I share with you this classic mistake I once made in my speech which I remember the most. The occasion was a sermon I delivered in my Church.
It was a few weeks after the Tsunami had struck South East Asia in December 2004. So I started off talking about it. In the third sentence of my sermon I said, ” A few days later the . . .”
At that point my mind went blank. I was standing in the pulpit. It was a raised platform. Around three to four hundred people were looking intently at me. I had no sermon notes with me. I simply had to go on.
I knew I had to say a word starting with the letter M. But it was not coming to mind. So I substituted with another word starting with the letter M. And this is what I said:
“A few days later themagnanimity of the tragedy struck us.”
The moment I said that in my mind’s eye I could see blue and red lights flashing and hear alarm bells ringing. But I couldn’t stop to analyze. I had to go on.
The sermon went ahead well with a few more mistakes but not as classic as the one I just mentioned. Truly “magnanimity” was a disaster.
The magnitude (which was the word I should have said) of my mistake is clear because magnanimity means generosity!
Truly a classic mistake.
But the point is that it did not stop my journey as a public speaker. I continue to speak even now.
Therefore you need not fear mistakes. Let them come.
Often there is nothing much I can do to correct the mistakes made in speech as with the case of “magnanimity” of the tragedy.
So I understand that it simply shows me as a human being capable of making mistakes, maybe time and again.
But beyond that I see that I can trust him who hung on a cross and bled for me to integrate my life’s failures and mistakes into what he is shaping and moulding me to be.
So be encouraged today to speak. Mistakes need not prevent you from achieving the best that God has kept in store for you.
When angels compere, first and foremost, they compere only according to script. For angels deliver God’s message given them.
So also when you compere, your confidence will be high if you have scripted all that you plan to say.
II. Smile from your heart.
When angels compere, they communicate joy. I don’t know whether angels smile; but Jesus said about the little ones that “their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” So when children smile; it should be making angels smile too as there is always joy in heaven.
And when you compere, the best thing you can bring on stage is your smile. If you smile from your heart; it creates a joyous mood and anticipation in the audience.
III. Vary your voice and style.
When angels compere, they vary their style to suit their message. When they warn; they have a solemn tone communicating urgency. When they sound hope; their voice is one of comfort and strength.
The lesson is that you have to match your voice and style to suit the mood and occasion. You might invite, celebrate, thank, or simply communicate information. You cannot use the same style for all.
IV. Build rapport with the audience and put them at ease.
When angels compere, they put the audience at ease. Often they are seen and heard saying, “Do not be afraid.”
As a compere you should be able to build a rapport with the audience. Some insightful remark or a timely word that can address the dominant mood of the audience can be a great move.
V. Focus spotlight on others and highlight them.
When angels compere, they simply do whatever duties they have been assigned to. They are flames of fire and servants of God worshipping him. They do not call attention to themselves but to the message and to God who sent them.
As a compere, your role is not to be in the limelight but help the audience to focus on the person being celebrated. You are to be like a voice drawing attention to others.
VI. Create memories; not just compere speeches.
When angels compere, there is a flash of heaven meeting the earth for a brief moment in time. As a compere if you can create some precious memories; that will remain in hearts and minds for long.
In that sense, the world has ever since found hope in these words of the angel on Bethlehem’s first Christmas carolling night: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.”
So, with angels, let us also respond saying, “Gloria in Excelsis Deo.”
VII. Be committed to excellence.
When angels compere, they do it with excellence. When they worship God saying “Holy, Holy, Holy,” or while responding to the summons of God their words and actions are enthusiastic. In other words, you’ll never see an angel perform below his best.
So being an emcee or compere is a commitment to excellence. It is an art that is mastered over time. Attention to detail and a burning desire to perform well will help you excel as a compere.
This is your 7 minute guide to effective public speaking. These are tips that will inspire you to speak without fear. You might not be able to master all these tips at once; but they will guide you one step at a time to craft and present speeches that will remain in the hearts and minds of your audience for a long time to come. If you prefer, you can read this on LinkedIn too.
Believe you can.
There is no way you can move ahead without this.
Believe in the power of mistakes.
You will certainly make a few.
Believe in people.
Do not worry on what they will think about you.
Believe in the value of criticism.
They hurt; but they make you better.
Look at people in the eye.
That will give your message a personal touch.
Start strong. Capture attention.
For it will set the tone for the entire speech.
Speak with confidence.
That will get reflected back to you.
Use gestures to make your words come alive.
They add to the meaning of what you say.
Use transitions. First, second, third are the simplest of them.
Even huge doors move on small hinges.
Pause when needed.
They impact. They also give you enough breathing space.
Vary your voice. They call it modulation.
It helps the audience listen to you without getting bored.
Bring in homely examples.
They stick because it’s each person’s experience.
A blue ball among a lot of yellow ones catches attention.
The contrast cannot be missed.
It was like ice cream melting in my mouth.
It makes people feel what you say.
Tell stories from your life or from elsewhere.
For there is not one who fails to listen to a well-told story.
Ask questions when you want to be persuasive.
“Why do you hide when you feel guilty?” Engages the listener immediately.
“Yesterday, when I was going home . . .” awakens curiosity.
Then the audience want to know more.
Beginning with, “My topic is,” kills.
Be creative with introductions.
Always respect people’s time.
If they look at their watches, you have lost them.
Do not just give speeches.
Instead create memories.
Enjoy speaking. There is no substitute for this.
It’s like a kid running out to play.
Use images: “Look at the birds of the air;”
“They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.”
Effectively communicates “Do not worry,” Jesus commanded.
Know where you are going to.
People do not follow when the speaker is not clear about where he or she is leading them to.
Ask yourself whether you are going to inform, persuade, or entertain.
Then start preparing your speech.
Make use of animated dialogues. It will make your speech lively.
The Lion said: “You disturbed my sleep. I’m going to kill you.”
“No. Please don’t kill me. I might be able to help you someday,” said the trembling mouse.
“Ha, ha, ha. You little mouse; you’re going to help me!” the Lion laughed out loud.
Children and adults alike will love that verbal drama!
Don’t be predictable. Vary your approaches to speeches.
You cannot speak on Artificial Intelligence the same way you talk about Love.
Do not be apologetic like “I don’t have much knowledge on this subject.”
It will surely backfire.
Do not read from a slide if you’re presenting.
The audience can do that for themselves!
A sincere compliment to the audience is always welcome.
If you can refer to a few people in the audience by name; it truly connects you to them.
If you’re talking to children, be lively. Be on the move.
Be excited. Keep interacting. Never be on a teaching mode with them.
Go for short sentences most of the time.
Long sentences are difficult to manage.
Organize your speech content.
Your audience should get it like gift packets.
People should feel a design emerge when you speak.
So, build on a skeletal framework; put in flesh and then give it life.
It is solely God’s work; but with speeches you too can.
Making people laugh is a tricky business. If you have to tell them,
“That was a joke I told you now;” it is going to be a tragedy.
Think about your audience always.
Let your desire be to help them understand.
Without doubt; there will come days when your speech might not be good.
Do not get upset. Life is like that.
Always try to finish strong.
There is nothing more desirable than a memorable conclusion.
Remember to focus on one main thought; a takeaway
That will remain in their minds like a headline.
A preacher’s focus is on that cleansing fountain;
The blood of Jesus that washes away the sins of all who trust in him and believe.
Speeches that only address the intellect;
Are like dead logs piled one upon another.
Speeches that only touch the emotions;
Are like paper burning; it’ll flare up and die out quickly.
Some speakers focus on big sounding words;
But simple words that touch the heart make it home.
Sound bites are good; but style alone without substance
Will sound like a brass pot clanging as it falls down the stairs.
If you can make people see pictures in their minds, you win.
“Imagine, a traffic jam in the skies,” is one simple example.
Create a triad of points. It is seen to be effective.
“Books inform, inspire, and entertain,” is one way to state what you’ve got to say.
Asking a question which is in everyone’s mind and answering it is good.
“Why are most people in any group spectators than participants?” is one such.
Be alert for feedback. It need not always be verbal.
Even a slight movement of the eye can tell you what the audience is thinking.
Be fresh in your presentations. Do not rely on what succeeded last time.
Add new material. Bring in ideas of current relevance.
Never get discouraged. You might never know how your words inspire.
One word of hope from you might draw a man or woman from the pit of despair back to life.
This, I believe, is the highest calling of any speaker:
To present through words the gift of hope, light, and life!
Sermons come in short and long versions. It can move the hearts of people if delivered well. Many have written scholarly books and articles on homiletics—the art and craft of sermons and preaching. This, in contrast, is an attempt to give an overview to the art and craft of sermons and preaching.
Some sermons bloom like a bud opening into a flower. Others develop like compartments being added to a train-like structure. A few sermons are like thunder and lightning. Some others are like embers glowing in a fire; some like the gentle rain falling on green grass. Certain sermons grow up like building blocks being stacked one upon the other while the most common ones are like a tripod resting on three points.
Anyone can attempt to preach. But God calls certain men and women to preach. If someone recognizes that call, he or she should try to fan into flame the gift that God has given him or her. That requires diligent study and adequate preparation.
When God calls you, the first instinct is to rush ahead and preach. Good. But at the same time do not neglect to spend time with God alone. Read and meditate on God’s Word much; not with a view to gain knowledge or prepare for a sermon. But just to keep unhurried company with Jesus, get to know him close, and allowing him to search your heart and mind.
This is what Jesus meant when he asked you to abide in him. It is a life-long process. When this happens, your sermons will become channels of God’s life flowing through you to people.
Preparation in Prayer
A preacher is a messenger of God. He (when I write he, it includes both men and women preachers) is under authority of God to preach. And the Word of God he is trying to preach is living and active; a two-edged sword, a fire, and a hammer that breaks rock into pieces.
Therefore he has to handle it with care. So he has to listen to God while he is preparing a sermon. He has to spend long hours in prayer before he dares to enter the pulpit to preach.
This is the most neglected aspect in preparation of a sermon. The first instinct is to read some other sermons on the internet, refer books, and try to prepare the skeletal framework of the sermon. That is all good.
But the first thing to do is to pray. Seek God’s face. Ask him to purify your motives in preaching. It can easily be pride; it can be the desire to be famous; it can be to show off your knowledge.
You therefore need to ask God to purify your motives, that the delivery of the sermon be holy to the Lord and all glory be to God alone. Again you need to ask God to cleanse your heart by the precious blood of Jesus, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide the meditations of your heart and prepare the hearts of the audience to receive God’s Word.
When you are focused on preaching God’s Word there can be conflicts at home or other distractions that can easily discourage you. So pray for God to keep you safe in his arms. But when you pray you may not feel any emotional high. You might feel that your prayer is hitting a thick wall and not getting through to heaven. But do not count your prayers as lost.
God is ever listening. And when you pray much, there will come an assurance at some moment—before the sermon, at the time of entering the pulpit or when you are speaking—that God has heard. It is this preparation in prayer that gives your sermon the power needed to touch hearts and minds with the proclamation of God’s Word.
Seeking the Help of the Spirit of God
Even when God employed men across centuries to write the Bible, the real author of the Bible is the Spirit of God. He can bring to life what is written and impart that life to the listeners of the sermon. So seek his help when preaching for wisdom, for authority, and for empowerment to preach.
