For most Americans, presentations are not something we
excitedly volunteer for. In fact, not only are most Americans not eager to give
a speech, they face some sort of fear or anxiety prior to and during the
delivery of their presentation. According to Statistics Brain (n.d.),
approximately seventy-four percent of people suffer from a fear of public
speaking which is known as glossophobia. I am a portion of the seventy-four
percent as I have a colossal fear of giving presentations. I know individuals
who freely make presentations at the office; in fact, they like to give
presentations. I, on the other hand, have only made presentations when required
by school classes or my job.
So, why are so many people terrified of public
speaking and presentations? Morgan
(2011) stated that most people fear presentations due to the adrenaline we get
from the presentation. I can attest to adrenaline being a factor in regards to
my fear of public speaking. My heart is always pounding and I tend to fidget
when I speak publically. Morgan (2011) stated that the adrenaline could be
managed by taking very deep breaths or going for a walk prior to the
presentation, which helps to control the fear. Managing the adrenaline could
help eliminate the fear of public speaking.
This week I had the pleasure of viewing a 2011 TED
Talk by Nancy Duarte entitled “The Secret Structures of Great Talks”, which
offered a different view on delivering a great presentation. This is a video in
which I thoroughly enjoyed! Not only did this video offer great techniques and
structures that construct a great speech, it also offered great life advice. We
have all encountered roadblocks in our lives. We have had bad luck or received
bad news that could cause us to get discouraged. “We self-sabotage our own
ideas, we just butt up against the roadblocks, and butt up against the
roadblocks instead of choosing to let the struggle transform us and choosing to
go ahead and have a dream and make it real” (Duarte, 2011, 16:22). This video
reminded us to persevere as we reach for our dreams and share our ideas.
Duarte (2011) stated that we all can change the world
because we have the most influential device known to man- an idea. All ideas
have the potential to be powerful, but they have to be shared in order for them
to be influential. Duarte (2011) also reminded the audience that the presenter
is not the star of the show. The audience is the hero and star of the show and
the presenter must act as the mentor to guide the audience in the right
direction. So, how do we keep the audience interested while we guide them
toward our life-changing idea? According to Duarte (2011), the answer is by crafting
our presentation out of a story.
How many of us have attended a presentation where we
were barely able to keep our eyes open? I know I have painfully sat through
many presentations where I wished I was in a cartoon so I could draw eyes on my
eyelids and take a well-deserved nap. Now, think of the presentations where you
were entertained and are able to remember the idea of the presenter. What was
the difference? More than likely, the presentation you remember was crafted
like a story. This presentation more than likely also affected you emotionally.
Duarte (2011) went as far as to develop a diagram of
what a great presentation should look like. I began to laugh when she showed
the diagram and it resembled the old game ‘snake’ that I used to play on my
cell phone. However, when she described her diagram, it began to make sense to
me. Duarte (2011) argued that, just like a story, a presentation should have a
beginning, middle, and end. The beginning should describe the current state of
‘what is.’ The end of the presentation should discuss ‘what could be.’ The
presenter should work to help the audience understand how great the world could
be with their idea. The middle of the presentation should alter between the
present and future.
The presentation also contained an overview of two
famous speeches made by Steve Jobs and Martin Luther King, Jr. in relation to
the diagram (Duarte, 2011). She talked about how both men began their speeches
with a conversation of the present. Martin Luther King, Jr. discussed the
oppression of African- Americans and Steve Jobs discussed current cellular
phones. Both men altered from the present to the future while grabbing the
attention of the audience. The speech delivered by Jobs was full of laughter,
awe, and ovation and the speech delivered by King was captivating and emotional
for the audience. Both men ended by describing the future. King described his
dream for America and Jobs revealed the iPhone and promised that Apple would
continue to be innovative while creating any phones in the future.
After watching the presentation delivered by Duarte
(2011) and listening to her description of a great talk, I began to ponder how
I could use this information to become a better and livelier presenter. I will
be turning in a presentation for a Masters class soon and began to wonder how
these tips could help to bolster my delivery. I do not consider myself to be as
great a speaker as Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs, Winston Churchill, or
Hillary Clinton, but maybe I do not have to be. If I can strengthen my delivery
with the help of Duarte (2011), then maybe I can be successful in sharing my
idea.
I have a bad habit of being monotone during speeches.
When I took a speech class in college, my best friend happened to be in the
same class. After one of my speeches, he poked fun at me for sounding like Ben
Stein in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. (Admit it. You are picturing Ben Stein right
now saying Bueller… Bueller.) He said that my presentation lacked life and even
his mind began to drift. Part of this habit of being monotone and non-emotional
comes from my fear of public speaking. However, if I am able to deliver my
presentation in the form of a story and have confidence in my technique then I
should be able to shed the fear and deliver a better presentation.
Another tip that I will try to use in future
presentations is the technique of going between the present and future in my
story. When I think back at some of the presentations I have given I realize
that I usually discuss how things are now for the first half of my speech and
then switch gears to how things could be for the remainder of the speech. I
have not attempted going back and forth throughout my story. If I am able to
traverse between the ‘what is’ and the ‘what could be’, my presentations should
become stronger.
When I think about some of the great speeches in
history they all have one thing in common- they somehow affect the audience
emotionally. I am sure there were chills on the spines of many individuals when
John F. Kennedy Jr. told America that we went to the moon. Another speech that
comes to mind is the Hall of Fame induction speech of Bob Ueker. I do not know
Ueker form his playing days and am not a Milwaukee Brewers fan, so I have never
listened to him call a baseball game. However, his comedic timing and the
emotion he brought out of the audience during his Hall of Fame speech is
unforgettable. Duarte (2011) reminded us that getting the audience involved or
sparking some sort of emotion is a key to delivering a great presentation. I
hope to follow in the footsteps of these great storytelling presenters in
future presentations.
Finally, Duarte (2011) reminded us that we may not all
be able to change the world. We will not have the opportunity to give a speech
that matches the meaning of Dr. King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech. However, she
stated that we do have the opportunity and power to change ourselves. I felt
the pain as Duarte (2011) described her unfortunate childhood. She told this
story not to make the audience feel bad for her but to prove how change is
possible. The presentation I must deliver next week is based on my future
story. I must remember to not let the roadblocks stop my ideas or goals. I have
a history of delivering less than powerful speeches. But, if I believe in the
material and use the steps offered this week, then I can change my story and
create a speech that delivers my idea.
References
Duarte, N. (2011). The secret structure of great talks
[Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_duarte_the_secret_structure_of_great_talks
Morgan, N. (2011,
August 11). Why we fear public speaking and how to overcome it. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorgan/2011/03/30/why-we-fear-public-speaking-and-how-to-overcome-it/2/#5334bae049ea
Statistics Brain.
(2016, September 03). Fear of public speaking statistics. Retrieved from http://www.statisticbrain.com/fear-of-public-speaking-statistics/
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