do you remember playing with blocks or Legos when you were younger successfully
creating any structure with building blocks as a process that takes place
over time you can't start with the finishing touches and then go back later
and worry about the bones of the building in truth
much of the same can be said for learning to become an effective speaker
one of the biggest things to keep in mind as a beginning public speaker is
that becoming an effective speaker is something that takes place over time not
all at once
this video will briefly discuss that process and walk you through the
building blocks of public speaking
chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said the journey of a thousand miles begins with
one step
so too does your journey toward becoming an effective speaker as you start your
journey
remember that it's important to put first things first
some people jump to the end and worry about how many colors and fonts they
should use in their powerpoint or whether their hand gestures are
effective there are a few other things to think about before you get to that
point though putting first things first in public speaking means starting with a
good foundation
simply put the first step in your journey is to be able to stand in front
of an audience without passing out throwing up or running away
I'm not being facetious if you can get up the first couple of times and avoid
these major snafus then you should consider it a success you will have
shown yourself that the world won't end and speaking in public may not be the
worst thing that ever happens in your life
congratulate yourself on laying a solid foundation for success as a public
speaker
once you've established the foundation you can begin to focus on the next level
items that established a framework for your speeches building an effective
framework involves being more intentional and conscientious about
things like topic selection organization the outline introductions and
conclusions supporting materials and source citation these are essential
items that give your speech structure and make it easier for the audience to
understand and follow along without thoughtful planning and considered
structure your speech will lack the framework that is necessary to hold up
the content with a solid foundation and framework in place you can begin to
consider some ways to dress up your speech with some furnishings what kind
of language and linguistic devices can you use to enhance your message what
delivery method is best suited for this kind of speech
how might you use presentational aids to improve audience understanding and
connection to the topic are there delivery elements that are distracting
the audience from the message
how can i remove them what delivery elements can be added to convey
credibility and strengthen the speech in general
these are the sort of higher level adjustments that can add a great deal to
the effectiveness of your speech they should only be given consideration
however once you've mastered the foundation and framework levels
finally the pinnacle of the pyramid being built are the finishing touches
once you have the basics of public speaking in hand you can begin to give
attention to some of the finer points of the craft one item in this arena would
be limiting vocalized pauses such as um uh and like another would be owning the
stage in general by speaking with increased charisma confidence and
connection to the audience as you progress as a speaker and the other
things come more naturally to you then you will find you have more time and
energy to give to these kinds of finishing touches the moral of this
story is that building these skills takes time focus on first things first
to build a firm foundation and a solid framework then give attention to the
higher level skills as you master the previous levels if you take your journey
one step at a time one building block at a time you'll be at the top of your
speaking game before you know it
check out some of our other videos for more insight into the public speaking
process