Preamble: Don’t Waste Time Waiting To Find a Speaking School!
Many people I have spoken with out here about learning public speaking have demonstrated this bias. Whenever I explained to them that there are many self-study learning resources they can adopt to learn public speaking, they expressed reservations about adopting a similar method.
I am not saying it is wrong to attend public speaking classes or school, if you can find – and afford – them. However, my studies have revealed to me that some of the best speakers the world has known actually learnt via self-study.
Here’s how they achieved that feat:
1. They Read Books:
They read extensively about master speakers still alive and those who had passed on. They studied their biographies to identify what made those speakers successful.
Then they used what they learnt as a guide in developing their own unique skills and styles as public speakers. You do NOT need to be in a formal learning environment or class, to read books and learn from them. It is usually done better when you are alone!
2. They Thought Deeply:
To succeed as a speaker, you must have a message you want to pass to anyone who will listen. To do really well, you have to be VERY passionate about your subject – feel deeply and strongly about it.
It is this passion for the subject that will make you think deeply about it, so that you generate powerful messages destined to impact your audience and make them appreciate you. Thinking deeply about issues does NOT require being in a formal learning environment. AGAIN, it is usually done better when you are alone!
3. They Practiced:
And they did not wait until they had an audience to do it. Abraham Lincoln reportedly practiced as he walked to and from his home, office etc. He gathered people around him to listen to his talks. When possible, he took part in debates.
He sat alone in his room and read aloud speeches crafted in line with what he had read, and thought up, revising it till it sounded right. Sometimes he silently imagined himself delivering his talk – visualising the event the way he wanted it to take place.
Today, with availability of audio and video recorders built into various devices such as phones and computers, you have more options for practicing in the absence of an audience!
Dale Carnegie recommends recording your planned talk or speech and playing it back to hear yourself. It provides excellent avenue to improve your delivery. Practicing does NOT necessarily require being in a formal learning environment. You can use the above strategies, and also gather family members or close friends together to critique your talk.
Here’s more advice:
In an article I read, Les Brown recommended that one Speak for FREE until you are sure you’ve got the hang of it. Burt Dubin agrees, having passed the same route to success himself. In the introduction video on his website, he says “If I, a high school drop out can do it, then so can YOU! ” I would add that IF Abraham Lincoln, with all the odds stacked against him could have done it, via self-study (and in spite of myriad failures), then so CAN YOU!
I followed Burt’s advice from his many articles and newsletters, back in 2002, and before the end of that same year, I successfully negotiated and got paid for my first speaking outing here in Lagos.
Summary
Not every one will have access to formal institutions providing public speaking training or coaching. If that applies to you, know that you will NOT be the first person with that seeming limitation. Abraham Lincoln’s example is especially compelling. He walked miles to borrow books and read under candle light late into the night, and as dawn broke, woke up to continue.
He had only a few months of schooling, and so lacked access to formal learning institutions to pursue his passion for speaking. But this did not deter him. He adopted self-study methods, and practiced endlessly. Today he is remembered as one of the greatest speakers the world has known. So, sometimes it could actually be a blessing in disguise that you have to self-study.
Indeed, access to public speaking training school does NOT guarantee you will become a successful speaker!
That outcome depends mainly on your INTEREST, DESIRE, and PASSION – demonstrated in the energy you will pour into doing all the studying, thinking and practicing that will make you develop into a good speaker. You alone ultimately determine how good you will become – and NOT necessarily your attendance of a public speaking school.
FINAL WORDS: A PERSONAL Mentor CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR YOU:
I honestly believe that if available, the quality of INSTRUCTION your receive in the art of public speaking can make a difference in how you turn out as a speaker. A competent mentor will know how to help you discover and develop your FULL potential. S/he will guide you, drawing from his/her past personal speaking experiences and also from studying other speakers.
But you know what? S/he, i.e. your mentor, does NOT need to meet with you physically, to play this important role. Indeed, today’s technology makes it much easier to receive instruction on almost any subject, regardless of distance or geographical location – public speaking being a good example.
In case you’re looking to get started with a mentor, one that I strongly recommend (and who I represent as Sole Agent) is Burt Dubin – who mentors experts who want to be speakers, and speakers who want to be masters. Click here to visit his Speaker Mentoring Products and Services website.