The Spirit of God cannot operate through an unclean vessel. So seek his help to purify your heart and mind by the blood of Jesus. The Spirit of God will not bless your sermon if you have not done the hard work of diligent study and preparation because you cannot expect to approach God’s Word casually and expect results. The Spirit of God will not operate when the preacher is more interested in airing his own opinions, discussing current events, and using the sermon for political purposes.
The interesting fact is that a preacher might feel totally inadequate, feel lack of courage in his heart, and maybe not physically at his best. The preacher might feel that he will not be able to preach at all. Yet in these moments of weakness, the Spirit of God moves mightily. And when you think that the sermon did not come out well, the Spirit of God would have used it to bring God’s purposes to be fulfilled.
Understanding the Focus
The Bible deals with history, poetry, preaching, prophecy, prayer, promises, commands, instructions, and so on. But the purpose of the Bible is to help us understand God’s intervention in human history through Jesus Christ. And the focus of the Bible is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and his shed blood there for the forgiveness of sins. A preacher has to keep this in mind always whatever topic he is called to preach.
The apostles had nothing else to preach. They preached Christ and him crucified. They preached the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the gospel. Everything else is secondary.
But know one thing. Preaching Jesus is not popular today. Yet, Jesus himself said that the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms testify about him. So as a preacher you might be talking sacrifices in the Old Testament. You can tell your audience how sacrifices in the Old Testament were a shadow of the cross. You might be talking about Old Testament laws and regulations. You can tell your audience how Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the predictions of the Prophets. You might be preaching on promises in the Old Testament. You can tell your audience that these promises are made real to us through Jesus as we approach God in his name.
So when you prepare a sermon, one question you have to ask yourself is, how can I relate it to Jesus and how can I bring the attention of the audience to the blood of Jesus through this sermon? For whatever a sermon does; whether it inspires, it persuades, it influences, it informs, it entertains; nothing saves but the blood of Jesus. When you have an intent to speak on the blood of Jesus, God will give the wisdom and the communication skill needed to integrate it into the sermon.
Communicating Truth
A preacher is not called to be popular. Instead he is called to preach the truth faithfully. Therefore he cannot please men. Often he becomes a fool for Christ while preaching. He is called to present the truth about sin, unbelief, the wrath of God, the reality of hell, the second coming of Jesus and final judgement. At the same time he is called to preach God’s love, mercy, compassion, and to communicate hope and the certainty of life after death to all who believe and trust in Jesus.
We are called to speak the truth in love. That means we should not preach with a self-righteous attitude—that is with a holier-than-you-all attitude.
Then, there are truths in the Bible which go against popular vote today. It can be in areas of personal holiness, relationships, money management, communication and many other areas. For example, the New Testament teaches that a believer is not to seek to marry an unbeliever. We have an Old Testament example of Wise King Solomon led astray by ungodly wives he married. You have to preach this truth.
Another example is that of mocking, scoffing, gossip, or slander. You have to tell your audience that engaging in all these kind of talk is sin. And according to what Jesus warned there is going to come a time we have to give account for all these.
Now is preaching the truth easy? Absolutely not. As a preacher the first instinct will be that of self-preservation. The second instinct is to please the crowd. The third instinct is to exhibit our knowledge. The next instinct might be to show off our communication skills. And so on. But when preaching the truth takes priority expect people to criticize you or even hate you or speak against you. Great popularity is no indicator of being faithful to preaching the truth.
Communicating Using Stories
Jesus made his teaching memorable by simple stories he used. They are called parables. Many preachers, in an attempt to display their scholarship, forget this powerful tool in their hands. Often relevant stories used to illustrate a truth preached stays in the minds of audiences even when they forget the rest of the sermon. So choose simple stories from your own life, from literature, from what you read on the internet or watched in a movie. The art of storytelling is mastered over time. You need to have a passion for storytelling to succeed.
There are some simple principles that will help you. Keep stories short and simple. Let it highlight one truth or point in your story. If you are using a story in your intro, make sure that it is connected to the main thought of your sermon. It should lead into the body of the sermon.
Too many stories can be an overkill. But using one story or illustration to highlight a point can be really helpful. Stories from the life of missionaries can be really encouraging.
A story that is often told in sermons is that of a small wooden boat a boy made and which was lost when he floated it in running waters. Later he sees that in a shop and buys that. Then he says to the boat, ”Now you’re twice mine: first, I made you, and now I bought you.” This story has been told time and again, but still tells us about how Jesus redeemed us. So try to communicate truths using stories.
Compassion for People
One of the main highlights of Jesus’ life was that he was moved with compassion for people. A preacher is not someone who looks down on people but recognizes that he himself is a sinner saved by grace. When he recognizes that God has shown him great mercy and has forgiven him much, he will display the same compassion to people whom he is preaching to. Such sermons help people to experience the love of God.
But when people preach prosperity, there is no compassion because they are employing deception to mislead the crowd to a gospel which neither Jesus nor his disciples preached. When people preach doctrinal issues more than Christ, they have no compassion because they are ignoring the heart-cry of the audience to experience God. Instead of helping them drink from God’s Word; they muddy the waters so that it becomes impossible to experience God.
Now, compassion for people will not come automatically. It is a burden even Moses found hard to bear. Paul too was burdened by his concern for the churches. Compassion can come only to a shepherd-heart. There is great breaking of heart when you have compassion for God’s people. God moves and touches people through broken and contrite hearts.
Jesus often was burdened when he saw that the people were like a flock without a shepherd. He is looking today for people who will stand in the gap and plead for God’s people like how Abraham did for Lot. Today God’s people are being destroyed because of lack of knowledge, because of the worries of daily living, because of divisions in the church, and because of lack of teaching of God’s word in the church. So speak to people with God’s compassion that in their brokenness, they might find the healing touch of God.
Understanding a Passage
Read a passage thoroughly before you start preparing a sermon. It doesn’t matter if your sermon is based on a text, a topic, or whether it is inductive or deductive or expository or whatever technical term is used to describe your sermon. Read a passage or passages thoroughly before you start preparing. Understand the historical context in which it was written.
There will be literary or grammatical or semantic highlights of the passage you might need to explore (use appropriate hermeneutical/exegetical resources to do so).
For example, Jesus’ sixth word on the cross, “It is finished,’ is one word in the Greek, “Tetelestai.” It means paid in full and was a kind of seal used in transactions of the day when payment was done in full. These kind of details can help the audience better appreciate the truth.
Use the information you gather to supplement the truth you are preaching and not make it the chief focus in your sermon. For example, there is great debate about when Jesus is coming back. Is it pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, or post tribulation? It is easy to go around explaining all the points and taking your stand on it. But what is the main point? The main point is that it is certain that Jesus is coming soon and we have to be ready looking forward to his coming whenever that might happen; isn’t it?
Try to Have a Grip of the Timeless Message
An example can make it clear. Jonah’s story is one of disobedience. It is as clear as daylight. But in that story is a greater message of God’s compassion and mercy shown to a merciless people (the Ninevites). And God’s great desire to reach out to people who live in ignorance and sin and darkness and bondage with his love and mercy; giving them a chance to repent.
It was the reason why God created the storm and made a big fish to swallow Jonah and to vomit him onto dry land after three days and nights and brought him back to preach a message of repentance. Jonah being in the belly of the fish three days and three nights is referred to by Jesus as a sign of his own resurrection from the dead thus proving him to be Messiah. These are the timeless message here.
Again, when people preach on the parable of the Prodigal Son or the parable of the Good Samaritan, there is a modern trend to read into the story current psychological research and findings. All this is good intellectual exercise. But the bottom line in these stories is the joy of finding someone who was lost and his restoration to fellowship; and showing mercy to a total stranger as an illustration of the teaching of love your neighbour as yourself. Do not miss these timeless messages while dissecting a passage for your sermon.
Help People to Know What Action to Take
“Repent,” is a consistent message of the Bible. It is not just being sorry for your sins. There should be a change in one’s life. Help people understand what action they have to take to make the message real in their lives.
There has to be action if the message has to be effective. If the message does not deal with practical things that has to do with attitudes of your heart, words of your mouth and actions that you take; then it is just an academic exercise.
For example, one of the areas people struggle with is time spent on their mobiles engaging with social media. Telling them to spent time with God might not help. Instead ask them specifically not to touch their mobiles in the morning without having spent an hour reading God’s Word. Well, people might be shocked. But at least they will have an idea about giving God first priority in the morning.
Again, when you teach about maintaining purity, you may need to spell out action that need to be taken. For that, you might need to tell people that they have to run away from sources of temptation like how Joseph did. And how to use Scripture to defeat the devil like how Jesus did saying, “It is written.” And again, how they can claim victory over the devil and overcome him by the blood of the Lamb of God (see Revelation 12:11). And again, how they can use the shield of faith to put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Be Willing to Be Rejected
When you speak God’s Word truthfully, the chances are that you will face rejection. Like how God said to Ezekiel: “You are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice (Ezekiel 33:32 NIV 1984).”
The first thing to remember is that people are very much impatient these days. They want to be entertained. They want showmanship on stage. But that is not possible when you preach the Word of God truthfully. So they will complain if it goes a little longer than they expected. Then there will be people who come to advise you about how to tone down your message so that it will suit the congregation.
The greatest offense comes when you preach on sin, the cross, the blood of Jesus, the second coming of Jesus, the wrath of God, coming judgment, and hell. The point is that you cannot be a preacher of God’s Word and at the same time please men. Is it easy? The answer is a big NO.
The Introduction
Preaching is challenging because the audience comprises young and old, men and women and children too. There can be people with all kinds of attitudes and needs in the audience. There will be some who are bored and find listening to sermons a chance to sleep. There will be people who are ready to criticize and find fault with every word you say. Children can be distracted as they may not make much sense of what you say (unless you start with an engaging story they can follow). And there will be those who are playing with their mobiles.
But certainly there will be many who are facing difficulties in life and coming to listen to the sermon to hear an encouraging word from God that can give them hope and courage. So the introduction becomes important as that unveils before them what is coming later in the sermon, and what they can expect to take home from their sermon.
Whatever it be, the introduction should capture attention. It is said that you get around 3 seconds to engage someone as far as a web page is concerned. In speech it could be a little longer. But there should be something in your opening remarks that would hook audiences. There is no universally true method, but you can experiment. Some will succeed; some will fail. It’s all a learning experience.
This is an intro to a sermon I attempted years ago in my youthful enthusiasm:
April 20, 1814 Paris, France.
Napoleon bids farewell to his old guards.
Soldiers of my Old Guard: I bid you farewell. For twenty years I have constantly accompanied you on the road to honor and glory.
February 11, 1861.
President-Elect Abraham Lincoln bids farewell at Springfield, Illinois.
My friends: No one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe every thing. Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born, and one is buried. I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return . . . .
11 December 1936
King Edward VIII gave this farewell address after having abdicated the throne of England to marry the lady he loved. This is what he said:
At long last I am able to say a few words of my own. I have never wanted to withhold anything, but until now it has not been constitutionally possible for me to speak.
A few hours ago I discharged my last duty as King and Emperor, and now that I have been succeeded by my brother, the Duke of York, my first words must be to declare my allegiance to him. This I do with all my heart.
[By this time the audience in the church were visibly disturbed thinking that I totally missed the fact this is sermon in a church and not a speech to a secular audience. Then I said:]
2000 years ago,
another man gave a farewell address. And he was no ordinary man. He said:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am (John 14:1–3 NIV 1984).”
