Dwelling Upon What Speech to Deliver
Uh oh...
I am due to give a speech in less than a couple of weeks' time.
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This is how I kind of feel about that.
A few people consider me to be "a natural"...
I am not so sure if I'd agree...
But I appreciate their confidence in me.
If I have something to say - a message to deliver...
Then I will say and deliver it...
Hoping that I don't forget what I was going to say mid-sentence.
...
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I do feel old sometimes.
...
And yet I 'do' perform quite well in a pinch - for as long as I'm not trying to 'remember' anything.
And for as long as no mentor is trying to tell me what to talk about under the guise of guidance...
Perhaps I am, indeed, "uncoachable".
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...or maybe not? 'shrugs'
...
And even now I recall that I'm supposed to churn out a poster for the pay portal for the Toastmasters speech competition being organized in Malta this October (I shall not be participating, having quite steadfastly maintained that the game design competition ending in mid-November shall remain my priority - but I shall still be assisting them in promotion).
I'll take care of the poster after I get this more personal post posted.
And then I'll figure out what I'll actually be talking about during the speech I'd committed to.
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I am so much more comfortable typing than speaking. One can re-sculpt one's words to one's heart's content up until one clicks 'send'.
The same is not true of speech.
Speech is a more direct and 'live' medium.
The words spoken, unless captured within appropriate media, is lost.
Worse. While one is speaking one has to be clear about not only what one is saying but also what one wishes to say. Unless memorized - and I've established here that my ability to memorize is rather limited, what one is left with is a jamming effort not too dissimilar to Jazz, I suppose.
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I am not certain about whether its the same for Jazz - but jamming 'words' well is not easy.
Why then, do I subject myself to this process, given all my apparent limitations?
The truth is that I do have messages to deliver, both in the present as well as the future - and unlike in the past where people would feel it perfectly acceptable to pretend that I am not present, this process is giving me the personal power to ensure that I'll be able to make myself both noticed and heard the next time that I have something important to say.
Concerning oneself less with how a message is delivered and focusing on simply delivering the message makes all the difference for me. I feel like I'm on a mission - and the crowd seems a lot less important in its menacing presence.
In this way I have been building not only my communication skills but my confidence and personal leadership too, slowly but surely. I consider myself a stronger person for the process. Happier too.
I think I'm going to be fine.
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One thing that I like about this last image? My self-perception shall play a big part as to which 'place' I end up in.
This applies to you too.
...Still... I should ensure that I'm prepared.
Do you have a message that you feel a need to deliver but cannot seem to get through?
Perhaps this will be the nudge that you need to find the kind of supportive environment beneficial to your ability to flourish? After all, Toastmasters is World-wide and you may very well find a club near you.
If you found this post interesting and would like to share this with your friends then a resteem couldn't hurt.
If you 'didn't' like this then feel free to share your views in comments. A civil conversation can go a long way.
Sincerely,
Previous Post: The Pale Houses of Oia - MonoMad
Nice post.
As I continue to work out how the world works and come to the realisation that pretty much everything I believed in is a lie, the passion and anger this realisation creates within me makes it difficult for me to effectively deliver my message on particular subjects. I feel such passion that when I get into a debate or conversation I am sometimes unable to stop my face from going red and my eyes bulging. I am not at all angry in the sense that I am about to lose control or anything but unfortunately, it can come across this way to people and obvioulsly this makes it less likely that people will listen to or even consider what I am saying.
This is something that I need to work on as I feel that I have all the ideas in my head ready to be delivered but struggle to do so in a calm and considered way. It's an interesting problem I suppose. I watch some speakers who in my opinion are too calm and I am not interested in what they are saying because they do not seem interested themselves, but I am on the other side of the spectrum.
Similar to someone like Alex Jones I suppose (although he is an extreme example). He has so much information and feels so passionately about things (either that or he is a talented actor/shill) that he often ends up shouting and ranting incoherently and by doing so he undermines himself and turns many people away from what he is saying. They just stop listening.
I don't rant and shout like Alex but I do get very passionate, and when you are trying to speak to people about things that if properly considered would turn their world upside down, it is hardly surprising that they get passionate about it too and I need to keep this at the front of my mind when speaking, particularly to an audience who instinctively disagree with what I am saying (this is a contentious topic in itself).
Anyway, I think I went a bit of topic there but your post made me think and that is a good thing. An advice or words of wisdom are always appreciated.
i consider communication skills #1 in any of the project 😎
Thank you kindly @hassanabid :c)
Agreed. Communication is very important - and not just in public speaking. Can you imagine the chaos that could be caused if the engineer is unable to explain to the builders what is precisely needed to build a particular bridge?
Thank you for stopping by!