Carnegie Language Breakthroughs and the Art of Communication

Chapter 10 Basic Principles for Efficient Speech (4)
Action seems to follow feeling, but in fact action and feeling go hand in hand; action is directly controlled by thought.Likewise, by conditioning action, we indirectly condition feeling, which is not directly controlled by the will.

Therefore, if we have lost our natural joy, the best way to achieve joy is to sit up and talk happily, acting as if the joy is there.If such a move doesn't make you happy, there is no other way.

So, if you make people feel brave, act as if you really are brave.Use all your will to achieve that goal, and courage may well replace fear.

Take the advice of Professor James!In order to develop courage, you might as well act as if you really have courage when you are facing the audience.Of course, unless you are prepared, otherwise no matter how much performance is useless.If you know what you're talking about, say it lightly, even better if you take a deep breath before speaking.In fact, taking a deep breath for 30 seconds before facing your audience, increasing your oxygen supply can refresh you and give you courage.The great tenor Jan Lesky used to say that if you could "sit with breath" in your chest, the tension would just melt away.

Stand up straight, look your audience in the eye, and start speaking with confidence as if each of them owes you money.Imagine that they owe you a debt, and imagine them gathering there to ask you for an extension of time to pay it.This psychological effect will help you a lot.

If you suspect that this theory does not make sense, you can ask a student who has attended my training class, and they have already accepted the opinions of this book.In just a few minutes, they can change your mind.Why don't you just trust the words of an American!He is often seen as a symbol of courage.But in fact, he was very timid at one time, and then spent a period of time training his self-confidence, and finally became the most brave.He is the President of the United States - Theodore Roosevelt.He wrote in his autobiography:

Since I was a sick and clumsy child, I had little confidence in my abilities when I was young.I had to train myself hard and toil, not just in body, but in soul and spirit as well.

When I was a child, I read a passage in Marriott's book that made a deep impression on me, and I will always stick to it.In this segment, the captain of a small British warship explains to the protagonist how to remain fearless.He said that at first, when it comes to taking action, everyone will be afraid, but he should follow a rule-control himself and make himself appear to be fearless.As long as this persists, the original pretense will become reality, and he will become a fearless warrior without knowing it, just by practicing a fearless spirit.

This is the theory on which I have trained myself.At the beginning, I was afraid of so many things, from grizzly bears, wild horses to gunmen, but I always acted as if I was not afraid, and gradually I stopped being afraid.In fact, everyone can be like me if they want to.

Overcoming the fear of speaking in public will have a huge subtle effect on everything we do.Those who take up the challenge discover that they are great characters, and that once they overcome their fear of speaking in public, they are transformed into a richer, more fulfilling life.

One salesman wrote:
After standing up a few times in class, I feel like anyone can handle it.I walked up to a particularly aggressive buyer one morning, and before he could say "no," I had samples spread out on his desk.He ended up giving me one of the biggest orders ever.

One housewife told one of our reps:
I dare not invite my neighbors to my house, for fear that I will not be able to entertain the guests and hosts.But after a few lectures and standing up to speak, I decided to throw my first dinner party, and it was a complete success.I come and go between the guests, so that they chat, the atmosphere is relaxed and happy.

In a graduating class, a clerk said:

I'm terrified of customers, and I give them the impression that I'm always terrified.After giving speeches in class a few times, I feel more confident in speaking and calm down.I can speak with confidence to disagree.In the first month after I spoke to the class, my sales increased by 45%.

They realize that they can easily overcome their fears and anxieties, and that things they might have failed in the past are now successful.They can also find the confidence to speak in public and face each day with confidence.You will be able to meet life's problems and obsessions with a renewed sense of victory, and those dilemmas that once made you intractable can also be turned into enjoyable challenges that add spice to your life.

Simple Ways to Speak Effectively

I rarely watch TV during the day, but a friend asked me to watch a program just for housewives.This column has a high ratings.This friend insisted on letting me watch it, because he thought that the audience who participated in the show would definitely interest me.And indeed it is!I've watched the show a few times, and I appreciate one thing about the presenter: his ability to ask the audience to have a conversation.The way they talk also catches my attention.These guys were clearly not professional speakers, they had no training in the art of communication, some of them had poor grammar, but they were all entertaining.When they start talking, neither seems to be intimidated by the camera and holds the audience's attention.

