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Written by Cicero Oliveira
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If you want to follow certain career paths, it is quite hard, sometimes impossible, to be successful without being at least a good public speaker. Some people are natural and feel at ease speaking to either hundreds or five people, they simply seem unfazed. The rest of us need some training. Of course, there are those of us who will hardly need to speaking in public. But when you choose a career like politics, there is no way you can be successful without being a proficient public speaker. Sometimes the power of your speech raise above your ideas and you can practically convince people to do whatever you want. Most of the times it is all about enthusiasm. Audiences feel thrilled when listening to someone speaking from their heart. I've watched a fair amount of speechs online (I am a great fan of TED) but I've never seen, actually never thought it would be possible, to turn what could be enthusiasm in something scary. This week's speech is an example of what not to do. Sometimes, having your notes and rehearsing is not enough. You need to learn how to convey your message using the right tone and posture. Check this out: For those of you wondering: he didn't get nominated. |
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Written by Cicero Oliveira
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One of my favourite quotes about book writing comes from one of the most famous writer in the world: Stephen King. He's simple statement is: "It is all about the story." When we are writing a book we should focus on telling a good story, that is what's important. When delivering a speech, we are not always comfortable in front of an audience, sometimes we just are not. In Adora Svitak's speech, What adults can learn from kids, if we look at it critically, we can say that at some times she does not get the highest score on the Amazing Public Speaker's Scale (I just made this up, I think). However, it hardly matters because her speech is delivered with so much passion and the content is so interesting that we are completely captured by her enthusiasm and the story she is sharing. Enjoy! |
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Written by Cicero Oliveira
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Public speaking skills are required in many different situations. Some times, the situations are simple and we don't realize we are using our speaking skills or should be using them. Meetings where you have the share your opinion or introduce yourself are good examples. Most of the time, when we think about speaking in public, an audience comes to mind and we end up being in front of them because we volunteered or because we were invited. People comfortable with public speaking consider an invitation to be an honour, the others, not quite. This week's speech is one of my favourites, delivered by one of my favourite speakers, Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs delivers at least one of his famous keynote speeches every year during the release of the new Apple products. He is one of those persons that brings up opinions from everyone. People are hardly indifferent to him. It is hard to deny that he is a successful entrepreneur and a brave person who trusts his own judgement and does not shy away from his achievements as well as his mistakes. Apple does not do customer research before creating a new product, Jobs says customer don't know what technology is available and what can be achieved, how can they know what they want? He quotes Henry Ford, "If I asked the customer's what they wanted, they would have asked for a faster horse." The speech posted here is the commencement speech he delivered at the Stanford University in 2005. It was a hard year for him, he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It is amazing how he shares his story while giving some interesting advices for people just about to start their career, their adult live. Advices from the biggest private Disney shareholder should not be taken lightly. A man brave enough to share not only his successes but also his failures. |
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Written by Cicero Oliveira
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Public speaking is one of those skills that can be acquired through practice. The more we do it, the more comfortable we feel when sharing our ideas in front of others. However, our skills can also be improved by observation. By critically looking at skilled speakers we can learn a few tricks. Delivering a good speech is not just about sending a message. A speech is more remarkable when it is entertaining and interesting. Ultimately, it is not just about conveying information but doing it in a way that will keep the audience's attention and be remembered long after they heard it. One of my first speeches delivered at the Bay Street Breakfast Club was about how I taught my son to read when he was about two years old. After I was finished, many people expressed their interest in education, exactly as the speaker on this Speech of the Week says. Sir Ken Robinson delivered this speech, entitled "Schools Kill Creativity", at the TED Conference in 2006. Sir Robinson's speech is entertaining, informative and his ideas stay with you for quite some time. Enjoy: |
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