Speaking in public

You don’t have to be a great orator; you just have to deliver the message. You don’t have to emulate any other speaker; you just have to decide to be the best “you” possible. So: (1) Forget about messing up. The chances are that you will know more about your topic than 90 percent of the audience. If you stumble, so what? It signals to the audience that you’re human – just as they are. People often connect better with your vulnerability than your strength. Besides, they’re rooting for you, and they want you to succeed. (2) Focus on imparting value to the audience rather than trying to impress them. The only question that matters is, what did the audience take away from it? John Ford, an American film director, put it this way: “You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.” (3) Practice! Practice! Practice! By first sharing your message with the person in the mirror, you will get to see and hear what others do, and you can add enhancements and make corrections accordingly. (4) When it comes to sharing God’s Word, prepare your message as though everything depends on you, and present it as though everything depends on God – because it does! Paul knew he was not a great orator, yet his words are still changing lives 2,000 years later: “My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NKJV).