Combat the Law of Familiarity with these emotionally-charged public speaking tips! [Wednesdays: “Speak on the Shoulders of Giants”]
Last week, we talked about how to incorporate force properly in public speaking.
We also discussed 3 things that will help you make forceful presentations without using big voice power: Conviction, Purpose, and Wording.
Today, we’ll focus on 2 other important aspects you need to incorporate into your talk to make your message effective and impactful.
These are…
Feelings and Enthusiasm!
According to American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson,
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
Likewise, Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle said,
“Every great movement in the annals of history has been the triumph of enthusiasm.”
See? Even some of the greatest names in history acknowledge the role enthusiasm plays in writing, speaking, etc!
In the book, “The Art of Public Speaking,” author Dale Carnegie stated that humans are naturally emotional beings.
Therefore, if you want to become an effective speaker, you must learn to speak enthusiastically so you not only appeal to your audience’s logic but also arouse their feelings or emotions.
What can you do to show your enthusiasm about your subject and deliver an emotionally powerful speech or presentation?
- Construct a message that influences your audience’s emotions.
Dr. Gary Genard from The Genard Speech Training Program said that speakers should give equal attention to their message and their listeners.
In his words,
“The ‘content bandwagon’ is always bright, shiny, and fun to hop on. But influence is the be-all and end-all in public speaking situations.”
What does this imply to you as a speaker?
You should make it a habit to ask yourself at every stage of your preparation if the message you’re putting together will serve your purpose.
… and since “influence” means to have an effect on one’s thoughts, feelings, or actions, then you have to find the emotional wavelength of your message so that you’ll be able to tug at your audience’s feelings.
This will help you establish a connection with your listeners and compel them to welcome your thoughts, ideas, and concepts!
- Show your passion or excitement to deliver your talk.
Content cannot live on its own.
As a speaker, you have to make your message come to life and bridge the gap between you and your audience.
The good news?
You don’t have to pretend to be someone else to make that happen! You can go up on stage and be your own speaker, then speak honestly about something you believe in or would like to share.
Here’s one of the techniques you can use to do that:
Focus on building a relationship with your listeners and stop worrying too much about your performance.
Show your audience how excited you are in delivering your message and engage with them—speak in a conversational tone!
This will help you earn a positive response from your listeners such as having them welcome your perspective about a particular subject, listen to your speech or presentation, and take your call-to-action (CTA).
- Create a memorable experience for your audience.
Your job as a speaker is more than just conveying information.
If you think simply delivering details is all you have to do, think again. Don’t make the whole experience boring for your listeners because they feel like you’re just obliged to deliver a talk but you don’t really want to do it.
Make an effort to come up with a vibrant message that will motivate your audience to fix their attention on you.
Encourage audience interaction throughout your talk… and make sure that at the end of your speech or presentation, they learn an important lesson they can easily recall.
As Carnegie said in his book,
“Why educate when you can inspire? Why motivate when you can fire up? Why influence when you can change lives?”
If you’re shy about making an impact on your audience’s lives and reaching them on an intellectual and emotional level, then practice as many times as you can until you’re confident enough to deliver your speech or presentation.
Remember: Memos, PowerPoint presentations, and other visual tools won’t speak for you.
As a speaker, you have to be the one who’ll deliver the message to your audience and create a memorable experience for them.
- Beware of the Law of Familiarity.
[Law of Familiarity: In psychology, this refers to being exposed to something many times to the point where it becomes too familiar to you. When this happens, you start to take that thing for granted or appreciate it less.]
Imagine this scenario:
When you’ve done something for several years or talked about the same topic for over 100 times, chances are you’ll find it challenging to be excited about your speech or presentation.
Why?
It’s because that experience has become routinary and familiar!
To overcome this challenge, you have to keep in mind that a different group of audience listens to you every time even though you discuss the same topic in all your public speaking engagements.
This means no matter how familiar you are with your topic, for your listeners, it’s utterly new!
So… use that realization to reignite your passion and fan the flames of your audience’s fascination about your subject.
Relive your stories. This will help you enthusiastically deliver your talk to your audience.
According to Carnegie, one of the ways to incorporate feelings and enthusiasm into your message is this:
“You must actually enter into the character you impersonate, the cause you advocate, the case you argue―enter into it so deeply that it clothes you, enthralls you, and possesses you wholly.”
That way, your feelings and enthusiasm will both be genuine and contagious.
Do everything you can to transform your presentation from ordinary to unforgettable!
With proper delivery, you and your audience can benefit from each other’s passion and excitement and create a memorable experience with a valuable lesson.
Take note of these tips and leave a lasting impression on your audience through an enthusiastic and emotionally powerful talk!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Wednesdays: Speak on the Shoulders of Giants”
In a meeting with one person
…a boardroom with five people
…or a huge venue with hundreds of people
—whatever the situation or setting, it’s very important to learn and eventually master the art of public speaking.
No matter what, you always need to effectively get your message across.
What good is a presentation with awesome content if you don’t deliver it properly?
Every Wednesday, we publish different tips, insights, and secrets on how you can improve your presentation skills to captivate your audience and lead interesting discussions.
The need for great presentation skills applies EVERYWHERE.
(Small meetings with your team, big meetings with your boss, an important marketing pitch, speaking engagements for events with a big audience, etc.)
Learning these skills is not just for the corporate world. Being in other industries such as the Arts, Information Technology, Medicine, and Education while knowing how to present well will definitely give you an edge.
Have that advantage.
Hope you’ve found this week’s public speaking tip interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s Speak on the Shoulders of Giants!
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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