The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking

This time I would like to talk about a book. The book is called “The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking”. It was written in 1962 by Dale Carnegie. The writer wrote it as a textbook for his courses in “Public Speaking and Influencing Men in Business”. The book was translated into eleven languages. The writer gives us many examples of people who wanted to improve their public speaking. I would like to quote one sentence from chapter 1 for you: “ Once you realize that you can stand up and talk intelligently to a group of people, it is logical to assume that you can talk to individuals with greater confidence and assurance.” This is the reason why I bought this book.

I would like you to know that I had no experience of speaking to about 900 people before I came to SGSS last year. It was really a big challenge for me to select a suitable topic for you and make public speech. I wanted something that would help me to relax and develop confidence. Therefore, I bought this book in February this year. I found the confidence for public speaking when I read chapters 1 and 2. There are many famous people who could not speak well in public. So if famous people were nervous, it is natural for ordinary people to be nervous too.

The writer conducted many public speaking courses. He gives us four facts. Fact Number One: “You are not unique in your fear of speaking in public.” The writer tells us that about 80 to 90% of all students enrolled in speech classes suffered from stage fright. That means “fear” is the normal response.

Fact Number Two: “A certain amount of stage fright is useful!” It is interesting to read such a sentence. I read it again for you. “A certain amount of stage fright is useful!” According to the writer, stage fright is nature’s way of preparing us to meet unusual challenges in our environment. So, you will think faster and talk more fluently.

Another Fact is “many professional speakers have assured the writer that they never lose all their stage fright. It means that stage fright is unavoidable. It is almost always present just before we speak, and it may persist through the first few sentences of our talk.

Fact Number Four: “The major cause of your fear of public speaking is simply that you are unaccustomed to speaking in public.” The writer advises us to practise, practise and practise.

Here, I would also like to share with you other insights I obtained from the book. For example, you should prepare public speaking in the proper way. Never memorize a talk. Arrange your ideas, rehearse your talk with your friends, and decide you are going to succeed.

Finally, you may ask yourself whether the topic is the right one for you and whether the audience will be interested in it. You should tell yourself that your talk is the right one for you because it comes from your own experience. You should say to yourself that you are more qualified than other students to give this particular talk and you are going to do your best. You will feel confident and understand the psychological effect.