Speak up or Sit DownWritten by A. Raymond Randall, Jr.
Last night phone rang; my wife said, "I hope it's for you". When I answered, caller asked, "Ray, would you speak to Lions Club next month?" First my gut said, "No"; however, my head said, "Do it". So, one month from next Tuesday, I stand in front of 20 men and women as their evening speaker. They will have just enjoyed dinner with before and after dinner drinks. What a group: stomachs full and heads mellow. Just how will I do it?These guidelines help me prepare, and may guide you when asked to speak publicly 1. Know your audience. When in graduate school, a professor posed this question, "Why this message to these people at this occasion on this .subject?" What will I say to who they "are" about a subject they (and I) care about? The importance and impact of learning all you can about your audience and their reason for inviting you to talk cannot be overlooked. Their reason links you to what matters to them, and trust they have in you to speak on a subject they care about. 2. Ask question, "What made them invite me?" I asked this question last night when talking to woman inviting me to speak. She said, "We want you to talk about Town's finances". Since I am chairperson of Finance Committee in my Town, and our Annual Town Meeting is within a few months, I am their logical source, and this subject interests me. 3. Condense your talk to one sentence. This group wants one question answered,"Will Town budget cause me to pay more in taxes?". This is a closed-end question, but they want me to elaborate on all implications. Every speech topic demands more research than you have time to share (remember to limit your talk, in most instances, to twenty minutes). A speech should be facts and stories....facts and stories. 4. Write your talk, but don't read it. The minister of my church writes all of his sermons word for word, but does not read his sermons from pulpit. Audiences want eye contact, so leave script at your chair, stand up and speak up. Reveal content and importance of your message through voice and appearance of your personality. Even an unskilled speaker comes across well when expression of their content comes from within. However, know your subject by delving deeply into each facet of your subject. You won't get a chance to say everything you know (nor should you), but you will infer that your knowledge exceeds your statements. This assures your hearers that you know what you are talking about, and they can relax while listening.
| | Stay in Touch - for Stress ReliefWritten by Susan Dunn, Personal and Professional Development Coach
Staying in touch … we say it so lightly, yet it’s an important concept for our wellness. Staying in touch with others, staying in touch with ourselves, and staying in actual physical touch with our lives are all important. One of ways to reach relaxation and give ourselves some relief from daily stress is to touch someone or something. It stills our brain which is always thinking, and allows us to go somewhere else for a change. Our “self-talk” can be a great source of stress, and one we can change and eliminate. It’s not just things that are going on in our world that stress us, but how we look at it, which in turn becomes what we “say” to ourselves about it. We may say, “This is awful,” or “I’m an idiot,” or “I’ll never get through this.” These are not helpful statements, and in fact add to our stress. But our brain keeps generating these things until we learn to manage what goes on in there better. This may be origin of phrase, “An idle mind is devil’s workshop.” When our “minds” aren’t occupied we can generate thoughts that are upsetting to us. I have also heard this quoted as “Idle hands are devil’s tools.” So why not keep those hands and that mind occupied so it doesn’t “go there”. Anger doesn’t help, worry doesn’t help, pessimism and ruminating don’t help. Whether we use word “brain” or “mind” or a part of brain (left), you’re probably familiar with that voice in your head … it usually comes up when you need it least, and it is rarely helpful. The best way to deal with stress is to remove sources of it. Then develop your Emotional Intelligence. Here are ways some people use to give themselves some relief from stress for a while. KNITTING Knitting is having a comeback. If you’re old enough to remember Rosie Grier (football player), you’ll remember that he at one time took up knitting, and how surprised everyone was. So if you’re a guy and would like to give it a try, you’re in good company. I’ve also known doctors who do needlepoint, and many others who enjoy crafts of this sort. You have to think just enough to knit to quiet brain, and then your hands are busy. I used it a lot to handle tension when I was in college. More people are taking it up all time. CHI GONG No one knows for sure when practice of Chi Gong (pronounced “chee gung”) began, but it may have been 4-5,000 years ago. It gave birth to Tai Chi, earliest martial art, which led to more aggressive martial arts of karate and judo. Spelled various ways, including Qi Gong, “Qi” means “energy” and “gong” means “work” or “practice.” It combines discipline of mind and body, regulating body through posture, regulating mind through relaxation and concentration, regulating breath through self-massage and movement of limbs. It’s based on external movement combined with internal quiet and practice in control of mind.
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