A Strong Beginning

‘Opening amenities are often opening inanities’
-Winston Churchill

In other words, the usual twaddle at the beginning of a speech is usually a waste of time.

You know the drill “Tis an honour to speak….And it’s good to see Peter. I remember golfing with him last year in ….That reminds me of a story…” and after some worn out joke and polite, probably forced laughter, finally getting to the point.

Boring!!!

“I never say ‘It gives me great pleasure,’ to speak to any audience because there are only a few activities from which I derive intense pleasure and speaking is not one of them” said Churchill.

“Churchill believed that praise in the beginning of a speech comes off as flattery; the same praise in the middle of a speech comes off as sincerity” wrote James Humes’ in his expose of Churchill’s methods.

Tell a girl as she gets out of a car that she looks nice – well, chances are everyone does that and its even expected. If half way through dinner you comment on how beautifully her earrings set of her face and you will have her eating out of your hand.

It’s the same in a speech. If you can praise someone, or make a recommendation in a way that it sounds like an aside, it sounds like you mean it.

“By the way, I think we can all agree that John’s untiring effort for the Orphan charity fund is the type of dedication we’re talking about.”
“…and I am sure everyone here agrees how marvelously Mary has decorated the room this evening.”

• Opening a speech with a joke diminishes your credibility.
• Opening your speech with a joke is like dressing in a clown suit and expecting to be taken seriously.
• Opening jokes relax the speaker, not the audience.

If you need an opening joke then learn to relax.
If you must use a joke, then save it for the middle of a speech. I once heard a speaker effectively use humour to make a main point in his speech. It was not to break the ice, the jokes punch line hammered home his theme.

So let’s look at a few possible approaches.

Hit them with Power
When Churchill gave his first speech as Prime Minister Britain faced possible extermination.
“I have nothing to offer but blood, toils, tears and sweat.”
Now that’s a powerful opening.
Star with your own quotable quote.

Quote a Respected Authority
“Winston Churchill once said ….”
“Abraham Lincoln once said ….”
Make sure the quote is cut to one – at most two – sentences.

Tell a Story…
Ok not just any story. A story where a person faces a challenge bring out the juicy dilemma’s. Paint his frustration.
“The manager of our IT departments came to me this morning with this problem…’
Better yet tell a story that comes from your experience.

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The ear is one tenth of the organ of the eye

Speaker James Humes narrates the story of a hotel breakfast he had with a man he sensed he knew, who had recognized him and sat down to talk. Mr. Hume tried everything to politely get the man to hint to his identity but finally after three cups of coffee, he resorted to the traditional "Tell me, how’s the family?""His stricken face flashed his name as soon as I blurted out that line"' wrote James Humes. "It was Claus von Bulow, the aristocratic socialite accused of attempting to murder his wife"... It was like saying "Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the play last night?'

We know thousands of faces but few of us rarely register the names.

The ear is one tenth of the organ of the eye.

Yet we often live with the delusion that people are hanging on to every word we speak. The truth is very little heard by our ears is retained. We are constantly deleting the noise around us from our consciousness.
If we want to have a point remembered it must stand out as a headline stands out. How? Use repetition. Repetition for emphasis. Yet be warned! Just as a sign that is all headlines is confusing a preacher who thumps his fist and hammers home every line tires his audience. Just as a beautiful symphony builds up to memorable highlight, you must craft your words to add to explain and illuminate the point you are making.
Focus on the point you want your audience to remember and highlight it with laser like intensity. In addition to being a memory aid, repetition helps your audience understand your ideas clearly and know what to do with them.

But How?

Immediately restate an important point when it is made or after you have developed a main idea.
After you have had an important conversation restate the point: "The main point of our conversation that I hope you remember is...."
Sometimes we sense that our audience is not grasping our theme. It is at this point we need to emphasize, re-explain or reiterate the point, perhaps using different word, or even a different illustration.
In the case of sales, how your product can serve the customer’s needs must constantly emphasized. This requires you know the customer and get to know what (s)he needs. Perhaps you will need to tailor your product to his requirements, fine. Yet for the sale to go through he must know about it!
A lecture is not a report to be read blandly without regard to your audience. Rather, a talk is a projection of your personality and your ideas and life out to others. Like any relationship, it is not one sided.
How you develop your theme and newer questions will determine if your audience will remain interested and remember your main point.
Perhaps on stating your topic you might use short statements to outline the main points in your introduction, providing an overview of the questions answered and problems you will solve. You may even state how many main points will be discussed and number them. Once each point is covered, restate it and at the conclusion lie all these points into a unified whole. Explain how they tie together, both in the linking of sub points one to the next and again at the conclusion.
An effective conclusion will be expanded elsewhere; however, your conclusion must tie together your points into a single theme that your audience is to remember. You must not only be sure your audience knows your point, but that they know what you want them to do with the material.
You want your listener to act on your advice, so emphasize it!

