New Hope for the Podium
Impaired
Do the butterflies
fly in formation when you talk before a crowd, or do you
feel like you're having an out-of-body experience? If
the thought of giving a speech makes you break out in
a sweat, here's good news. Help is on the way. In fact,
for some of us, it's just around the corner. That's because
the author of a primer on public speaking is located right
here in Ohio.
Rob Sherman,
an OSAE member whose Columbus-based firm, Sherman Leadership
Group, coaches executives on how to improve their speaking
skills, was a featured speaker at OSAE's annual conference
in Toledo this August. He has written a gem of a book,
Sherman's 21 Laws of Speaking: How To Inspire Others to
Action.
Sherman covers
the basics but also packs the knowledge and experience
he has gained as an attorney, executive director and public
speaker within the paperback's 128 pages to guide you,
step by step, through the process of preparing your message
and delivering it with a bang. If you already feel comfortable
in front of a mike, the news gets even better. Sherman's
21 will help you turn up the temperature to transform
a passable speech into a memorable one.
Sherman's
book doesn't break new ground. It makes familiar territory
a quick read that's easy to digest and easy to remember,
a must for busy association execs who already have a zillion
things on their minds.
Zip to Law
#2: Speak with passion, and you'll inspire others (and
leave your fears behind). It's impossible to sustain the
kind of gut-wrenching stage fright that keeps speakers
frozen at the podium when you're talking about something
you love. There's simply not enough room in the pit of
your stomach to feel both passionate and scared witless.
On the contrary,
when you speak from the heart about issues that matter
to you, you rise above your fears, and the sincerity and
passion of your liberated delivery will automatically
move your audience. They will sense the genuine feeling
behind your words and respond accordingly. As is noted
in an earlier chapter, by revealing our authentic selves,
we set an inspired example.
Here are a few other tips from the book:
Law #5. Stick
with your theme - it's a roadmap to understanding. Start
with a single idea, Sherman says, then build on it. Your
audience will know you have a sense of direction and allow
you to show them the way. Study your subject till you
know it well. As you become an expert on your speaking
topic, your confidence will grow, adding power to your
presentation.
Law #14. No
language is as effective as body language. You want them
to remember your message, not the terribly captivating
way you kept twirling a lock of hair or twisting the band
of your wristwatch. A proven method for eliminating distracting
body language is to tape a video of your presentation
and review it. You can only work at eliminating nervous
tics when you know what they are.
Law #20. Never
end with questions and answers. If you close your presentation
with a Q&A session, you lose control and momentum
right when you should be building to that striking sendoff.
You can't close with a bang if you've just handed your
shotgun to the audience. End strong. Allow an interval
for questions, then say your closing remarks. If you've
been inspired to action by a powerful speech, you know
how valuable to an association leader such a skill can
be. Some of us are born with it, but it can also be learned,
and that's the best news of all.
Get the book.
It engages. You could toss it in your briefcase for a
flight out of town and be finished by the time you land.
Then prepare to speak with passion, to make your message
memorable, and to never ever let em see you sweat!
-Sammi
Soutar is the president and founder of Able Management
Solutions, Inc., an association management company (AMC)
located in Columbus, Ohio. To order a copy of Rob Sherman's
book, call toll free: (877) 532-3372. Some of the principles
in his book will be discussed during an OSAE roundtable
for AMCs on how to improve sales presentations, scheduled
for April 2001.