If you ask me, I might not attempt this introduction these days; because it is a bit long. But it has one redeeming aspect; that is it succeeded in building the mood of a farewell address. In fact, we shouldn’t forget that Jesus spoke these words to his disciples who were unsettled at heart by the news that Jesus was soon to be betrayed and that he will leave them.
Perhaps this introduction that I attempted was a failure because it violated audience expectation about a sermon introduction too much. Or it might have done its purpose of making the audience listen intently because they thought the preacher had mistaken the sermon to be a speech to a secular audience.
But my point is that, you should try to experiment with new approaches to introductions rather than fit into stereotyped moulds which makes people lose interest at the beginning of your sermon itself. Without any doubt, the worst beginning is: “Today the topic given to me is . . .” They will switch off active hearing and tune out immediately.
Here’s an example of beginning a sermon with a simple illustration or story: Speech on Gratitude.
The Conclusion
Many preachers summarize the points they had said. Others focus on the call for action. Some end with a brief story that crystallizes the main emphasis of their sermon in the minds of the audience. Whatever it be, the conclusion is perhaps the most important part of the sermon and the time when perhaps the audience interest will be very high. So be ready to go for a strong conclusion and do not leave it to chance. Be thoroughly prepared with a conclusion.
The following conclusion was planned but the question at the end came at that particular moment. I would say it was God-given. “The Bible is a book of invitations. Jesus called disciples to himself saying, “Come, follow me.” In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened.” At the last day of the Feast of tabernanacles Jesus cried out saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” The Book of Revelation ends with a picture of the River of the Water of Life flowing. And the Spirit of God and the bride say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” Are you thirsty? Amen.
Sometimes preachers make the mistake of taking too much time with one point and then finding that they have to rush through other points. This gives the false impression that one point was more important than all the others. Or in a much worse judgement; the audience will think of the sermon as poorly constructed. Don’t worry too much if this has happened to you. That is how it is in the beginning days of preaching. It is only with experience that this sense of balance to be maintained will become part of your strength in preaching.
The lack of balance happens for several reasons. One point is more dear to you and you spend much more time on it. But what can be more true is that you fail to think-through the other points. See, borrowed ideas has to be made your own. You should take time to prayerfully think-through those ideas in the light of God’s Word. You have to develop that thought. It takes time. Failure to do so is what often results in lack of balance.
Or it can be because you have too many points. For example, if you find that Point #1 and Point #2 have been well-developed in a 3-point sermon; and there is not full maturity of thought with Point #3; it is better that you leave out Point #3 and then develop the first two points to their fullest strength and impact.
Transitions
When you travel on the road signposts help you to navigate. It helps you know where you have reached and how much more you have to travel to reach destination. Similarly a preacher has to employ transitions to help the audience travel along with them. First, second, third is a simple way to help audience understand the main points. At the same time, it is important that you use creative transitions from the intro to the body of the speech.
After giving a quick intro about the story of Eric Liddell, you can use a statement like: So the story of Eric Liddell is a great motivation for us to remain faithful to God’s call in our lives. Or, Eric Liddell and his passion for running should remind us that we too are called to run the race of faith and to finish strong.
Equally important is how you end each segment. When you do so; you should attempt to close that segment before moving forward. Say something like, we have now had a look at how God provides for the needs of his children. Now let us take a look at how God protects his children. Such transitions help the audience to easily have a position check as to exactly where they are at the moment, where they are headed to and how long it might take to reach there.
Audience Focus
A preacher has to be in touch with people. Jesus was always in touch with people. A preacher has to be like that. He has to know what people think, fear, dream about, and struggle with. A preacher’s role is to help people understand that they have a God whom they can approach with freedom, boldness and confidence calling him, “Abba Father.”
A preacher’s role is to help people understand that God cares about them. A preacher’s role is to decrease while God grows big in the minds of the audience. A preacher’s role is not to report what the newspapers discuss about current events or discuss theological jargon but to shine the spotlight on Jesus.
The comment, “It was a good sermon”; though it is pleasing to the preacher’s ears, falls short of, “I was able to experience God through your sermon.”
The Preacher
The preacher is called to preach the foolishness of the cross. He is called to walk close with God. A preacher therefore has to avoid and remove from his life anything that hinders the message of the cross.
A humble heart which is sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit and trembles at God’s Word and cleasned and sanctified by the blood of Jesus is what a preacher should be. In every sense, all this is not accomplished in a day or two but is a lifelong process as God chisels away at the preacher shaping him to declare his message with humility as well as Spirit-filled boldness.
After-Sermon Analysis
There is nothing to be surprised if you face depression after a sermon. The classic case of Elijah is enough to understand this. After the mighty demonstration of God’s power on Mount Carmel, he is discouraged.
In a similar way, after a sermon, it is quite natural to be discouraged. It can simply be a case of physical fatigue. Or it can be because you didn’t see God’s fireworks happening. The simplest thing you can do is to thank God that he gave you grace to preach. And leave the results with God. The messenger has only one duty: deliver the message faithfully. People might accept or reject it.
But there is one thing you can do and should do. Revisit your notes a few days later and try to find out where you can improve the presentation. Maybe the sermon might have been better if you had edited out a few sections. Might be you could have quoted a more appropriate verse. You could have improved your conclusion.
Such an evaluation is an attempt to improve on the best you did. Yes, being dissatisfied with your best is one sure way to improve. Learn from the past; but always look forward.
Joy getting the better of fear is what public speaking can be to you. A right perspective about you the messenger, about the message, and about the audience will help you to get rid of stage fright and speak with joy.
One, joy is about the messenger. That is you. You might have thoughts of unworthiness and insignificance. Others might remind you of your smallness and that you are good for nothing. Let them do so. But when God values you as an individual and loves you;you can rise above the negative evaluation others make about you and deliver your speech with conviction, clarity, confidence, and impact.
Two, joy is about the message. You cannot speak well without a solid message. There is no style without substance and style can never compensate for lack of substance. So go for an all out preparation and get ready material for your speech. Let it be interesting, informative, and inspiring. In certain situations it has to be persuasive or entertaining. Unless you are convinced about what you speak, you cannot expect the audience to be moved by what you say.
Three, joy is about the audience. Many fear to look at the audience, be it big or small. Others worry about, “What will the audience think about me? You have to believe that the audience is for you and eager to listen to you. There will always be a few in any audience who are bored. Do not focus on that minority. And do not fear criticism. If you do anything worthwhile it will come. Remember, without the audience, there is no public speaking.
The messenger, the message, and the audience make public speaking happen. It can easily be, in the words of John Keats, a thing of beauty and joy for ever.
Capturing attention of the audience at the beginning is one of the keys to successful public speaking. It is best illustrated in this incident1 recorded in the Bible.
At one point in time and history in a desert a bush caught fire. But this burning bush did not burn up. Becoming curious Moses went near.
When God saw that he had Moses’ attention, he called out, “Moses! Moses!” “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
Moses shielded his face for he was afraid to look at God who had come down to speak with him in the flames of the burning bush.
God had an important message to communicate to Moses about himself as well as his plans for the exodus of his people from Egypt where they were in slavery.
But God wanted to capture the attention of Moses first. The burning bush thus became an attention-grabber.
For God was telling Moses that he had seen the misery of his people and have come down to rescue them.
It was a message of hope with a promise of deliverance. It was a message that God was coming down to set captives free with wonders, signs, and miracles.
But God chose to capture attention first before he would give his important message. The burning bush will never be forgotten.
Our introductions in speeches might never be this dramatic. Yet we cannot afford to forget that without capturing attention it is meaningless to try to communicate an important message.
And remember, especially when you are discouraged and downcast, God might be trying to capture your attention. Lift up your eyes, and look around; you might then be able to see one of God’s attention-grabbers for he truly cares for you!
Man is unique in God’s creation. He has been endowed with the ability to smile and to speak. With the passing of time he learned to live in social contexts. Thus speech became a social grace; a democratic necessity and a leadership requirement.
Now, with the happening of technology, man is compelled to speak with much more clarity than ever before. But technology has not substituted public speaking. Instead, it has multiplied opportunities. More visibility and wider coverage has compelled leaders of all walks of life to really refine and fine-tune their speaking skills.
New avenues of expression are not confined to the media alone. Within an office or video-conferencing across continents, briefing your team or informing the launch of a new product, or answering questions from the floor are all areas where skill in public speaking is called for. The expertize required is so demanding that people are trained to deliver the goods.
But it would be too simple an equation to be realistic. The chances are that your message gets forgotten not because it was bad; but because it was another good message among others. So it points out the need for consistent quality communication. Maybe the reason why advertisements are repeatedly used by companies to stay strong in the minds of its target audience. Likewise your message should get across consistently without quality loss.
Noise level in communication has gone high too. Even a casual stroller across the street is confronted with so many messages. In this competition where colours and words, reality and fantasy, sense and non-sense all vie for your attention; the mind becomes a battlefield. It is in this context that you have to learn to communicate effectively.
Perhaps the saddest thought could be that people are relying on technology as a substitute for public speaking. It can never be. The best messages are wrapped in the individuality of a messenger. When that element is sacrificed a message hangs in thin air. It does not create impact.
Therefore the individual with his public speaking skills will always be in demand. Even though technology might change, the art of public speaking will remain.
“Am I good enough?” The truth is you are not. If you wait till you get over this feel to speak, you will wait for ever. So find comfort in the thought you are good enough with all your faults, shortcomings, and imperfections.
One speaker expressed it like this. “In gully cricket sometimes an opening batsman gets out for a duck the very first ball. Then the opposing team allows him a second chance by starting the game afresh once more. This is similar to God’s grace.”
Often I have heard speakers say that God is a God of the second chance. Is that true? What if he stopped with that second chance given? I believe that God has given us multiple second chances.
The point is simple. It will take a bit longer than your life on earth to get all your problems solved. Therefore learn to speak in spite of all your difficulties, all your “I am not good enough” feel.
You can keep on waiting. Or you can take a bold step and start speaking. The choice is entirely yours. Positive Thinking
The fisherman prepares his nets and fishing rods. A cricket batsman prepares in the nets. The motto of the Scouts says “Be prepared.” Are you prepared?
What is the other extreme? You are invited to speak, told about a coming game or informed of an upcoming exam. What happens then. You start to postpone preparation. You meet with inertia according to Newton’s first law of motion, which states “an object either remains at rest or continues to move at a constant velocity, unless it is acted upon by an external force.”
Why do you yield to inertia? Simply because you hope that motivation will fall on you from the sky like the legendary apple that fell on Newton’s head. But you only experience gravity pulling you down.
So what can you do to overcome this?
First of all realize that there is nothing pleasant or romantic about preparation. It is simply honest hard work. You might have to do it alone. No one might see you do all the toil. No one will applaud you.
Secondly,look at people who perform well. They make it feel that it all happens easily. Realize that it is so only because of the long hours and perhaps months and years of preparation. There is no substitute for it.
Thirdly, the secret is to simply start. Inspiration will follow. Do not wait eternally for inspiration. Often it comes as a result of hard work and not by waiting for it. For example, if you have decided on a topic to speak just take a sheet of paper and write the topic. Note down one or two thoughts that comes. It need not be perfect and it need not be the best. That doesn’t matter. What matters is you got started.
Fourthly, try to cover as much ground during preparation. For example, you are to prepare for a speech. You might be using only forty to fifty percent of all that you prepared for the actual speech. But then what is the importance of extensive preparation?
