2022 Winter Olympics
The 2022 Winter Olympics recently ended. Whether you're a fan of curling, ice skating or downhill skiing, the Olympics is where people come together to share in man's wonderful desire to be the best that is humanly possible. So, what's that got to do with public speaking? Quite a lot.
Public Speaking was an Olympic event
It's a little-known fact that public speaking was one of the original Olympic disciplines. The Greeks, going back 2,500 years, were the first to establish educational institutions that taught rhetoric to those who would become its leaders, lawmakers, and prominent citizens. If you were unable to stand up and debate your corner of the argument, there would be little opportunity for advancement in the Greek intellectual hierarchies. Becoming a great orator was the equivalent of becoming a YouTube influencer.
In modern times, speaking is a popular hobby for hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, and it has a fantastic crossover with your professional life. I moved into training in IT systems about 30 years ago, and I still really enjoy the buzz of sharing my knowledge and skills with many people who are often much younger. When I moved into speaking 20 years ago, I suddenly realised how much room there was for self-improvement. Confidence, allied with improved vocal technique, makes for a memorable training intervention (knowing your material inside out really helps you speak confidently).
When I became a member of my local speakers' club, it became clear that there were several areas for improvement. For some years, I had wrestled with the joy of fantastic feedback one week followed by some not-so-fantastic feedback the next. I could never work out why they sometimes loved me and sometimes clearly did not. It all came down to vocal technique and confidence, the simple fact that: It's not what you say, it's the way that you say it.
Public speaking requires vocal energy
Clearly, there would be weeks when I was highly motivated and brimming with enthusiasm for my subject matter and my attendees. There were other times when my vocal energy had clearly stayed at home. If you speak without belief, enthusiasm, sincerity, or passion, you must assume that everybody turned off some time ago. If you do not vary your pitch, pace, pauses, and projection, it becomes a miserable event for your audience.
Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley once said, "There is only one corner of the universe that you can change, and that is your own." At first glance, there is merit in his remark, but as a trainer, it provides a constant stream of exceptional opportunities to positively influence your students on a daily, weekly, and annual basis. The opportunity is to read between the lines of your subject matter and inject motivation and inspiration into each sentence. Bring your subject matter alive by using anecdotes, analogies, metaphors, and case studies. Deliver your subject spontaneously in the moment.
A return of public speaking to the Olympics
I would like to see public speaking return to the Olympic program. Would it not be marvellous to see the world's best speakers battling it out on TV in front of five hundred million viewers? Why not? Would it not be wonderful if professional speakers earned the same type of money as our top sports stars? Why not? Before I make it happen, I must first have that dream… the return of public speaking at an Olympic event.
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