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Public Speaking
By
Madan Lamsal
In
modern days, people, especially from the corporate world of Nepal,
don’t have time to go through the big volumes of the management books
on the topics like time management, public speaking or organizing the
seminars effectively. Therefore, this time I am presenting a time-tested
formula on Effective Public Speaking for the benefit of the readers.
Starting
The first problem in
public speaking is about how to start the speech. Here are some
alternate methods you can use:
-
The
politicians’ way: In this method, start your speech with the
mention of your recent visit to some place, especially a foreign
country. It may be a visit to Japan, America, China, India or
wherever, but try to make the account so engrossing that the people
in audience feel as if they are also with you in the visit. The idea
is to make the audience forget the real topic of your speech so that
whatever you say later will not be regarded as irrelevant.
-
Businessmen’s
way: Whatever may be the topic of your speech, don’t forget to
criticise the government. Whatever profession you are in, say that
you came to that profession only because of the feeling that you
wanted to do something for the benefit to the society, but this
stupid government has turned upside down your plan of serving the
society because it has changed the policy in the meanwhile.
-
The
joker’s way: You can also start your speech with a joke to arouse
sufficient laughter at the introduction. Then whatever you speak
will be liked by the audience because they will then think that
everything you are talking is a joke. It is even advisable to invite
a few friends of yours, who have a loud laugh, to attend the
program.
In
the middle
Then
comes the part of speech which is generally termed as the “body”.
Here are some tips to make the body attractive:
-
Multilingualism:
Mix as many languages in your speech as you can. Even if you use
some of the regional ones it is all right as long as you do not
forget to translate what you say. This proves your cross-cultural
nature which will be an asset in this age of globalization. All
those in the audience who are the native speakers of those languages
you use are most likely to be friendly to you. Similarly, use as
much rhetoric as possible to create enough confusion so that the
audience will forget the main topic of your speech. It helps to
retain you in the podium longer. The longer you are in the podium
the more you are regarded as a learned person. This method is very
much popular among our academicians.
-
Don’t
let go the loudspeaker: Never miss an opportunity to speak, no
matter what the topic may be, as long as there are listeners. After
all this is what these people have come to the program for? They are
there because they want to hear you preaching. Rest assured that
they will not move because the cocktail is yet to be served. Don’t
worry about the time. It is better that the chairperson gives you a
‘chit’ requesting you to shorten your speech. That will add to
your importance. The more chits you get, the more important person
you prove to be. In fact, this method is the only important
contribution that the Nepalis have made in the art of public
speaking. It is highly patriotic that you use this method and refine
it further.
-
Prepare
a master speech: Prepare a master speech which you can use on every
occasions just by changing the title. If you have the option of
making a choice always choose a very broad subject like
“globalization and the role of the developing countries”, “New
World Order and WTO”, “Management and Leadership”, etc. It is
easier to prepare a master speech in those topics.
-
Keep
the mobile on: If you have a mobile phone, don’t put it off even
when you are on the podium. The repeated calls that you receive
while on the podium help to enhance your importance. This will also
show that you really care for your customers and also that you are
always connected wherever you are.
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