It helps you to improvise while you perform: As a speaker a new idea will come suddenly while you speak and you can go for it like Martin Luther King did. His “I have a dream segment” was not in the original written script but was the inspiration of that historic moment.
Similarly, you might have seen a batsman in cricket execute improvised shots with great effectiveness. This is the power to improvise you get out of preparation.
The fifth secret about preparation is anticipation. You need to think about all situations that can go wrong and be prepared for it. Let me give you real life examples. I have forgotten to take the notes I prepared for an important speech. I have faced power failure at night during speeches. During your preparation you should be able to foresee situations.
The sixth secret is rehearsal. The more the better. The moment should come when you feel you have had enough of it and you feel absolutely weak and nervous and almost unable to perform. Until that point rehearse and rehearse till you are dead tired and fed up with the whole exercise.
Finally,get some good sleep the day before your performance. Today’s preparation will help you in some future crisis. The result will be a performance with confidence. Then you will be thankful that you did all that hard work when you had the chance.
Yes you can. There is no reason why you can’t? Simply believe. Go deliver your speech with enthusiasm.
Step #2 Smile
Never forget this basic human relationship principle. Remember to smile at the beginning of your speech and maintain a pleasant attitude throughout your speech.
Step #3 Salutation
Address people on the dais with appropriate titles and respect. Do not use wild gestures and broad sweep of the arms. Gently tilt your face and look at each person addressed when you say their names.
Step #4 Introduction
A catchy introduction makes people give you attention. A quote, a story, a question, or even an interesting object or picture shown can make the audience curious and compelled to listen to you.
Step #5 Mention the Topic
Tell the audience what is the topic of your speech and the broad elements you will be covering in the speech. For example if you are going to speak on the Importance of Reading, you can also tell them that you will be covering how reading can inspire, inform, and entertain. That will help the audience look forward to those sections of your speech.
Step #6 Create a Framework
It is the skeleton that gives shape to the human body. Likewise a framework can give your speech an intelligent structure which will help not only you remember the main points of your speech but also enable your audience to follow your speech.
Add details to each point you want to say. For example if you are speaking on Covid-19 you can mention its global spread, statistics of people affected, mortality rate, post Covid medical care needed, vaccines, stories of survivors, the role of medical personnel, politicians, administrative officers, police, and volunteers who made sacrificial contributions in fighting Covid-19
Step #8 Summing Up
You can summarize your main thoughts at the end of your speech. It will help people recall the main points you covered in your speech.
I would like to share a story that happened at Christ Nagar School1 where I had done my schooling in VIII C Class during the third term. The year was 1986, the year remembered for Argentina’s FIFA World Cup win under Diego Maradonna’s mesmerizing captaincy.
At the end of first term our English Teacher left because he got a job elsewhere. At the end of the second term the same thing happened with our next English Teacher too. Then our beloved Principal, Rev. Fr. Gerard Thevalasseril, a genius as well as a strict disciplinarian, himself came to teach us English even though he was known to teach history.
One day (I distinctly remember I was seated on the second bench, middle row), he asked me to read a portion of the English lesson that was being taught. I read. Before I sat down he lifted up his hand in a gesture of blessing and said, “Good reading, you are going to become an orator.”
I did not understand the word “orator.” And I did not have the courage to ask him then. We were all really afraid of him. He commanded that kind of respect from all of us.
So I went home and looked up the word in the Oxford pocket dictionary. The meaning was given as “good public speaker.” I laughed to myself and thought the Principal had gone crazy as I had never given a public speech before. But encouraged by his words I joined for a competition in school a couple of weeks later.
The topic was discipline. I started off with the Principal’s own words which he made it a point to repeat and emphasize on every Monday and Thursday morning school assembly: “Discipline is one’s ability to adjust oneself to the given situation.” Then I said some more of his famous words: “Where there is discipline there is order, where there is order, there is harmony, where there is harmony there is beauty . . .” That was all I could say. And nothing more.
I left the classroom where the competition was held, thinking, “Public speaking is not going to be my cup of tea!” And that was practically my first and last public speaking attempt at school.
But what I thought was not what God had planned as later events proved:
After passing out of school (SSLC) I got chances in elocution competitions in my church where too I made blunderous beginnings. The very first competition I participated in was conducted in Malayalam. Having sought the permission of the judges I spoke in English. I found myself staring at the ground after the first two minutes having run short of ideas amidst audible jeers from a youthful crowd.
And it was only towards the end of the third year at college that I found courage to participate in a debate. The next year as I finished speaking for an elocution competition in the college auditorium, one of my former classmates who chanced to witness it came rushing to me to say, “Bejoy, you wasted four years of college life!”
At that time, I wrote a registered letter to our former School Principal telling him this story I am telling you now. I wrote to him that his words were prophetic: Not only did I become a public speaker but also had begun to train students in public speaking. I was so happy to receive the acknowledgement due slip to the letter (even though his once classy signature had shrunk to a small one due to his prevailing ill health then).
The point of my story is that I had never dreamt of becoming a public speaker or a trainer. But my Principal’s words proved prophetic in my life.
It became even more significant as two of my schoolmates attended my first batch of public speaking as well.
One of the questions commonly asked in my training sessions is this: “What will others think about me?” Whether it be professionals or students they share this same concern.
Often I’ve seen many talented speakers in my training sessions make wrong judgements of their own speech. They sport a sad face after they speak. If asked why they look so defeated, the reply usually is, “I did not do well.”
This reaction is usually triggered by a few inattentive participants in the group. The speaker therefore concludes that his or her speech was not worth listening to. The truth is that you cannot judge the quality of your speech by audience reaction alone.
Look at these three incidents and come to your own conclusion regarding, “What will others think about me?”
The first one happened at a recording in All India Radio, Thiruvananthapuram studio. I had sent one of my students to do the recording of a story for Yuvavani a youth programme. She was reading her script in the recording room. From there she could see the computer room through a glass partition.
A few people who were involved in the recording process were talking with each other and laughing in that room. Their jovial chatter posed no threat to my student who was reading her script well because it was a sound-proof room. Yet at one point in time the graph on the computer screen stopped showing the voice-recording. My student had stopped reading!
Surprised by this (because my student was reading well), one of the programme executives came over to her side from the other room. She was asked why she had stopped reading. The reply took the programme executive by surprise.
My student told the programme executive that she had suddenly panicked thinking that all of the programme executives were laughing and joking at her poor reading. How far from the truth it was! The programme executives were sharing some funny stories. It had nothing to do with my student reading her script (this was her first recording experience too).
The second incident happened many years ago at the College Annual Day. It was March 17, 1995. I had the privilege of doing the Reply to the Toast Speech. It was a speech that I had dreamed of doing the last year of my college and I had prepared well to the best of my ability.
After having studied in Mar Ivanios College, University of Kerala, for seven years, I knew a large majority of students seated in the auditorium personally. Yet a couple of minutes after I started to speak there were howls and boos from the jam-packed audience. It took me by surprise because I was delivering a very carefully prepared speech.
I was shaken a little bit because that was the first time I faced such a reaction from the crowd in the college auditorium. That being my last speech (a swan song, so to say) at the auditorium as a student of the college, I felt sad too. But somehow I kept my composure and finished the speech.
After the programme was over, my teachers congratulated me for the wonderful speech I had delivered. Now it really baffled me why then had the crowd created trouble for me while I spoke?
As I thought on this contradiction, the truth dawned on me. There were several speeches that had preceded my speech. The student community were gathered together that day not to listen to speeches but to listen to the songs and enjoy the dance programmes that would follow in the variety entertainment segment.
The students had howled to send across the message that they wanted the cultural programmes to begin quickly. Their howls had nothing to do with the quality of my speech.
So let me come back to that original question, “What will others think about me?” The truth is that they might not be thinking anything negative about you at all. Their reactions might have to do with something else. While you speak, do not try too much to read negative meanings into reactions in the audience.
Let me now move on to the third incident. At National Institute of Personnel Management (Trivandrum Chapter), I asked all my students to read aloud what I had written on the board. After all the twenty-three students had read those lines, I asked one student to stand up and read those lines again. Her reaction took me by surprise.
Almost in tears, she asked me, “Why Sir, why do you want me to read again?” She thought that I had found fault with her reading. The truth was, her reading was so excellent that I wanted the other students to listen to her once again! How wrong an interpretation and negative colouring she had given to the request!
Isn’t it true that we often jump into wrong conclusions from how others react? Therefore, kindly stop thinking too much about what others think about you.
Most jobs require good communication skills. If you would like to succeed in your career, it is important you develop good communication skills. Here are some tips to do so.
#1. You need to have a great desire to communicate.
That means you have a desire to share with others the knowledge you have gained. It also means that you greatly wish others to benefit from your skills. When you have such a desire, it becomes easy to speak well.
#2. Have something to say.
It means that you should have a thorough knowledge of your subject. To gain such knowledge you should listen to good speakers, read books, newspapers and good magazines. As you grow up, you will be able to talk about your life experiences as well.
#3. Organize your material.
Several speakers confuse their audience because they have not arranged their material well. But good speakers take time and effort to arrange the content of their speech into main points and sub points. This makes it not only easy for the speaker to communicate but for the audience to understand it as well.
#4. The opening should be interesting.
Whether it is a story, a quotation or question that is used to open your speech, it should be interesting to the audience. Only if they get interested in your speech at the beginning will they listen to your speech fully. Think about good novels or stories you have read. They all had good openings which got you interested; didn’t they?
#5. You should also end well.
Many speakers do not plan for a good ending. Therefore they say something like, “That’s all.” That is a very poor ending. A pilot is concerned about landing his plane safely. Likewise a speaker should plan for a good conclusion. It can be a summary of points already covered. It can be a very short story or quotation that will highlight the main thought of your speech. Or it can be an appeal to act on something you said. Some speakers make people think much when they end with a question.
#6. Use homely examples.
Look at Jesus. He told stories or parables about things which people found all around them. He spoke of the birds of the air, the lilies of the fields, shepherd and sheep, fishing, yeast and dough, treasure hidden in a field and so on. These made his speeches memorable and we think on them with delight even today. So make your speeches interesting with lively examples.
#7. Turn to the Bible often.
It is a treasure house of communication. First of all it is God’s communication to man. Secondly, if you follow an English Bible it will give you an excellent command over English. Along with it, you will learn several speaking styles like the style of Moses, the prophets, Jesus, Paul etc. This will help you speak to large audiences well.
To conclude, developing good communication skills is a must in the modern world if you would like to excel in your career. Communication skills will help you gain recognition and promotion in whatever field you are. Remember that good public speaking helps you make a giant leap to leadership. Therefore spend time and effort to develop this important skill.
Talk for Yuvavani,
All India Radio, Thiruvananthapuram.
First Broadcast on 20 August 2005.
A wise speaker once remarked: “The human brain is a wonderful organ. It starts to function as soon as you are born and never stops until you get up to deliver a public speech.” There is great wisdom in that observation.
Indeed speaking in public is a terrifying prospect for many. It is terrifying primarily because it involves thinking on one’s feet. With a little bit of training and practice it can be done. But the very thought of doing so can strike terror into many hearts. These seeds of negative thoughts soon sprout and take firm root in the mind. This is popularly referred to as stage fright.
