. Recently, she wrote about the sixteen things she has learned from sixteen years of doing her blog. I was inspired by her wise list and thought how much of it — with a twist — was useful for public speakers. So here, in no particular order, are 9 public speaking insights inspired by her brilliant work.
1. Great public speaking means knowing what to change and what to keep the same. One of the most tenacious misunderstandings newbie speakers have is that they need to write a new speech for each speaking client. It comes from a desire, naturally enough, to get work. So, their answer, when someone calls is, “Yes, I can talk on that!” (Thus, the surest sign of an inexperienced speaker is the website that has twelve speaking topics listed.) Once they start becoming successful, then, the newbie speakers begin to feel exhausted, from writing a new speech every week. And their performance is uneven, because they don’t have time to learn each new speech deep in their bones.
What you need to develop early in your career is one great speech that you modify minimally to customize it for specific occasions. Once you’ve mastered that speech and can deliver it at the drop of a hat to doctors, lawyers, accountants, and surfers, then you’re ready to start working on the next one.
