Public Speaking

 Public speaking is not just about verbalizing an intensely long pool of words that can be eyeballed in a minute. Through various presentations I’ve endured, I’ve learnt that it is about entertaining your audience and selling yourself effectively. What I’d like to share – is that public speaking, is not a one-way conversation. Even if some audience participation is received in the rare best case scenario, it’s not an interactive dialogue either. It’s a performance.

 After having conquered a short stint in a dance team, I’ve more or less mastered what it means to be a performer. Three major take-aways, or what the Chinese may say, coins placed into my pocket, are:

1. Dramatize
2. The show must go on (also a much uttered phrase in Moulin Rouge)
3. Inhuman

 Dramatize. This is basically going overboard with the emotions. An uplifting segment needs to be portrayed by a delirious grin, not a small closed-lip smile. An emotional bit needs to drive both the speaker and the audience alike to a teary end. Dance-related comments such as “Raise your arm fully. In the middle no-go” is a closer cousin to public speaking than most people think. An ubiquitous and cheesy sports-meet cheer that unfortunately hasn’t met its maker goes “Half-way? No way.” To sum it up, every word must be backed up by larger-than-life emotions and actions.

 The show must go on. In Moulin Rouge, the beautiful Satine played by Nicole Kidman appears to be disturbingly addicted to this very phrase. It’s context in the movie is that even a pneumonia-afflicted night-club dancer must deliver a perfect performance. Strangely, this is so very apt for public speaking. Missed a line? Don’t lose the smile, and go on. Forgot the words? This is not an episode of “Don’t forget the lyrics”. The buzzer hasn’t sounded on your speech. Stricken with nature’s untimely beckoning? Well, that’s yet another missed call. Very simply, nothing should falter or stop your speech/performance.

 Inhuman. Though a fun and amusing way to present oneself, this does not translate into dressing up like a robot/fembot/character from Death Note. It simply means to present a picture of unworldly perfection. This means an unnatural calmness, an unfaltering smile, an unusual confidence and perfect enunciation that teeters on the edge of impressing and chilling the audience. How? Practice, practice and more practice. For me, the purpose of having this rather sadistic kind of perfection – is to impress.

 In conclusion, to me, a good public speech should be a flawlessly executed performance, with the added burden of hoodwinking the audience into believing that the speech flows naturally from within rather than being rehearsed. That being said, this is not an advertisement or shameless plug to join your friendly community centre lindy hop class – it’s an FYI post-it that success skills applicable to other activities can be cross-breeded to formulate a winning public speech.

-Stella