The word stage reminds us of the presence of an audience. It is the audience factor that determines the intensity of fear one experiences. As one goes on the stage, he knows that the spotlight is focused on him. He knows that all are watching him eagerly awaiting a great performance. The same anxiety an athlete experiences while on the track in a large Olympic stadium with ten thousands in attendance is also experienced by the speaker.
Wobbly knees, a giddy head, a racing heart, sweating palms, and butterflies in random flight in the stomach are all part of this experience. These are not symptoms of some fatal disease but the beginning of birth pains for a speaker. He is about to deliver a baby. And labor pains hit him. Some succumb to it and deliver premature or stillborn speeches. They fail to inspire audiences.
But some speakers have the ability to make the butterflies in their stomach fly in formation. They harness this vital energy and make the turbines of their mind rotate to deliver speeches with punch and gusto. They carry audiences on the wings of their imagination to flights of fancy; sometimes informing them; at other times reasoning with them in order to persuade and move their minds. At other times they entertain with lively jokes and stories.
But it is only when the speaker has connected with the audience that the speech becomes complete.
Originally the speech gets birthed as a few unrelated ideas in the mind of the speaker. Slowly they begin to take shape into some kind of order. But presenting those ideas in that raw state would only amount to having a table full of different vegetables. The dish is not yet ready.
For that to happen a real mixing of right ingredients and spices are required. Some kind of cooking has to happen in the mind. And this process takes time to work out properly. And when the aroma hits, you can know that it is almost ready. It is then that the speaker first gets the feel that the speech is going to work out all right. He feels confident that the speech is taking form and beauty and taste.
Talking about taste, these days, dishes are not served as it is. Instead chefs make an art out of it. And art makes the ordinary, look and feel exotic.
In the same fashion, this is where style or the choice of words that a speaker uses become crucial. It is the dress of his thoughts. Different fashions are there to chose from. He can opt for a traditional attire which appears very formal. These kind of speeches are suited for ceremonies that require dignity and decorum. At other times the speaker can go for very colorful and trendy dresses for his thoughts. These kind of speeches are for less formal occasions.
The speaker can tell stories and anecdotes, spice his speech with quotes and illustrations and even use visual aids to communicate. At other times the dress of a joker with a long cap, a red ball nose, a painted face and loose-fitting pyjamas can suit the dress for his thoughts. These kind of speeches are meant to entertain audiences. And they are best suited for after-dinner occasions, when the stomach is full and eyelids close and open in rapid succession. Such are the varieties of speeches and their fashions.
But as mentioned earlier, it is only when the speaker has connected with the audience that the speech becomes complete.
This can happen when the speaker exhibits charisma. Charisma does not mean good looks; though good looks can help to some extent. Charisma is all about having a pleasant look; a genuine and gentle smile, and an exhibition of great posture and poise in front of audiences. The speaker has to communicate an air of confidence and enthusiasm to create charisma. Only then will he be able to connect with audiences.
The audience on the other hand has to feel confidence about the speaker. They have to warm up to him. Otherwise the speaker’s job becomes doubly difficult. In other words the audience can inspire or depress a speaker. That is why Mark Twain said: “Blessed is the man who has an expecting audience.” That is why the audience factor has contributed positively to the making of some great speeches which have been embalmed and treasured in the hearts and minds of men ever since.
In fact, a good speaker understands his audience perfectly. He watches them closely and times his best speaking moments to suit their changing attitudes. At such times he is like an eagle who was hovering above, now descending for the kill in one swift dive. He plays on their emotions, their longings, their needs, their aspirations, their fears and their sense of self-esteem. His speech thus becomes a grand mosaic of designs and patterns, interlacing and interweaving in and out through the inner urges and driving forces of the human psyche and behavior.
The best example of this comes from that immortal address penned by Shakespeare which begins: “Friends, Romans, countrymen; lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.” Each time Mark Antony repeated the phrase, “And Brutus is an honorable man,” it was like a huge hammer pounding the nails onto Brutus’ coffin. Thus Mark Antony showed to the world his great understanding of audience psychology. Great speakers are armed with such knowledge and they connect with audiences instantaneously.
Even though it is true that many speakers connect with audiences; an uninterrupted power supply throughout the speech is maintained only by a few. In other words, a speaker is continuously confronted with the challenge of keeping the attention of the audience riveted on his speech. This is because modern man is impatient. He flies like a busy-bee all the while. He is caught by the moment’s fancy like a child attracted by new toys. Any slight disturbance in the hall or outside can woo the audience away from the speech. We have to think of the speaker’s challenge in this broader context.
Therefore the best ways to keep audiences glued to your speech are by keeping speeches short and simple. A speaker has to respect the time of his audience. About time sense, Jenkin Lloyd Jones said: “A man who gives a bad thirty minute speech to two hundred people wastes only half-hour of his time. But he wastes one hundred hours of his audience’s time. That surely is a hanging offence.” So, by simply valuing the time of the audience a speaker can transform the kiss of death into a new lease of life.
And about simplicity, Emerson said: “Nothing is more simple than greatness indeed, to be simple is to be great.” In that sense, a great speaker makes it look all so easy like a batsman dancing down the cricket pitch and lofting the ball of a spinner over the long off boundary for a six.
And when the audience feels this sense of ease with which the task is done, the speaker has really connected with the audience. Such a performance shows his mastery of the art in which the audience shares the very heartbeat and rhythm of the speaker and his speech.
In public speaking, connections are made on another level too. This level goes far beyond flesh and blood. It probes the very depths of the spirit of man. The spoken word is like an arrow that cleaves the air and finds a firm lodging in the human heart. The skill of the best cardiac surgeon may dislodge it from there but the wound and the scar shall remain.
The spoken word is also like a song that finds a corresponding melody in another heart. It soothes and heals. The memory of that spoken word shall glow like an ember even when all the other fires in the world would die in ashes. Such is the power of the spoken word.
Of such connections, the Book of Proverbs has something significant to say: “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” It may seem amazing that such a small organ of the human body is invested with the power of life and death. Yet the more one thinks of it, the more fascinating the study of it becomes.
While the words of a powerful dictator like Hitler had the sting of death in it, the words of Winston Churchill and Rev. Martin Luther King had the gift of life in them. One of them had nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. The other man said: I have a dream today. Both Churchill and King represent that host of speakers who pour life and courage, strength and inspiration, honor and dignity to the human cause of justice and freedom, righteousness and lasting peace in a war-torn world.
A speaker who falls into this category leaves footprints on the sands of time. He can be sure that others would follow in his steps. His words would connect to unborn tomorrows and thus ensure that a blazing torch of hope is passed on to multitudes of children and youth of the next generations. His words would echo from every mountain and valley that character and worthy conduct would give life to voices that would shake the foundations of evil empires; thus creating a new and better world.
#1. You Stand Alone
That is frightening. Many people like to be in the comfort of a group; allow others to talk and feel happy being led. The sudden change from being a passive listener to a visible speaker is difficult for many to accept.
#2. The Fear of Making a Fool of Oneself
It can happen if the mind goes blank, if words go wrong, or if fear shows through. The worry of making mistakes ensures that mistakes do come.
#3. My Ideas Are Not Good Enough
It is not ideas that are bad. It is often the packaging of ideas that needs to be done well. A chocolate wrapped in a newspaper will not be well received even if you tell the world that it is a delicious chocolate that is inside it.
#4. What Will People Think About Me As long as we are focused on what people are thinking about us; stage fright will rule. So many people become self conscious on stage and then a battle of nerves begin.
#5. Lack of Knowledge of Crafting a Speech
Lack of knowledge of one’s subject is a concern. But more than that many people do not know how to grab attention at the beginning; organize content well; use transitions effectively, support with evidence, illustrations, examples; and end on a positive, high note.
#6. Bad Memories of Past Mistakes and Failures
Most people have had bad experiences in their first attempts on stage. Sometimes these mistakes and failures like forgetting memorized lines or shivering were made fun of by friends, teachers, or strangers even. Such bad memories paralyze people from speaking with courage.
#7. Fear of Rejection
Everyone loves to be appreciated and accepted. But every time one goes on to stage to speak (however experienced he or she may be),there is the possibility of facing rejection from the audience. It is a fear that can trouble even the really confident speaker.
The good news however is that none of these fears need prevent you from becoming a good speaker. With a burning desire from your part, perseverance and help from someone who can inspire you with confidence; you can speak without fear. Yes, you can!
Perhaps you might not succeed in delivering a great speech this time also! So what? Understand that a speaker is not a once-for-all finished product. Instead the beauty of a speaker is that he or she is being moulded every day. Instead of trying to destroy the flaws; try to blend them into the design.
That means work on your strength as a speaker and being very good at it. Then slowly you’ll find that the shortcomings do not trouble the outcome of the speech. After all, all good speeches are based on lessons learned from plenty of bad speeches. When these lessons are stringed together; it shapes a speech that touches the heart, rouses the intellect, and inspires people.
Nothing Can Substitute You
Some find it painful at first to accept their shortcomings. Yet it is a joyful release of hope and celebration as one finds the truth that he or she is so unique and that nobody can replace him or her no matter what others think of them.
Yes friend, their might be so many things not perfect about you. Yet there is nobody else like you. So celebrate life as God’s gift to you. What better return can you give for that gift than being true to your own self.
So let us stop pretending. We are not actors on a world stage. Instead we are real people with ever so many shortcomings. Each one of us is having infinite value and worth in God’s eyes even though we appear to be of so little worth to others. That is the truth.
And there comes a moment when that truth dawns. This experience is liberating to say the least as far as a speaker is concerned. For the greatest asset a speaker brings on stage is he or she himself. No other visual aid can ever substitute you on stage.
You need not try to be extravagant in your dressing to make a statement. What comes across to the audience much more powerfully is the quiet confidence that you bring onto stage born out of the knowledge that you are making a statement as no one else can!
The Secret Is to Fall in Love
When a man and woman fall in love, the desire to communicate with each other dominates their thoughts. This is the key to being a great speaker.
When the desire to communicate is fuelled by a relevant message you are able to connect with your audience. At this point, your focus is not on fear about speaking; but on how to make yourself understood to the audience.
That brings us to falling in love once again. The moment that happens you want to express your love. It can take the form of gifts,flowers, cards or chocolates. All that means just one thing: “I love you.” That is the big idea, the key thought, and the overriding emotion.
But the fun is that you are thinking about yourself. All your thoughts are on your loved one. This is what should dominate a speaker’s mind–to make the audience understand what he has got to communicate. That is the desire to communicate. When that happens it is goodbye to stage fright and extraordinary delight in speaking!
Starting Trouble
“The human brain is a wonderful organ. It starts to work as soon as you are born and doesn’t stop until you get up to deliver a speech.” When the brain freezes, a beginner-speaker can panic at this point. However hard he tries, he might not get anything to speak on.
But what is the real problem that haunts a person when he tries to find a topic? Is it really that he does not have enough knowledge about something the problem? I don’t think so. The problem is something different. It is a nagging feel of the mind that tells the speaker that what he speaks about might be uninteresting to the audience.
This thought is simply untrue. Anything about you can be made interesting. Your biographical sketch can be interesting; provided it does not boast about “I did this,” and “I did that,” and provided that it does not go for a chronological listing of academic achievements. Instead if you briefly mention some aspect of your academic side that the audience can listen to with delight, then you would succeed.
