Good Platform Appearance

Bear in mind at the outset that it is your ideas, not your peculiarities, that you seek to promote. Eccentric apparel, a fancy vest, or a buttonhole bouquet attracts personal attention, but distracts from your speech. Wear ordinary raiment and just make sure before you are called upon that it is properly adjusted.

When it’s time for you to rise and shine, take a couple of slow, easy, and deep breaths to relax any tensions. Once you’re on your feet, place both of them firmly upon the floor and fairly close together. Then stand straight and tall. With your feet firmly planted you avoid a tendency to teeter, and your stance discourages weaving around or rocking on your toes.

Standing straight and tall not only avoids distracting distortions, but also conveys confidence. Holding on to your chair or leaning on the table gives the audience the opposite impression. While some experienced speakers lean casually on the table and suggest an aura of informality, beginners had best leave auras alone. Confidence is best conveyed by standing squarely on your feet, pausing momentarily, and then plunging into your task.

You are now prepared to address the chairman and the audience. You have memorized the acknowledgment of your introduction, a precaution that wards off “buck fever” and clears any existing mental blocks before you start your scheduled speech.

A speaker must make certain that his brain is engaged before he puts his mouth into gear; otherwise his tongue will idle on. That happened to an army officer who addressed a group at a bon voyage dinner before embarking for the Dark Continent: “I thank you for your very kind wishes for my welfare, and please believe me, when I am far away, surrounded by ugly, grinning savages, I shall always think of you.”

Tags: public speaking

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