Why can they do this?I certainly know why, and I've been using this technique in my own training classes for years.These simple and ordinary people grab the audience's attention.They were talking about themselves: their embarrassing moments, their fondest memories, or how they met their wives or husbands.They don't think of an introduction, body, or conclusion at all, and they don't care about word choice or grammatical structure.But they are appreciated by the audience because they are totally engrossed in what they have to say.In my opinion, there are three rules for learning to speak in public, that is: talk about what you have experienced or studied;

1. Talk about what you have experienced or studied

Those aforementioned people talking about their own stories made that TV show so interesting.Because they are talking about their own experience, they are talking about what they know.

Some years ago, the teachers of the training class met at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago.At the meeting, a student began: "Liberty, equality, fraternity, these are the greatest ideas in the human dictionary. Without freedom, life cannot survive. Just imagine, if people's freedom of action is restricted everywhere, what will happen A life?"

At this point his teacher wisely asked him to stop and asked him why he believed what he said.The teacher asked him if he had any evidence or personal experience to support what he had just said.So he told us a heart-wrenching story.

He was a French underground fighter.He told us about the humiliation he and his family suffered under the Nazis.In stark, vivid terms, he described how he and his family escaped the secret police and ended up in America.He concluded his speech thus:
"Today, I walked down Michigan Street to this restaurant, and I was free to come and go. I passed a policeman, and he didn't pay attention to me. I walked into the restaurant, and I didn't have to show my ID. Wait for the meeting When it’s over, I can go anywhere in Chicago I choose. So please know that freedom is worth fighting for.”

He received a standing ovation from the audience.

A. Talk about the revelation of life to oneself
A speaker who tells the revelation of life will never fail to captivate his audience.I know from experience that many speakers do not accept this idea—they avoid using personal experience as too trivial and limiting.They would rather go to the world to talk about some general concepts and philosophical principles.Sadly, the air is so thin that ordinary people cannot breathe.People will pay attention to life and themselves, so when you tell the revelation of life to you, others will naturally become your loyal listeners.

It is said that Emerson enjoyed listening to people, no matter how humble, because he felt he could learn from anyone.I'm afraid I've heard more adult talk than anyone else.Frankly, I never find it dull when a speaker recounts what life has taught him, no matter how trivial and insignificant.

Now let me explain this point.

A few years ago, one of our teachers gave a public speaking course to some senior executives of the City Bank of New York.Naturally, people in such groups are always so busy that they often feel that they have to be fully prepared, or that they think it is difficult to prepare.What they think all their lives is based on their own personal thoughts, their own personal beliefs, and consider problems from their own specific perspective.They've all been hoarding 40 years of conversation material, but some of them just don't understand it.

One Friday, when it was his turn to give a speech, a gentleman related to the above-mentioned bank, let's call him Mr. Jackson, found 45 people present, and what was he going to say?Before coming here, he walked out of the office and bought a copy of Forbes Magazine at the news stand.On the underground train to the Federal Reserve Bank, where he was taking classes, he began reading an article titled "Secrets of Ten Years of Success."He read it, not because he was particularly interested in it, but because he had to say something to fill the time slots allotted to him.

After 1 hour, he stood up, ready to speak on the content of this article, which made people agree.

As a result, what will be the inevitable result?
He hasn't digested, hasn't absorbed what he "wanted to say". "Want to say" is a good description, he just "want".He was trying to express himself, and there wasn't much in it, and it was evident in his whole demeanor and tone of voice.So how could he expect his audience to be more moved than himself?He kept referring to that article, saying what the author said.Throughout the course of his speech, "Phobe Magazine" impressed us, and it is a pity that Mr. Jackson left us so little.

After his speech, the teacher said: "Mr. Jackson, we are not interested in the author who wrote that article. He is not in our presence and we cannot see him. However, we are very interested in you and your opinion. Tell us , what do you personally think, don't talk about what other people say. Put more of your own in the speech, can you please talk about the same topic next week? Read this article again, Ask yourself if you agree with the author. If so, state what you agree with from your own observations. If you disagree with the author, please tell us why. Use this article as a starting point from which to build Your own speech."

After rereading the article, Mr. Jackson thought he did not agree with it at all.He searched for examples from memory to prove his different views, and he used his experience as a bank executive to deduce and expand his ideas in detail.The speech he gave when he returned next week was full of beliefs based on his own background.Instead of reheating magazine articles, he gives us ore from his own mines, coins from his own mint.I'll let you think for yourself, which speech can have a stronger impact on the students in the class?
B. Find topics from your own background
Once, our teachers were asked to write down on small slips of paper what they thought was the biggest problem a beginning speaker had.After statistics, it is found that "guiding beginners to choose an appropriate topic for speech" is the most common problem we encounter at the beginning of class.

(End of this chapter)