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The Speaker |
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One of the judges on public-speaking talent show The Speaker (Tuesdays, BBC2) is Jeremy Stockwell, who coaches everyone from politicians to priests.
Follow his tips for successful "interpersonal communication" and you could be the speech-making match of top orator Barack Obama!
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1 Nerves are vanity
They are all about "me". Turn your nerves around by thinking generously of your audience. You'll find your nerves go because, psychologically, you can't be generous and selfish at the same time.
2 Relax
If you are tense, your audience will be tense, because they are responding to you. Put them at their ease – then you can communicate.
3 Be aware of your feet
It gives you a solid foundation. You won't feel like a pushover. Try this exercise: stand up and face a wall. Put your focus in your head and ask someone to give you a push – you fall off balance. Put your attention in your feet and you stand your ground.
4 Sound natural
The tone of your voice is affected by your physicality. Make your default setting as natural as possible. Feet grounded, breathe in from your belly and your voice will be less high-pitched and stressed, and more natural.
5 Receive, don't project
Don't throw stuff at your audience with hand gestures; receive your audience. Physically make a gathering-in gesture with your hands and you calm down.
6 Breathe properly
When you stand on a platform and you're not sure of yourself, your musculature tightens and you start to breathe in your chest. Panic sets in: your heart beats faster, your mouth goes dry, your palms go wet. So breathe properly. Put your hands on your belly and feel yourself breathing from there. That's how we breathe naturally – watch children when they are sleeping and see how their belly goes up and down. Children breathe beautifully.
7 Some words matter more than others
Of course what you are saying matters, otherwise you might as well be emailing them. But remember: an audience will only really take away three points. So be clear what you want them to go away with. Be specific. Rather like Obama, you have to have clarity of purpose. In his inaugural speech he hadn't over-rehearsed. He existed in the present and had great presence.
8 Don't learn verbatim
I never write down what I want to say. If you learn your words verbatim you'll become hung up on getting them right. And because you are tense, you'll have difficulty remembering them. I might write down a few cues, but hardly any. In business, don't give a Powerpoint presentation featuring 100 slides. Maybe have one word or image as an aide-mémoire.
9 Avoid stimulants
Alcohol is not a stimulant. It depresses us. Drink or drugs will lead your audience to think it's the drink or drugs talking. They want to hear a human being talk. The way you'll change hearts and minds is if there's nothing in the way.
10 Be inspired
Preparation is good, but so is inspiration. It's like chess. You can learn your gambits, but something is going to happen that means you will have to respond. Be prepared to be inspired.
Jeremy Stockwell was speaking to Radio Times's Tom Loxley.
Visit the official Speaker website
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