Likewise, your favourite hobby, ambition, likes and dislikes, relationships, the game you love,movies that you like, are all subjects that can be made into interesting speeches. So next time someone invites you to speak, do not think of complex subjects and panic. Instead think on simple things and speak. For simplicity always appeals. It hides greatness within!
You need not try to take a detailed account of every mistake you make while you speak. Instead take some time to recollect some portion of your speech you had done well. And think of how to excel that performance.
For it is in pushing beyond your best past performances and rising above your limitations that true test of character is found. Such efforts involve most certainly the possibility of failure and more surely the ridicule of lesser mortals.
Your opportunity is now. It is yours when the wind is against you and strongest; and the night at its darkest. With trust in God and with commitment to finish strong, it is surely time to wake up from despair and make your speech and life count.
Organizing Content
If you organize your speech well, then it is easy for the audience to pick out the information you offer. You make listening easy by dividing your content into manageable packets. There are many popular methods to do so. Categorical and chronological arrangements are two such.
Many more ways of organizing content of your speech can be thought of. But the important thing to remember is that you need to cut the big cake to small pieces. And then offer them to your listeners so that they can have one piece at a time.
I Remember It Like Yesterday
The rule of thumb is to describe less but suggest more when you narrate your experiences. Then the audience will listen keenly to your speech and be more involved in it than otherwise. Memories do make speeches colourful.
Yet many of us forget to build a memory bank. Let not your hurts, nor your failures, nor your doubts, nor betrayals that you faced in life take away from you the zest for living. Yes, full participation in life; in its good, gives you great memories.
Then your speech will be spiced with them. And you’ll have an appreciative audience every time you speak.
“I don’t feel like speaking today,” is that kind of attitude and response which is common with school kids. But you should be made of stronger stuff than that.
I do accept that your problems at home, issues with health, work pressure at office, a broken relationship, and financial struggles are weighing you down. But what about tomorrow. It may or may not bring solutions. So if you don’t speak today you lose an opportunity–a time and opportunity and a moment that will never repeat itself in your life again!
More than that you lose a chance to make a stand for doing what is right. Your emotions will fight tooth and nail to oppose your decision to speak. And, if you allow your emotions to dictate probably you’ll end up doing nothing significant in life.
On the other hand, can you imagine the confidence it will give you if you can step forward and attempt to speak? Sure, you are unprepared. But did you know that some great speeches are born in the fire of “I can’t do it” protestations? So decide to speak no matter what you feel.
You anyway will not solve your problems by not speaking. Therefore step out and speak. Tomorrow you will be able to speak with more grace, eloquence, and confidence simply because today you attempted to speak in spite of your troubles. When you speak today it might not be anywhere near perfection; but that doesn’t matter. What alone matters is the fact that you did not yield to the spirit of despair that said, “I can’t do it!”
Success in life is about your ability to refuse the negativity that wants to dominate you. Success is not about measuring the quality of each speech delivered or every single attempt you make. Success is about keeping on doing what you are good in spite of all of your doubts and fears.
So do it today. Let your voice be heard. Who knows how you might inspire someone else by your courage to speak today! Let me conclude by reminding you that the feeling that “I can’t do it”is a deception and a lie. You can if you are simply willing to try.
Fear is common to all. Some fear the dark; some others spiders or snakes or cockroaches; some others fear public speaking. Let us look at some of the most common excuses given to avoid speaking in public.
#1. My English Vocabulary Is Poor
Let me put across a sentence to you: I today bike ride came office. I hope you got the meaning. Did I use proper grammar here? No. But did you get the idea I wanted to convey. Yes. The truth is that you don’t need big words nor grammar to communicate. But it is great if you can use correct English.
Without grammar it is probably like riding a car on a bumpy road; while on the other hand it will seem like a glide. And you don’t need big words to communicate well. Robert Frost’s “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, And I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep,” continues to fascinate readers. The depth of meaning communicated is huge; but the words chosen are simple for even a little child to understand. So also you go for simple words.
#2. I Forgot My Points Last Time
All speakers experience this from time to time. The simplest thing you can do is to note down the main headings of your speech on a card. Keep it with you. The confidence it brings, and the freedom you feel is big. Give your notes an occasional glance. That is all that is needed to keep your worries away.
It is like the confidence a car driver has because of him having a stepney or spare tyre ready in case of a puncture on road. In case you need additional help, just note down a few key words in big bold letters underneath the main headings. That will reassure you that your mind will not go blank when you speak. You can even make the note cards colourful with highlighters, crayons or sketch pen markings.
#3. I Don’t Have Enough Knowledge
Now this is true for many. But should it stop you from speaking? No. Then what is the best thing you can do. Create a habit of reading. Keep notes of what you read. You can refer to them when you prepare a talk. The problem comes when you take a plain, simple, direct approach to the topic. Instead try to have depth in your talk.
For example when you talk about marriage; do not limit your talk to simply love in marriage. You can talk about the role of compatibility, finances, cultural and ideological conflicts, parental influences, work-life balance, raising up children, and of course guarding your married life from eroding influences from all around.
If you want to talk about the Cross; along with the primary understanding that it was about God’s love for you and Jesus’ once for all sacrifice for sins for all mankind; you can also add it is God’s plus sign with a vertical plane pointing to man’s upward relationship with God (love towards God) and a horizontal plane denoting our relationship with our neighbours (love for others).
#4. I Feel Like a Failure
The speaker on stage is like a lone man in a battlefield facing an army unit of hundreds. No wonder he feels vulnerable. If the speaker is thinking about how best he is delivering his speech; he is trying an impossible task. Feeling like a failure is the only result possible. The practical point is that emotions are at play when you try to assess your speech during or immediately following your speech.
Like wild waves of the sea it will hit you. Be like a rock. Or else it will drown you. The truth is that because you tried to do your best; you are not a failure. But there is always room for improvement. You need also to understand that speeches can fail in spite of your best effort. Therefore the best attitude is to prepare best, deliver best and move on and try to improve upon the best you did last time. In such a pursuit you reach towards excellence.
#5. What Do I Do with My Hands?
Some hold the Mike; others the lectern; and still others cut the air with both hands. Some rub the chin, others twist their hair and still others play with their dress. Yes it takes time to master what to do with your hands. When you are nervous, you tend to use hand movements more than what is needed or necessary.
So it is important to identify what mannerisms you have and replace them with meaningful actions. Ask a trusted friend to help you with this. Watching a video of your presentation might discourage you; so a friend’s help is best.
Know that actions have more impact when you put your whole body behind it. Actions also are more emphasized when what you say and what you show with your hands speak the same thing. As you grow in experience you will learn to be more comfortable using your hands well while speaking.
#6. I Have Nothing Interesting to Say
There are two sides to this. One is content, the other is how you say it. Well, how you say it will take some time to master. But you can always pick up threads from your life and weave it into colourful stories.
A person who says a true story well will have his audience listen to him with interest. So dig deep into your memories and you will find a treasure of stories to share.
#7. What Will Others Think About Me
People have so many things to think and worry about already. So it is foolishness to think that they have suspended all that to think about you–your dress, your fluency, your mistakes and so on. With the kind of high engagement people have with social media and their mobiles; it is highly likely that they don’t have any time to think about you.
Why worry therefore what others think about you? By the way, do you have any control over what anyone thinks about you; be it good or bad? Hope you got the point. You just focus on delivering your speech as best you can today. Even if you try hard; you can never please all in your audience. Can you?
Let me tell you a secret. There is no single secret that works when you are nervous. But hold on. First of all; be assured that you will not die due to stage fright.
Now if your mind goes blank; next time you go on stage you can be bold that you cannot go worse than the last time. Have a look at your audience. They are expecting you to succeed. Isn’t that great? So smile. It simply helps. And be pleasantly surprised to see some smile back at you. It will ease tension anyway!
By the way you will rarely get an ideal audience. There will be babies crying; organizers running around, microphones howling, people engaged in social media. The best thing to do is to focus your eyes on a few who seem eager to listen and speak.
What if you were asked to speak at the last minute? Don’t let the opportunity pass. See it as a chance to try your luck. The chances are you will do much better than you ever dreamed of. A simple tip is to focus on one idea and start. As you speak some more ideas will certainly come.
And if you were prepared; but forgot your notes; don’t panic. Ask for a sheet of paper and pick a pen. Just note down the main points from memory and keep it with you. You will do well. Well, we all have bad days when our speeches are not well delivered.
After all, we are not robots. Our best efforts as human beings are capable of being improved. So speak without fear. While stage fright, which is irrational fear, can be overcome, the truth is that nervousness before speaking will always be there. Just as you have no control over your shadow; you have no control over nervousness as well.
Often it will be at its peak when you are best prepared. It is then that you feel you have forgotten everything; even the opening lines. But the good news is that it is this very same nervousness that makes a person run away from stage; and on the other hand makes another give a thundering oration.
So welcome nervousness on board as a friend. Then instead of fighting against you; it will fight for you!
The first thing to do to speak without fear is your willingness to try. Forget about all the lies about your failure the devil whispers in your mind. Instead, be ready to make a fool of yourself on stage.
Let me tell you the truth point blank:
One, you will make mistakes; I don’t know anyone who does not make them on stage; at least once in a while. I know I do.
Two, people will say good things to you like, “You speech was wonderful.” The best thing to do is not to believe it. For it doesn’t mean anything. And probably they have no more knowledge of the craft of speech than you do.
Three, people have too many things to think about already–the bills they have to pay, how to manage their bad boss at office, and the studies of their children that worry them. Do you think they have time to think about your speech and all its faults? I doubt.
Of course, you will feel humiliated when you make mistakes. For we are made of flesh and blood and emotions and mood swings; aren’t we? So, what’s the big deal? Your failure on stage proved you to be a human being. That’s all to it; and nothing more.
Now how to handle criticism levelled against you. It definitely hurts. Why? Because we have strong egos. Now what does than mean? It is the thinking that I am right (always), and I simply can’t be wrong.
Now think about it this way. It doesn’t matter how good or bad your speech was. Think about improving on it. Be dissatisfied with your best efforts. Then you will be able to see criticism helping you on the road to excellence than tearing you apart.
Finally, let me tell you the secret of success I have personally known and experienced in speaking. To me, it has always been the truth of God’s love to me displayed on the Cross of Calvary where Jesus shed his blood and died.
It has also taught me that failures are integral to the process of becoming good. It teaches you more about humility than anything else.
So face your fears honestly. But don’t make it an excuse to run away from speaking situations. Volunteer to speak. Fail. Fail again and again. The time will come when it will be difficult for you to not to succeed. And still if you fail, let it be so. But tomorrow you will try again; won’t you!
Eyes can speak without words. It can express love, hate, anger, excitement and so on. Therefore it is the speakers best connect with audiences.
In spite of this fact many beginner speakers fear to look in the eye of people in the audience. They might look up or far away. This is self-defeating as the speaker loses rapport with the audience.
Now part of the problem is caused by feelings of inferiority or loss of confidence. But a larger part of the problem is because the beginning speaker lacks knowledge on what to do on stage to maintain healthy eye contact with audiences.
The basic thing to know is that people expect you to look at them. This shows your confidence, preparedness, openness, as well as your good intention to connect and engage with people sitting in front of you.
The second thing to note is the manner in which eye contact can and does happen. If it is a big audience just send your gaze to the back of the auditorium. Then let it scan towards the front. What you will probably see is a blur of faces. That is how it is.
