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Like the placement of this microwave, Geoff felt cornered by Margaret in the break room. (Source)
Geoff's just placed his Lean Cuisine lunch in the microwave when he notices Margaret slip into the break room. "Great," he thinks. "Now I have four minutes to deflect Margaret's banter. I should've brought peanut butter and jelly!"
"Lean Cuisine," Margaret quips, eyeing Geoff's expanding waistline. "Don't you think that's a little indulgent?"
Geoff rolls his eyes, accustomed to Margaret's judgment. He and his coworkers try to avoid Margaret because she's prone to office gossip and negativity. She's always ready to share about the latest screw-up in her department—even when it's her own fault—and is full of complaints.
Needless to say, Margaret's office presentations don't go that well, either. Just as she's devalued Geoff in the break room, she devalues her audiences, too.
In this lesson, we're going to talk about how not to be like Margaret. Because in case you hadn't picked up on this yet…her approach to public speaking (and uh, social interactions in general) isn't exactly effective.
Maybe someone should send Margaret our way so she can learn a thing or two.
HOW TO BE HEARD
Let's get started right off the bat by watching this Ted Talk by Julian Treasure called "How to speak so that people want to listen."
As you watch, listen for the following concepts:
What does Treasure call the "Seven Deadly Sins of Public Speaking"?
What does the acronym HAIL stand for?
What does it feel like to "warm up" your voice the way Treasure recommends? Did you notice a different in the way you spoke afterwards?
Do's and Don'ts
Do's and Don'ts
As you were listening to Treasure's speech, how did you react as a member of his audience? Did you believe he was an expert? Did you think he was being honest and authentic? That he was a man of integrity who wished his audience well? We think Treasure's a powerful speaker precisely because he incorporates his ideas around speaking to be heard into his own speeches.
You'll never catch Treasure committing what he calls the "Seven Deadly Sins of Public Speaking." Those include:
Gossip
Judgment
Negativity
Complaining
Making excuses
Exaggeration/lying
Dogmatism
In addition, Treasure outlines what he calls the four cornerstones of public speaking. Those are:
Honesty: How is the speaker clear and straightforward? How do you know they are being honest?
Authenticity: How does the speaker "stand in their own truth"?
Integrity: How does the speaker demonstrate the connection between their words and their actions?
Love: How does the speaker show they wish the audience, and others, well?
In our next reading, we'll be examining how two successful TED speakers demonstrate Treasure's four cornerstones, so meet us over there.
TREASURE HUNTING
So what does it look like to put the four cornerstones of public speaking into action? For this reading, we have a couple TED Talks for you to watch and analyze.
As you watch, keep an ear out for how the speakers accomplish each of Treasure's four cornerstones:
Honesty: How is the speaker clear and straightforward? How do you know they are being honest?
Authenticity: How does the speaker "stand in their own truth"?
Integrity: How does the speaker demonstrate the connection between their words and their actions?
Love: How does the speaker show they wish the audience, and others, well?
Ready to dive in?
"Why I live in mortal fear of public speaking"
"Why I live in mortal fear of public speaking"
First, watch Megan Washington's speech "Why I live in mortal fear of public speaking."
In her speech, the successful Australian singer/songwriter discusses the strategies she's developed to control her stuttering. In fact, she attributes her success as a performing artist to singing because it's impossible to stutter while singing.
Washington closes the speech with a song, but the audience is on her side long before the opening note. That's because her speech is overflowing with great examples of what Treasure called the four cornerstones of public speaking.
Honesty
Washington opens her speech by matter-of-factly revealing she's got a stutter. She says she's got a problem, though she knows it's not the worst one in the world: "I'm not on fire."
She acknowledges that music and speech are, for her, inextricably linked, and that singing was an early strategy she used to avoid stuttering. Another strategy she uses, the "smooth speech" method, sounds almost like a radio announcers voice, fluently blending words and sounds together. Washington says she'll use smooth speech when economy of time calls for it, but it's "not actually me."
Authenticity
She believes her work is a place for her to be honest and real, and prefers allowing herself to stutter during her speech to give the audience a fuller view of her. She stands in her truth and doesn't try to diminish or hide her problem.
Integrity
Washington says that when she sings she experiences "sweet relief"—it's a time when her speech is totally fluent and she can say exactly what she means without resorting to verbal loopholes like changing words at the last minute or avoiding sound combinations like "st." At the same time, she acknowledges that her speech impediment is a part of who she is, and she remains true to that, too.
Love
She ends her speech with a song—a gift for the audience that demonstrates generosity.
"Why I keep speaking up even when people mock my accent"
"Why I keep speaking up even when people mock my accent"
Next, watch Safwat Saleem's speech "Why I keep speaking up even when people mock my accent."
Don't forget to take note of how Saleem accomplishes each of Treasure's four cornerstones, then meet us back here for the recap after you viewed the speech.
Honesty
Saleem frankly and openly discusses his lifelong fears of public speaking. He begins by sharing his recurring dream in which he walks into a crowded room full of strangers.
When someone introduces themselves, he's unable to respond, and the all the strangers in the room mock him, chanting "Have you forgotten your name?" Later in the speech, Saleem talks about giving up using his voice in his work because of negative Internet feedback about his accent. (It turns out, not everyone on the Internet is polite). Eventually, though, Saleem returned to using his own, unedited voice in his work.
Authenticity
Saleem stands firmly in his truth by not changing anything about himself. He says he used to wish he were "normal"—until he started re-defining for himself what "normal" is.
Saleem uses the lack of reference, or complete misunderstanding of, color in ancient literature to understand the reactions to his accent. Homer, the Bible, even Icelandic literature gets colors wrong—Homer described people's faces as green—because, scholars concluded, cultures don't recognize colors until they can make them: "So until then, even though a color might be all around them, they simply did not have the ability to see it. It was invisible. It was not a part of their normal," Saleem says.
Integrity
When he was younger, he avoided speaking at all costs—he even hated answering the telephone at home. As his thoughts on the subject matured, Saleem realized that his speech is part of a palette of sounds and patterns that need more exposure to be recognized.
Love
Saleem demonstrates love through his speech by showing his curiosity about how others react to accent while remaining firmly planted in his own truth. He shows vulnerability to the audience by sharing some of his inner struggles, and kindness by ending the speech on with his humorous animations.
HAIL Storm
HAIL Storm
So there you have it: From famous folks to viral video makers, the fear of public speaking—no matter the cause—doesn't have to get in the way of success or making your voice heard. Think about how you might incorporate honesty, authenticity, integrity, and love into your next public speaking engagement.
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