D. H. Lawrence, the controversial English novelist, said, "... when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot."
Marcus T. Cicero said, "A good orator is pointed and impassioned."
A great speech is a joyous celebration of the possibilities inherent to language. A speech that brings the audience to its feet has gathered the strongest of compliments.
Lastly, here’s an odd little tip that I picked up from a public speaking class in New York last year that has helped me immensely: It’s called systematic desensitization, and it involves imagining the worst-case scenario and events that would make you nervous while engaging in relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises. I don’t know why this helps, but it does! Keep in mind that systematic desensitization requires a long-term approach. Don’t expect a miracle overnight, but if you keep at it you will very likely change the way you think about public speaking.
Image: RAG New York
Article comments
1 - Vincent Stevenson
Many thanks for this wonderful blog post. I spend far too much time in class and not enough time researching. I appreciate it enormously when somebody produces invaluable research like this.
Regards Vince
2 - James Fellows
Re: the Lilly Walters comment, the author, educator and activist Parker Palmer has a lovely way of putting it. He suggests that in our listening, in our hearing, we can literally ‘hear each other into speech,; that the quality of our listening can bring out something fresh, new and even surprising in the speaker.
3 - Daniel Kingsley
Interesting article. Re the breathing exercises, there is some interesting research by Dr Stephen Porges that suggests that anything that let's our bodies know that we feel safe allows us to be more relational. He suggests that breathing out slowly is one of those things that triggers this safety response.