The careers of most executives advance or stall based on how well they communicate. Public speaking performances are the riskiest of all, but they also give you a chance to make a very big impact. Being a sought-after public speaker gives you and your company a cachet that would otherwise be absent. One of the best places to look for guidance in these matters is the late Jack Valenti, former CEO of the Motion Picture Society of America. Here is Valenti’s expert advice on becoming a confident and powerful public speaker.
Millions of people consider public speaking a fate worse than death. But if you occupy any type of leadership position it’s inevitable that you’re going to be asked to stand up before a group – large or small – to deliver a speech.
The careers of most executives advance or stall based on how well they communicate in a variety of forms. Public speaking performances are the riskiest of all, but they also give you a chance to make a very big impact. Being a sought-after public speaker gives you and your company a cachet that would otherwise be absent.
When you do speak publicly you want your voice to be brimming with confidence and power. One of the best places to look for guidance in these matters is the late Jack Valenti, former chief of staff to President Lyndon Johnson but better know in the latter portion of his life as chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Society of America .
Suave and silver-tongued, Valenti was renowned for his public speaking abilities. Whether donned in a tuxedo for the Academy Awards or in a basic business suit for his many appearances on the rubber-chicken circuit, he always presented himself and his thoughts flawlessly.
Valenti was so well known for his talents at the podium that he wrote a book on the subject titled Speak Up with Confidence.
It might surprise you to know that Jack Valenti preached that 20 minutes was the absolute maximum for any speech. That’s quite a contrast to the politicians and keynote speakers of all stripes who routinely devour a full hour of the audience’s time. Valenti believed in economy. It is best to leave an audience wanting more, not glancing at their watches and negotiating with their bladders.
Valenti also memorized all of his speeches, just as stage actors commit their scripts to memory, so he could enunciate them without using notes.
He was full of many good ideas for turning people into effective public speakers. Here are some of his core suggestions:
Implicit in all this advice is Jack Valenti’s steadfast belief that being thoroughly prepared is the best insurance policy against stage fright and poor performance.
How do you prepare for public speaking engagements? How do you delivery a punch to your audience? Let us know in the comment field below.
How to end your speech, William Penn style
The two most important parts of our speech are the start and the finish. But most of us spend a lot more time concentrating on how to open our speech rather than how to end it. That’s a mistake because the end of our speech is our chance to give audience members something to walk away with. One of the people who offered words of wisdom about how to properly end a speech is the great William Penn, a man who gave innumerable speeches during his lifetime. Here’s what William Penn had to say about ending a speech…Punctuate your public speaking by pausing
One of the common exhortations of speaking coaches is to put a period at the end of each sentence. That is accomplished by briefly pausing at the end of each sentence. Indeed, the pause serves as various punctuation marks, based on its duration. A very brief pause has the effect of a comma, breaking a sentence into its parts or clauses. A longer pause has the effect of a period. A long pause, depending on the context, acts as an exclamation point.If your company had a personality, what would it be?
Have you ever considered creating a personality for your company? Giving it human characteristics that consumers and business customers can more easily and meaningfully relate to? Let’s boil this down to a simple consideration. If your company was a human being what type of personality would it possess? Here are some examples of companies that have developed personalities, as well as characteristics to consider in developing your own company’s personality…