Start Small to Win Big
No… this is not a betting tip although there is some truth in it! (grins)
But seriously, if you are dying to become a much more competent speaker in the most effortless way, you gotta start small to win big! Starting something - say losing weight - is always the easiest because of the initial wave of enthusiasm and optimism. However as time goes, your balloon of enthusiam and optimism get pierced by the reality of your world. No time. No energy. No results. That’s why our new year resolutions rarely change…
My recommendation is for you to start small. Instead of reading the entire volume of public speaking books in a month, try reading one public speaking related article everyday! Or it can be one chapter from a public speaking book everyday. Just one. And if you have time, there is no harm reading more. In this case, frequency is much more important. Not only will you achieve more in the long run, your regular readings will become a habit after a while (which is even better!) And the best part, the task doesn’t seem that daunting! It is almost too easy!
Besides reading one article a day, I would also recommend that you apply one new tip to every speech that you make. Trust me, reading books and articles is simply not good enough. You have to try them out and see if it works for you. Otherwise, whatever that you have read is just pure knowledge. Just like swimming - it is almost impossible to master swimming just by reading volumes of swimming books. You may be an expert in 201 swimming styles but when I throw you into the deep end of the pool, you will most likely drown.
The same goes for public speaking. No amount of books is going to help you get better unless you put what they have taught you into practice. You gotta internalise what you have learnt and the easiest way is to just do it! So the next time you read an article or a book, note down the tips and then apply one (just one) to your next speech. See if it works. If it does, great! Keep it and try another tip. If it doesn’t, drop it and try another tip! In no time, you will amass an armory full of workable tips that are tried and tested! How not to wow your audience away??
So remember, starting from today…
1. Read ONE public speaking article a day
2. Try ONE tip/technique that you have read about in your next speech
Only by starting small, will you win big!
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Scott has a more detailed explanation of the importance of learning by doing. You can read it here.
