Will Speak for Food

At the close of the two and a half day Excellence in Speaking course, one of our top instructors, Anne Boyd Moore, leaves our graduates with this thought: "You are now able to change what people think by how you communicate. Do you have the courage to use the skills that you've attained?"

That, of course, is the key: putting what you learned into a daily practice, pulling out all of the tools that you've acquired, one by one, and using them every chance that you get. 

1. Practicing them
2. Honing them
3. Becoming proficient in their use

Right this minute you are probably thinking, "Well, sure, I realize that's what it's all about, but I don't get that many opportunities to practice in front of an audience." But, as the Ty Boyd faculty teaches, if you think that these tools and skills are only applicable when you are required to speak to a group, then you are missing about 90% of their value.

All of us speak to the public every day. Some days, our public is our children, our spouse, our boss, our coworkers, our customers. Some days, the event that will demand the most of our skills is as simple as getting our point across to the car dealership mechanic. Every day, in every way, we communicate. We need to do it well, do it effectively and use the tools that are taught in Ty Boyd's Excellence in Speaking course.

With that said, if you want to get in front of a room of people and practice your speaking skills, there are many opportunities for that, as well. Every day there are meetings of networking groups, professional associations and community organizations in your area. Many of these organizations need speakers. Granted, most won't pay you, but they might throw in a free lunch. The opportunity to reach an audience, build your reputation, cause customers to seek you out, and to fine tune those tools is worth every minute of your time. The boxed lunch is simply a bonus.

You can find groups to speak to by watching for meeting notices in newspapers and newsletters and asking local chambers of commerce for directories of organizations. Figure out who your target audience is and identify the groups that meet your criteria.

Here are some do's and don'ts to keep in mind the next time you give a speech:

1. Use a good title for your talk.
2. Establish a bond with your audience. For instance, point out local people you know, or local events with which you are familiar.
3. Never talk down to your audience.
4. 80% of our ideas come from what we see. Use objects to illustrate your talk even if they are only newspaper clippings or pamphlets.
5. Never run over your allotted time.

The more speaking engagements you do, the better you get. The better you get, the more your confidence grows. Becoming an effective speaker builds your credibility and influence and opens up all sorts of career opportunities.