Influence minds and win hearts
Have you ever walked out of a lecture feeling like you wish you had not attended? How many times have you felt bored, dissatisfied, and underwhelmed with the whole experience? Sometimes, this happens even with seasoned and high profile speakers. In this new series RAVI VENKATESAN starts by sharing his experience of why this happens. Where do the speakers fail?
FEAR
Most people fear public speaking, which is known as glossophobia. In fact, it affects 3 out of 4 people. More people are victims of this fear than fear of death, spiders, darkness and claustrophobia put together. Fear is also the basis for negative emotions like anxiety, nervousness, despondency and even anger.
PREPARATION
Many times people show up without adequately preparing. This leads to a vicious cycle of making mistakes, trying to cover them up, talking in circles, and leaving the audience feeling cheated.
CONNECTION
Even the most polished, well-prepared presenters, fail to make an impact if they don’t connect with their audience. Intellectualism and lack of vulnerability often prevents such a connection.
PRESENCE
We all bring a certain presence to every situation. This is felt subconsciously in the form of vibrations by everyone that interacts with us. Our self-image often dilutes the presence that we could bring to public speaking.
The good news is that everyone can be great at public speaking. It takes understanding and applying the five most important aspects of presenting, and mastering them over a period of time with practice and diligent effort. These five are:
BODY LANGUAGE
VOICE MODULATION
PRESENCE
EMPATHY
IMPACT
“A polished tongue
in discourse or conversation
influences humanity
and reigns supreme.”
– Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh
There are 27 Cs of communication under these five areas. By practicing these Cs you can also become a heartful presenter, so that whatever you speak will touch the hearts of your audience. You will win minds and influence hearts. In the next few articles we’ll dive deeper into each of these areas.
Article by RAVI VENKATESAN
Ravi Venkatesan
Ravi lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Cantaloupe. He is also a regular public speaker and public speaking coach. He has been a Heartfulness meditator for over 20 years and is passionate about app... Read More
