The Art of Public Speaking:
By: Christine
Smith (McFarlane)
Public speaking
is not a favorite for a lot of people. There are few who actually enjoy going
up in front of people and speaking. For me, public speaking- the very words are
anxiety provoking-make my breathing become shallow, my heart go KA THUMP…KA
THUMP…KA THUMP… and then beads of sweat break out across my forehead.
If I don’t have
a pen in my hand to play with, or a piece of paper that I can literally tear
the crap out of, I clench my fists, take a deep breath and pray that I don’t
forget what I’m going to say, or say something totally off the wall.
Public speaking
is not rocket science, but it might as well be for me! As a writer, I’m used to
sitting at my computer, and furiously typing out my stories and sending them to
print, than I am at getting up and speaking. But I have realized for a while
that if I am working on a manuscript and expecting to launch a book in the
future, I’m going to have to get used to getting myself out there and speaking.
This is where
the adage “feel the fear, and do it anyways” came in handy because when I
saw a posting from the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto (NWRCT) that
they would be hosting a two day public speaking workshop, I threw my usual
caution to the wind, shared the event with a friend and signed up.
The first day of
the workshop I felt a lot of trepidation but I met my friend who signed up for
the same workshop and went. I remember walking through the front doors of the
NWRCT, checking in at the desk, and turning to go into the main room.
Automatically I
recognized my self-defeating and anxious thoughts because in my head I heard
myself saying
“I’m not going
to be able to do this…”
“I’m going to
hate this,” and
“If I don’t like
the first day, I don’t have to go back.”
Well it turned
out, that it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I recognized that I wasn’t alone in
the anxiety provoking thoughts, and the facilitator was great at putting
everyone at ease. She had us do exercises to help us loosen up and focus, and
then came the work-coming up with brief speeches, using the skills she has used
herself-breathing exercises, mapping ideas out, using visual aids, having cue
cards etc.
The facilitator,
Shandra Shears Bombay also had us voice what our fears of public speaking were.
This is some of what people said in no particular order
Mind
racing
Tripping
over words
Rapid
heartbeart
Speaking
loud enough (mine)
Making
eye contact
Shallow
breathing
Panic
mode
Speaking
too fast
After we
identified what our fears of public speaking were, we spoke about what can help
our public speaking. Below is another short list of what helps public speaking,
but before that, we were told the number one thing is that when we go up in
front of people, its best to stay away from reading because
“Reading is the Enemy”
What helps Public Speaking:
Cue
cards that include the following- one fact, one story/example/one quote/one
visual aid)
Using
visual aids/drawing
Credibility
Credibility when
it comes to public speaking can involve the following:
Being
trustworthy
Knowing
material
Drawing
on personal experiences
Proven
experience (this can differ with everyone)
Being
approachable
Knowing
boundaries
Having
confidence
Time
and focus-time management/acknowledging your audience
Humor
Passion
and enthusiasm
Having
a modulated voice
Being
engaging and
Knowing
your audience
Public speaking
is not everyone’s favorite thing to do, but I know that at some point
personally and professionally, the issue of public speaking and having to do it
is inevitable.
I may dread
public speaking but it’s something I’m going to have to do at one point or
another in my freelance career. I know what I need to do. Practice. Practice. Practice.
For more reading
on the art of public speaking, please visit the following link
Chi miigwetch to
the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto for holding this workshop-we need
more of these types of workshops!
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