Public Speaking Jobs Basics
Filed under: Become a Speaker, highest paying jobs, professional Speaker
I learned many of my public speaking skills while working with AchieveGlobal (formerly Kaset, which is, in my estimation, one of the best training companies in the world). There, I was able to gain a thorough knowledge of the basics of adult learning, the firm foundation upon which a trainer can build, both confidently and creatively.
And this is significant. I’ve seen some excellent, creative ideas fizzle. I’ve also seen what could have been a keynote speech come up short of success because the public speakers either hadn’t known, or had ignored, some of these fundamentals that add the essential spark. Below, I’ve listed a few of the important truths I discovered as a public speaker at AchieveGlobal. These may be matters with which most of you have some familiarity. Some of you may even know them by heart. If so, please consider this a reiteration for emphasis. Some of you may even consider particular points to be just common sense. If so, I do apologize, but I’ve found that too often what we like to call common sense is not common practice.
We retain 25% of what we hear, 45% of what we see, and 65% of what we both see and hear. This certainly has some instructive implications for your public speaking job, doesn’t it? This enlightened me about the benefits of doing things in my keynote speeches that allow my audiences not just to hear, but also to see and experience. We’re definitely not going to win friends and influence people by simply lecturing. (You know, it amazes me that the lecture method is still as popular as it is in educational systems today. I got in a serious number of power naps in some of the lecture classes I had to take in college.) Instead of pure monologue, stoke the fire by adding a few stories, giveaways, group exercises, videos, readings, charts, breaks, snacks, affirmations, magic, humor, poems, slides, props, music, lighting effects, sound effects…and more!
Most, if not all of the time, our audiences are comprised exclusively of adults. And adults learn differently. As a speaker, I gained insights into adult learning preferences and expectations. When you pay attention to them, you’ll discover secrets that can fascinate and keep an audience interested and attentive for hours. Follow these basics and your public speaking career explode.