Once that is done you can give sideways glances. This will make sure that you have the entire audience covered with your eye making contact with them. As you speak whenever you look to any one part of the auditorium you will feel as if your eyes are interlocking with one or a few people. Every time you turn in that direction your eyes will interlock with the same person or group (They may or may not be people known to you.). When this connect happens know that everyone in that part of the crowd feels included in your speech.
On the other hand when you are talking to a small group within a room make sure that you look at each person in the eye. If they are seated in a semi circle with you standing in the middle make sure that the people sitting at both ends of the curve are given due notice occasionally. Otherwise they will feel left out, lose interest in your speech, and maybe in the worst case go to sleep.
Having said that, do not gaze at any one person for too long. For 4 to 5 seconds can feel like an eternity when a speaker is looking at one person alone. Especially those who participate in Group Discussions should ensure that they do not engage in a one to one conversation too long. Instead break eye contact with the one to whom you are responding to and look at the entire group as you continue to speak.
Now coming to the positive side of eye contact; you should smile with your eyes. Let the audience know how delighted you are to be with them. As you exhibit ease and confidence through proper eye contact; you will feel the same reflected back to you in a magnified way from the audience.
As far as reading from manuscript is concerned, proper eye contact is the key to its success. You might have seen American Presidents do that in a thorough professional manner for their inaugural address. The secret is to look at a group of words and deliver them looking at the audience.
A well-prepared document in big point size with wide margins and typed in double space is a must for this. So also many rehearsals will make it look natural; full of energy and enthusiasm, and make it look stunningly confident.
Well, you may not have the expertize of a classical dancer to express a variety of moods with your eyes. But with a little practice you can show delight with a twinkling eye. A stare can communicate anger, hatred, resentment or rebellion. A far away look can signal disinterestedness, dejection, wishfulness or sadness. Yes the eyes can speak volumes without words.
If you ask me what is that people fear the most about public speaking ; I can answer in one word: Mistakes! I can almost see you nod your head in agreement. I have learned that mistakes will comeno matter how talented you are or how best prepared you are. It is just the way we human beings are.
If you ask me again, what is that people fear about public speaking, I can answer again in one word: Criticism! This is tougher still. “What will others think about me?” Well, what can you do about that; absolutely nothing. People might smile at you and say nasty things behind your back. Well, why should you lose your sleep about something that you have no control over at all? Think about it.
Now, what if your mind goes blank? And thus make yourself a fool on stage! So what; my friend? Many great speakers began this way; and there is nothing to be ashamed about that. The brain sometimes makes its presence known by such tricks that it plays. Don’t worry; your mind will back you up with better speeches in the days ahead.
Now what if your speech is boring? Well you don’t become an interesting speaker the Day 1 you speak. It happens over time. The key is to understand people. Ask yourself what their fears, needs, and dreams are? You need to learn to speak not just logic but also with feeling and emotions. Simply be yourself and touch on life and life experiences while you talk.
Above all; create memories. Not just speeches. If one person smiles because of what you said; if one person is inspired to hold on for one more day and not give up saying “I quit” ; if one person comes up to you years later and says that the words you spoke made a lasting impact on his or her life; if one person makes a connect with hope in God through your words; then that is what is the true stuff speeches should be made of.
Let me close with one final word. Some golden rules are never meant to be violated. Keep it short and simple is one such. And when you are in doubt about something you feel like speaking; it is always better to leave it out.
Of course, you can glide in or halt with tires screeching or get people ready to act while you end. And remember, if you attempted to speak; if you gave your very best; then even if you failed—it is triumph!
The first thing you need to be clear about is where and how your plane is going to land. Your audience will not like it if you go around in circles indefinitely and without purpose at the end of your speech.
Imagine you telling them, “That’s all” at the end of your speech. It is like the panic announcement over the loudspeakers after you have fastened your seat belts. As you eagerly await the landing; it is as if the Pilot announced, “I don’t know how to land this plane!”
So make sure where you are heading your plane to.
In case you want people to remember something after you stop speaking, you can try something like: “Let me end by reminding you once again that cleanliness is next to godliness. So if you find bits of paper lying on the floor making the place untidy, make sure you pick them up.”
If you want people to go home thinking about what you just said in your speech, just give them a thought to think about and ask them to think about it: “Now let me end by asking you, ‘Would you like to stay where you are and be like a frog in the well; or would you like to travel the world and have a taste of different cultures, manners, customs, and foods of the people all over the globe? Think about it.”
If you wish people to take immediate action, urge them to do something about it at the earliest. Right now if possible: “My dear friends, the simplest steps to save water and electricity is right at your finger tips. When you step out of your home, just go to every room and check if all lights and fans are switched off. If not, switch it off. Similarly make sure no taps are dripping. Close all taps. It is that simple. Do it now, do it every day.”
If you want to impact people make a thundering landing and crash into the nearby building in fire and smoke: “If not today, know that there is no other day. This is your last match. Go and play like you will never play again. And don’t come back with your tails tucked between your legs. As a coach I have taught you everything I know. But play I cannot. Winning or loosing isn’t everything; but today winning is all that matters. Get me that glittering trophy or go sell peanuts on the streets tonight. I will not accept anything short of victory.”
You can go for a quote at the end if it ties up with the topic of your speech quite strongly. For example, if you are speaking on Father’s Day, what General Mac Arthur said about a Father who builds up rather than tears down is a case in point: “By profession, I am a soldier, and take pride in that fact, but I am prouder, infinitely prouder, to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; a father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentialities of death; the other embodies creation of life; and while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still. It is my hope that my son, when I am gone, will remember me, not from the battle, but in the home repeating with him our simple, daily prayer, our Father Who art in Heaven.”
And don’t forget how advertisers find a lodging place for their products in the hearts of millions; through that slogan or sound bite that grips thoughts and emotions. Something like Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream,” something simple and persuasive like Obama’s “Yes, we can.” Apple co-founder Steve Job’s conclusion to his 2005 Stanford Commencement address, “Stay hungry, stay foolish” is a classic example of a sound bite that puts down its roots deep.
Yet another simple method to end is by going for a very short illustration or story. For example: A little girl was seen reading a book in a plane which had hit bad weather. Others around were tensed; some were earnestly praying for a safe landing. A man observed that there was no worry or anxiety on the face of a child seated next to him. So he asked her, “Little girl, are you not afraid.” She replied, “Sir, my Dad is the pilot, and he is taking me home.” Our trust in God our Heavenly Father should be like how this little girl trusted her Dad to pilot her home!
Finally, let me ask you not to make the mistake that millions of speakers make all the time. They start working on the introduction first. Then they work on the body of their speech. By the time all this is ready; they don’t have time to prepare the concluding lines. So they decide to land their plane as lucky as it gets. So far in the history of flying planes and public speaking no one has landed safely without planning a safe landing to perfection.
Hope from now on you will have the end in mind when you begin!
Speaking is a matter of joy. So keep aside your fears. Seek God’s help, read much on your topic, get guidance from parents and teachers, and you are ready to go.
First of all think about a good beginning. It should get the attention of the audience. It can be a quote, a very short story or even an experience from your life said quickly.
Something like,
“When I was a child, my father used to take us to the children’s library in my hometown. Soon, primarily through the world of comics I entered into the world of fairy tales, fables, heroes, heroines, villains, and imaginative stories. Little did I know that I was going to fall in love with reading. But one thing I know, it has added depth to my understanding of the meaning of life, people, cultures, and the world at large.”
Now you can tell them the topic of the day. If you can use some creative ways to phrase your topic, it will be great. For example, “Is the Habit of Reading a Lost Art? Even plainly stating the topic, “The Importance of Reading,” is fine.
Follow it up with a quick statement of what all things your audience can expect from your speech. For example if you are speaking on The Importance of Reading, you can say something like, “Today I will be helping you to understand how reading informs, entertains, and inspires you.”
Now the audience knows that your speech will cover three main points. The expectation is clearly established. And they know what they will get to carry home with them from your speech.
Next try to find logical ideas and examples to support each main point you are dealing with.
For example, you can say that the reading of a book on Questions and Answers had given you basic knowledge about the human body, deep sea fishes, artificial intelligence, inventions and discoveries, computers etc; the reading of C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia had entertained you, and the reading of Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam‘s autobiography The Wings of Fire had inspired you.
Now you can tell your audience about how to make reading a habit. If you have a habit of reading the Bible the first thing in the morning, you can tell them it is a good way to begin the day by seeking God and his wisdom.*
You can then tell them how to bring variety in your reading by mixing story books, travelogues, science fiction, comics, poetry, drama, novels and so on.
Perhaps, you can also tell them how to write notes about what they read so that they will be able to recall and put to good use what they have read.
Now it is time to conclude. Before you do so you can try to cement the importance of reading by using a well known quote from Bacon, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested,” or from Milton, “A good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life.”
After saying that, you can tell them what you told them till then. Something like “the headlines once again” as you hear in the reading of the NEWS on television. “Today, I have tried to show you how reading informs, entertains, and inspires you.”
Now you can try a flow chart to touch down.
If you want to remind them of the importance of reading say something like, “I hope that the habit of reading will grow along with you like an ever-widening and deepening stream.”
Or if you want to persuade them to take action, end by asking, “The libraries of the world have many books. You can’t read all of them . But still there are some you cannot afford to miss. So start reading today.”
Yet again you want an inspirational ending, go for this: “If my short speech has ignited your imagination and inspired you to open the windows of your mind a little wider through reading, I am sure you will build a life on solid rock, chiselled by discipline, and trusted for its character.
No one can hold audiences spell bound without giving due attention to how he uses his body to communicate. It is proved beyond doubt that the way one uses one’s body to communicate can enhance the appeal of any message.
A raised arm, a sweeping movement, a bow, a playful raise of the eyebrows, a shrug of the shoulder, a pointed finger, a swift cut through the air, a bending forward while asking a question and then pause; all these are examples of powerful use of the body to emphasize, underline, and highlight what you say.
Your Eyes
The power of a look has to be experienced to be believed. Your eyes can express a variety of emotions like love, anger, joy, playfulness and so on. More importantly it is your first connect with audiences. So use your eyes to maintain eye contact with the audience.
If it is a small group you can look at each individual once in a while. If it is a larger gathering, you will feel comfortable looking at one or two individuals in each segment of the large gathering whenever you turn in that direction.
Your Smile
This is your second connect with audiences. A smile can not only open the ears of people but also their hearts as well. It makes it easy for the audience to identify with you and also open up a dialogue with you. Sometimes you can get tensed during your presentation that you forget to smile. So remind yourself once in a while to smile.
Your Posture
I have seen many people lean on the lectern. This is not good. An erect posture not only communicates a sense of leadership and purpose; it also helps you to breathe normally. That helps in your voice production as well. And most people make the mistake of keeping their two feet together while they speak. This makes them look like a robot. Such a stance gives little room for spontaneous movement. Creativity is stifled.
Your Arms
Some people would like to hold on to the microphone or the lectern. It gives them a sense of security. Nothing wrong about it. At the same time one should know how not to deal with the arms on stage.
Crossed arms will distance you from the audience quite easily. Arms flying around will distract. Palms up are very weak. Any move of the hand to face is a signal to the audience that you are not at your confident best. So be bold in stretching out your arm and use gestures that will support, highlight, illustrate and make plain your content.
