One of the greatest professional compliments I ever receive is when someone says one of my talks has stayed with them for years and changed them in some meaningful way. I am the first to admit what I do as The City Doctor is not necessarily rocket science. Instead, it is about changing the way people think about their lives, reorganizing ideas in a new way, and bringing everyday realities from the back of their mind right up to their frontal lobe. But perhaps, most importantly, I have to deliver the message in a way that is effective to be properly heard and comprehended.
That is where public speaking comes in. Being able to package and deliver a message well is one of the most important skills any of us can have. And yet it is a skillset in which we hardly receive any instruction. How many important messages are never heard because of that?
People often ask where I learned to “do” public speaking. Outside of one class I took as part of my communication minor as an undergraduate at NC State University, I am self-trained. I will also say I don’t remember much about that class in particular, other than it impressed on me how much messaging matters and how much I enjoy crafting messages on different topics for public consumption.
A Speaker Is Born
Every year there was a campus-wide public speaking competition and everyone who took the public speaking class was required to enter, in addition to anyone wishing to enter from the public. We had to deliver a 3-minute persuasive speech with no visual aids, including powerpoint and no notes in hand. Mine was on merit pay for teachers.
My parents came down to see the competition and I remember practicing in the bathroom mirror before the evening competition. I honestly don’t remember giving my speech or anything about anyone else’s. What I do remember, though, is winning the competition.
It was a watershed moment for me. I had no idea how I would later integrate public speaking into my professional life (at the time, I planned on being a marriage therapist), but I knew I would find a way. I remember thinking: “If I only had a platform and a message to share…”
Well, today a large part of my consultancy is public speaking. I have given countless talks, done 2 TEDx stages, had my own radio show, conducted numerous press interviews and am a master class instructor on placemaking and messaging.
The Moral of This Story
Learn and embrace the art of public speaking. You will use it in your life more than you can imagine. It is easily doable if you stay true to who you are—much like placemaking itself. And if you get stuck, let me know. I’m thinking of starting my own online class on the topic (weigh in on the comments below if that’s something that would be of interest to you!).
With my folks when I graduated from NC State in 1993, just months after giving my first public speech and winning the campus-wide public speaking competition.
I am ALWAYS entertained and informed by what you say… but I believe, your perception of thing really contributes to your being able to present your thoughts in a way that always ‘connects” with any audience