Be Absorbed by Your Subject

If you feel deeply about your subject you will be able to think of little else. Concentration is a process of centering on more important matters. It is too late to think about whether you have gargled listerine this morning once you are on the platform, so focus your interest on what you are about to say—fill your mind with your speech-material and, like a river that flows naturally, you will soon reach the sea of silent satisfaction.

Self-consciousness is undue consciousness of self, and, for the purpose of delivery, self is secondary to your subject, not only in the opinion of the audience, but in your own. To hold any other view is to regard yourself as an exhibit instead of as a messenger with a message worth delivering.

It is sheer egotism to fill your mind with thoughts of self when a greater thing is there—TRUTH. Say this to yourself sternly, and shame your self-consciousness into quiescence. If the theater caught fire you could rush to the stage and shout directions to the audience without any self-consciousness, for the importance of what you were saying would drive all fears out of your mind.

Jef Menguin facilitates people skills seminars and teambuilding and leadership workshops in Metro Manila, Philippines. Visit his website at http://jefmenguin.com to learn more about his seminars.

Expect Success

Let your bearing be modestly confident, but most of all be modestly confident within. Over-confidence is bad, but to tolerate expectations of failure is worse, for a bold man may win attention by his very bearing, while a coward invites disaster.

Humility is not the personal discount that we must offer in the presence of others.  Only the person who thoroughly knows himself may feel true humility. It is not a humility to assume a worm-like meekness; it is rather a strong, vibrant prayer for greater power for service.

Washington Irving once introduced Charles Dickens at a dinner given in the latter’s honor. In the middle of his speech Irving hesitated, became embarrassed, and sat down awkwardly. Turning to a friend beside him he remarked, “There, I told you I would fail, and I did.”

If you believe you will fail, there is no hope for you. You will.

Rid yourself of this I-am-a-poor-worm-in-the-dust idea. You are created in the image of god, the nature’s greatest miracle, with infinite capabilities. “All things are ready if the mind be so.”

Remember, the eagle looks the cloudless sun in the face.

Learn to think on your feet

One of the best exercises for learning to think and speak on the feet is to practice daily giving two-minute impromptu talks upon chosen subjects. A good plan is to write subjects of a general character, on say fifty or more index cards, and then to speak on each subject as it is chosen.

This simple exercise will rapidly develop your facility of thought and expression and will greatly increased your self-confidence. Prepare more material than what you intend to use—at least twice as much. Doing so will give you a comfortable feeling of security when you stand before an audience. When you forget some of your materials, you still have ample materials ready for your use..

Expect the Best

Just as I expected.

The recollection today for two more second year sections of St. Louis went well. In fact, very well. The students cooperative, and shared their wonderful thoughts. I thought even Og Mandino and John Maxwell would be delighted to meet the kids.

Just like the others, I grouped the students and ask them to list the top seven ways of doing things. For example, one group was tasked to come up with seven ways to become winners in life. They provided us the following:

1. Follow your dreams.
2. Set your goals and do them.
3. Be humble for that’s what winners are.
4. Accept defeat. Sometimes people make mistakes. Its what you do with mistakes that will make you a winner.
5. Be true to yourself.
6. Let people help you.
7. Face your fear first.

Maybe people will say that these are not in the right order (I don’t know the right order either), but what matters is that they have the ability to come up with something positive, and shall I say, unexpected.

I shared with you that yesterday some teachers warned me that today’s batch is the worst batch in the year level. If yesterday was embarrasing, today would probably more difficult. They were expecting the worst from their students. And yes, they were able to influenced me yesterday with that thinking. But God (okay, I don’t literally have a conversation with God) reminded me that I should always expect the best out of people. My message to the students echoed in my heart–we are imago dei, created in the image and likeness of God. Yes, I expected the best to happen early this morning, and it did happen.

Also, we did something different today. I introduced to the students the idea of having gratitude journal, and I believed they accepted that it really changes people’s attitude. They wrote those things that they are thankful of. And yes, they listed many many things.

I also hope that one day, the teachers of this kids learn about the Pygmalion experiment. Hopefully, they will expect the best from their students.

On last note, I observed that the advisers for today’s batch were more forgiving of the students’ noise. They smile with them, and converse more freely. I guess those who like to stay in the teaching profession keep in mind that kids do have the right to be respected.

Tomorrow, I like to share with you my beautiful experience with the priest of CICM. I ate with them early this evening. It’s amazing how persons of different nationalities talk about issues. Until tomorrow. God bless us all.

New words for new ideas

An educated persons should never be contented with the size of his speaking vocabulary. The addition of every new word is likely to indicate the grasp of a new idea. Every new idea requires individual terms for expression. An enlarging vocabulary is the outward and visible sign of an inward and intellectual growth. Life may be maintained upon a surprisingly meager group of words, as travelers in foreign lands can testify.But since you want to communicate better, you must strive to increase your speaking vocabulary.

How to arrange your speech ideas?

If you have several topics to cover in a single speech where would you put the most important? First or last? Write upon a piece of paper the position you choose. You have given this plan some thought so you doubtlessly put down the correct position.

What did you write? First? That is usually the answer of nine out of every ten. Are you with the majority?

Think for a moment. Which should be the most important part of a story or a play? The beginning or the ending? If it is the early part, why should any one read on to the end or stay for the curtain to come down the last time? So in speeches the importance of topics should always increase as the speech proceeds. This, then, is a principle of planning. Arrange your topics in an ascending order of importance. Work up to what is called the climax.