Your Movement
Formal occasions might not give you a chance to move around. But many speech situations will give you the possibility of moving on stage. Do not stay behind the lectern always. Why not step out to make a point and move back? If there is no lectern and you are holding a mike in your hand, gracefully walk into the midst of your audience to ask a question or to interact with them. Such moves are welcomed by the audience and will help them to connect with you in a deeper way.
A Speech Is Not Just About Words
A speech is not just about words. Though content is important; you the speaker through whom the message is delivered is also equally important. So make sure that you are able to impact the audience through the way you use your body to communicate!
Isn’t it interesting that how to choose a topic is itself a topic? Here are some ways tips to choose a topic:
First of all, focus on the audience you are going to talk to. What are their interests, needs, concerns, fears at this point in time? If you have some of these answered you will have a starting point.
Secondly, think about your knowledge, expertize, and areas of interest. Think about how it can be made relevant to the audience you are going to talk to.
Thirdly, think about recent happenings. What are things that are being talked about in the world or in your locality? What or who is making news headlines at this time? It can be in the world of politics, entertainment, sports and games or even climate change.
Again, there is yet another aspect you need to consider when you choose a topic. Do you have an interesting story to share? The story can be personal or it can even be a story you read in your childhood. If you have a compelling story to share, it can suggest you a topic.
Another sure shot way to choose a topic is start with universal themes like love, hate, war, peace, success, confidence etc. The canvas for such themes is huge. For example, You Can Overcome Loss of Confidence is a topic that can interest many; if not all.
Sometimes the blind spot (what the interviewer considers as most important or his/her passion, hobby etc.) of the interviewer can deny the candidate a job. Here’s a true story from my life that illustrates how this happens.
Once I was asked by a friend in the HR Department of a MNC to attend an interview for a Trainer’s Profile. I was working elsewhere during that time. So I was not particularly interested in that position. Yet since he asked me I attended. This was in the year 2000. It was held at a well-known 5-Star Hotel in the city. The interview board consisted of five people who were really experienced people. One of them (whom I later came to know gave motivational coaching to the Indian cricket team) saw my bio-data and said, “This looks impressive.” I was pleasantly surprised because at that time I just had a limited experience in training.
I enjoyed the interview which took around 45 minutes. That night my friend called me. I told him that I enjoyed the interview and asked him what the interview board thought about me. The reply was succinct and true: “This guy is definitely talented; but not interested in the job.” But they were generous to offer me an opportunity to attend the next level of interview, if interested. I didn’t pursue it further.
The next year, in 2001, my friend again asked me to submit my CV. This time I was looking for a better opportunity and therefore applied. I was feeling encouraged by my performance last year. But this interview board comprised of middle-level managers (I did not know it then) rather than the big shots of last time. Venue was their campus at Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, the year being 2001. An interviewer in the interview board who started the ball rolling. She asked me to introduce myself. As soon as I told that I am Post Graduate in English Literature; she stopped me midway through my introduction and started a rapid-fire round. Here goes the transcript:
I had none. Yet to answer her question I said, John Milton.
She asked again, “Quote some lines from Paradise Lost (which is John Milton’s greatest work and considered to the greatest epic poem in English Literature).”
It was then six years since I had completed my study and out of touch with my subject. But I tried hard to recollect and said, “His tongue dropped manna, but all was false and hollow.” I quoted those lines and escaped without much hurt though the quote in correct version is “But all was false and hollow; though his tongue Dropped manna.”
Then came her next question, “Don’t you like John Keats?”
I had no particular liking for this poet; so I mumbled, “He is also a good poet.”
The next question came (I was almost expecting it, and you might have guessed it too.), “Quote some lines from John Keats.”
Without much difficulty I said, “Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter.” (She was completing the lines before I finished. Kindly note this point!)
She asked me, “From which poem is that taken from?” I fumbled; but with some prompting I was enabled to say. “Ode on a Grecian Urn.”
The supplementary question followed: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” “From which poem is it taken?” I took more time to think; and she herself gave the answer, “Endymion.” [I had started to wonder why she was so much interested in Keats, while the job requirement had to do with training IT Professionals in soft skills.]
Then came the next thunderbolt; “What’s your opinion of Shakespeare? (By this time I had become terribly frustrated and knew that the interview was heading towards disaster.)
So I said in a terse, half-hearted manner; “He’s a good writer.”
“Just good?” was her response. (I think she had expected to hear a traditional praise of Shakespeare which was not forthcoming from my side.)
I amplified my answer, “He makes great stories of simple things.”
She became a little bit furious, “Isn’t that great?”
I became defiant by then and this was my reply, “That’s what all writers do.” [I knew that the interview was practically over for me by then.]
This person never gave the other two in the interview board any chance to ask questions.
After a few other questions, in a final effort to redeem the situation, my friend in the interview board interrupted her flurry of questions and asked me, “Bejoy, how would you sum up in a sentence or two what you have done so far in life?”
I looked straight into her eye and said, “Have something to say; and never fear to say it.”
After a few more questions the interview got over. I was told, “We’ll inform you later.” I left.
That night my friend did not call me unlike last time. So I called him late in the night and asked him, “Is this the way you conduct an interview?” He said, “We need to know everything about a candidate,” in a defensive manner.
The Redemption
A couple of years later I came to know that my friend was being promoted and transferred to an overseas assignment. I went to wish him well. I sat with him for nearly an hour and tried to understand what they looked for in a candidate especially in a campus interview. I had always wanted to ask him this question since he had recruited hundreds of students from Campuses across India. We spoke for some more time.
Then both of us stood up and shook hands. Then he said, “Bejoy, I’m sorry the way the interview was conducted two years ago.” Needless to say, I did not get through that interview just because one of the interviewers had a blind spot for quotations
Few other words have touched the heart and influenced thought for generations than Jesus’ 7 sayings on the cross. Here we take a look at them from a public speaker’s perspective.
The Setting:
The scene that day was dramatic as well as cosmic.
Jesus was nailed to the cross and lifted high; hanging between earth and sky from 9 a.m. in the morning till the time of the evening sacrifice at 3 p.m.
There was a crown of thorns on his head and a written inscription above him which read, “Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews.” While he lay on the cross, those who passed by hurled insults at him.
Unusually, there came darkness over all the land. Two criminals were also crucified with him, one on the right and another on his left. At the foot of the cross, Roman soldiers cast lots for his clothing.
A Public Speaker’s Perspective:
No man ever spoke so gracious words from such a stage. Here was the Saviour of the world, helpless, naked and bleeding. Such a setting and backdrop gives the utterances of Jesus from the cross a unique place in human history. For the audience was not just the crowds that had gathered, but both heaven and hell were eager witnesses to this event destined to change the lives of men and women, young and old and little children down through the centuries.
Saying #1
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
A Public Speaker’s Perspective:
An introduction that goes right into the heart of the subject is much appreciated by audiences. Here Jesus is clearly showing the purpose of his suffering. He was shedding his blood for the forgiveness of man’s sins. From a speaker’s perspective note also the confidence with which these words were spoken; the confidence that his words would be heard by his Father in heaven. Confidence born of conviction is an asset to any speaker on any given day; isn’t it?
Saying #2
Then he [one crucified criminal] said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
This is the only one instance in the gospels where Jesus is addressed by his name alone without any other titles attached.
A Public Speaker’s Perspective:
Communicating hope is perhaps the highest calling of any speaker. Here the man is expressing his need to find salvation. Jesus is able to meet that need, assuring him of a place with him in paradise. Therefore that man died in hope; assured of a home in heaven for he had placed his faith on the King and his kingdom. In today’s world characterized by all kinds of fears and tensions and anxieties, if the speaker can communicate hope to the audience of a better and bright tomorrow; then he has done the world a great service indeed.
Saying #3
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, . . . When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
A Public Speaker’s Perspective:
A speaker should exhibit care towards his audience. As it is said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Jesus, even in his moments of great agony, was ever mindful of the need of his mother to find rest and joy in some home the remainder of her days on earth. So also a speaker should be able to sense the unspoken needs of the crowd he is addressing and come up with a solution that shows he cares.
Saying #4
About the ninth hour [i.e. 3 p.m.] Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”-which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
This is the only instance in the gospels where we find Jesus addressing his father as God instead of Abba which means Dear Father. The reason being that the entire sin of the world was now placed on him and for the first time Jesus was experiencing the separation that sin brings between God and man. The darkness that came over the whole land was a reflection of this inner struggle of Jesus as he the Sinless One was experiencing the wrath and judgement of God against sin for you and for me.
A Public Speaker’s Perspective:
A speaker has to identify himself with the audience.Here Jesus identifies with suffering humanity who constantly ask this question, “O God, why have you forsaken us?” Those who suffer unjustly find solace in this cry of Jesus knowing that he too passed through the dark night of the soul. When an audience knows that a speaker has experienced what they are going through, he gains greater credibility with them.
Saying #5
Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”
A Public Speaker’s Perspective:
Many speakers find it difficult to open up before audiences. . They are afraid to share a story from their life. This is because they fear that if they are shown as weak, then audiences would not regard them in a favourable light. But Jesus was different. The tremendous loss of blood following the physical abuses that were heaped on him made his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth. So as a human being he made his weakness known. The lesson for a speaker is that he should never fail to highlight the common human aspect of his life and make it known to his audience. It is then that audiences warm up to a speaker.
Saying #6
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”
It is finished is one single word in Greek—tetelestai. At the end of the day when a person had completed the work that was assigned to him he would say tetelestai. When someone paid off a debt he owed, he was issued a receipt that was stamped with the word tetelestai, which meant paid in full. Jesus, by crying out tetelestai was saying, whatever his Father had sent him to do was now finished. His innocent blood had now been poured out for the forgiveness of sins. Nothing remained to be done for man’s salvation—anymore! It was all done by him. Therefore it was a victor’s shout, a cry of triumph. It is finished. Tetelestai.
A Public Speaker’s Perspective:
As we look at this from a public speaker’s perspective, many speakers who begin well end with a whimper. This is true not only of speech but also of life as well. A speaker should determine to finish strong, not only in his speech but in his life too. Jesus, knowing that he had fully paid for the sin of the world, said, “It is finished.” It was a cry of triumph. So also, a strong conclusion is a must for a great speech. Weak conclusions leave a weak impression in the minds of the audience. It frustrates them with a sense of incompleteness. But here we see Jesus finishing on a strong note.
Saying #7
Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
A Public Speaker’s Perspective:
A graceful exit is as much a thing of beauty as a great performance. A speech ideally should end on a positive note of looking forward with hope. In this last saying, Jesus is quoting a prayer which says “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” It was a prayer that every Jewish mother taught her child to say the last thing before he or she slept at night. Here, Jesus dies like a child falling asleep in his father’s arms. It was indeed a graceful exit.
Audience Perspective:
Ultimately the success of any communication depends on what the audience perceives about it. Though the vast majority in the crowd thought that Jesus’ life had ended in failure, a centurion of the Roman army who was in charge of the crucifixion was moved by Jesus’ death. The gospels record thus: “And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, `Surely this man was the Son of God!’ ”
Short Speeches of Introduction, Welcome, Felicitation, Vote of Thanks!
Note: The quotes used in this blog post are taken from the four Gospel accounts about Jesus Christ taken from the New International Version of the Bible: Inscription, John 19:19. The seven sayings, Luke 23:34, Luke 23:42, 43, John 19:25-27, Matthew 27:46, John 19:28, John 19:30, Luke 23:46. Centurion, Mark 15:39. Jesus’ Perspective, John 12:32.