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There Is That Act of Preparing The Moment You Start Caring

“There is that act of preparing the moment you start caring”

Winston Churchill

Irish born Bourke Cockran was described by U.S. Presidents Taft and Wilson as America’s greatest orator. Cockran coached Franklin Rooservelt and mentored Winston Churchill, Churchill once asked Cockran “What is the secret of eleguence?” to which came the reply “Believing in what you are talking about. Sincerity”
Many speakers parrot of facts and figures, obviously bored out of their brain, or really just getting the lecture out of the road. They have to do it, its just a job and everyone in the audience knows it!
Who of us has not had to write a school report and put it off, finally we start collecting information and before long through the act of preparing we are involved in the process of learning and delivering the material. The act of preparation can do so much to raise enthusiasm. Remember you need to know more about the subject than anyone else there, So get involved learn and you will be inspired.
Imagine going to a doctor and the doctor showed no interest in you. He shed you all his metricates and degrees but seemed uninterested in your health. You would change doctor! Its the same with speakers. If you want a second invitation be interested, you better be enthralled in your topic.

People don’t care how much you know unless they know how much you care.

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Dont bite off more than you can chew!!

This is part 2 in Overcoming Butterflies

Dont bite off more than you can chew!! Or retranslated: master your material and keep to a theme.

Churchill's maiden speech was well recieved. He spoke on his recollections in the Boer War where he was captured, escaped, and mades a triumphal reentry into Natal, and fought is one of the first to enter Ladysmith and Pretoria when these were recaptured.

His second speech was not so successful.

Perhaps Churchill thought he needed to make his mark so he covered everything from finance, foriegn policy and education even attaccking the Prime Minister.
Churchill blew it! Why. because he thought he would not have enough to say! As intellectual as Churchill was he could never cover so much in one speech.

Later, Churchill advised young diplomat on this very point. The young man talked on many important things but when he asked Winston for advice, churchill replied "You didnt have a theme".

To lead we need to be clear in our intention and everything we say must amplify and explain that intention. To put in Churchill's words, we must stick to a theme.

Clarity of intention comes from focusing your efforts on where they will do the most good.

Talking, or writing about, marketing? Marketing is a huge topic. Do you mean internet marketing? Perhaps you could focus on Search Engine Optimization, or how to write selling articles. If your a teacher perhaps you could write about marketing products to the education sector. Don't write about archaeology, but rather the development of bichrome pots in ancient Philistia. Keep the focus narrow and explain that well. Master a concise topic and become an expert.

Butterflies come from the fear of looking stupid. However, if you can explain to someone something they doid not know then you have done what is expected of you.

At the time you face an exam you must know more than anyone else - even if you forget it next week.

when you speek in public you must have examined yout topic - your narrowly, clearly defined topic - better than anyon else. You must have examined the topic from a variety of angles and be totally confident in it. If you walk on the platform fully prepared, then you can feel you know more than anyone else in the audience.

That expertise gives confidence!

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Dont think of fear as a deterrent. Its a kick in the rear to prepare

"Dont think of fear as a deterrent. Its a kick in the rear to prepare."

Those words came from Helen Hayes a stage performer of over 60 years experience. She admitted to nerves, describing pre curtian jitters as a "familiar companion that nagged me to do my very best."

In other words dont let fear intimidate you. Even Winston Churchill fainted at one of his first public presentations.
The fear of looking foolish is so strong that psychologists have claimed that the most common nightmare before a public presentation is a dream of being naked before an audience. By the way Winston Churchill initially overcame his fear by imagining his audience were naked. however, he did develop a method based from his experiences as a young army officer on the Afghan border. He realized that he had to overcome every nervous mannerism or his men would give way to fear, and as chrchill admitted "only a fool is not afraid of being shot at."

Churchill learned to control his emotions, at firast tightly gri[[ing the lectern until he could look into the eyes of his audience.

Just as an army officer cannot aord to let his men see his fear, you should never give your audience anty excuse to doubt your ability.

The British foreign Office motto became Churchill's own adage: "Never excuse, never explain, never complain."
So many speakers begin with the aside "I am not a very good speaker" or "I did not get time to prepare" as if somehow this will somehow buffer them from a negative audience. Allit does is plant a seed of doubt ibto your audience mind!

If they dont know, dont tell them!

Actress Ethel Barrymore, who turned down Winston Churchill's proposal of marraige, also faced the jitters in her career of six decades. She advised Churchill: "Winston, you've just got to put on an act!"

So if your nervous, act like a season professional, skilled, suave, persuasive and feel the confidence you desire.

Step 2 in the Balle against nerves in a few days!

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