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| The
German Boss |
| A
native English teacher of one "Eikaiwa school"
once told me, "I don't mind beginners. But I can't
really find anything to teach upper-level students."
Well, if the teacher cannot find anything to teach,
how can the student benefit?
I have the answer.
Speech-Communication.
The study to become an Effective Speaker. Practicing
to speak confidently, fluently, and effectively. Creating
impact and getting reaction. Gaining speech and presentation
skills and transferring them to conversational situations.
All
these skills can be learned, acquired and mastered. |
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"The
German boss suddenly shouted, 'What are you doing!'"
This is what one student told me.
She
explained, "I visited the headquarters of a German
company I work for with my Japanese co-worker. My colleague
had to make a presentation in front of the German executives.
He spoke good English, but unfortunately, he was mostly
reading his papers.
"In
the middle of his speaking, one of the German bosses
suddenly stood up and shouted, 'What are you doing!
This is not a presentation! You came from Japan just
to read your papers? If you are just going to read,
give me your papers. I can read them myself!'"
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| Something
to think about, isn't it?
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| Foundation
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"What
is a speech?" What is a "presentation?"
They are essentially the same. They both share a common
basic foundation:
The
ability to confidently and effectively speak in front
of people. |
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Public
speeches come in many forms and types.
Some
inform, some persuade and some entertain. Some speeches
might make us think, or make us laugh, and some might
truly impress us.
But for any presentation to succeed, it must never be
boring. |
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The
first thing you "present" in a business presentation
is yourself!
Before your clients can believe in your company or product,
they have to believe in you. |
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A
speech is a "gift" to the audience.
Always try to think of the benefit
for your listeners. The target of communication is to
get the reaction of your listeners. Focus on them,
not only on what you are going to talk about. |
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I
believe most Japanese people find it difficult to make
a public speech simply because they have not learned
how to do it.
With
knowledge and practice, however, you can elevate your
skills and open up infinite communication possibilities.
Experience alone is not enough. I'm sure you know some
"big boss" at a company who says, "Wedding
speech? No problem. I've given wedding speeches more
than 30 times in my life."
And it's still boring.
It's the same with your presentation. You need to acquire
the proper know-how and skills that you can enhance
with experience.
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| "My
Mouth is Dry . . . " |
"My
mouth is dry! My hands are shaking, my heartbeat . .
. oh no! . . . HEELLPP!"
In a public speech situation, you might experience this
kind of nervousness.
It's
called "Stage Fright."
But you are not alone. |
The
London Sunday Times newspaper once asked 3,000 people
in the United States, "What are you most afraid
of?"
The second highest answer was the fear of Heights―32%―people
who will avoid the Tokyo Tower if they came to Japan.
Guess which fear finished in the number one spot, with
41%.
The answer is: Speaking before a group of people!
That's right, delivering a public speech. |
As
you can see, Stage Fright is not cultural, it's universal.
And it's a barrier that blocks the success of communication,
not only in speeches and presentations, but in discussions
and conversations as well.
On the international stage, speaking confidently is
a must. Because nervous people are never trusted.
Especially in business. Whether you are in America,
Australia or Algeria, people like to listen to confident
speakers. Confidence is an "international language."
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So how do we control Stage Fright?
Don't
worry. Solutions exist. There are techniques and know-how
that will allow you to speak confidently.
These
are the skills that connect directly to the study of
the field of Speech-Communication. |
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Here's
one practical advice: Don't waste your time telling
yourself to relax, because it won't work.
Instead,
the secret is to control the physical results
of your nervousness. For example, if you have an unconscious
habit of touching your nose when you get nervous, become
aware of this habit, then try to consciously
stop it.
Even if you are nervous inside, that's not the real
problem. The audience will not know you're nervous if
you don't show it.
Displaying
confidence is the key to communicating successfully.
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Instrument
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| Imagine
I cannot play the piano . . . But I go to a piano store,
and I buy a top-grade Steinway. I bring it home and
proudly display it in my room.
I
have the instrument, but . . . I don't
know how to use it.
The same applies to your Speaking Voice.
Your
Voice is the main instrument for communicating your
thoughts and feelings. But just having it doesn't
mean you can use it effectively. You must know
how to use your Voice to create impact, how to use stresses
and pauses, how to change rate
and pitch. And there is a method to
learn how to do all this, just like taking lessons to
play the piano. |
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| If
you are in a bigger room, you have to speak louder,
right? But there is another factor in which you have
to increase your Voice Volume.
Can
you guess what it is?
It's the number of people in the room.
Why?
Because
the human body is a sound absorber.
The
clothes we wear―soft materials―absorb the "sound
waves" of your voice. When you sing in the shower,
your voice echoes off the "hard" walls. But
the opposite happens when a room is filled with people.
More people, more clothes.
The Effective Speaker must control her volume accordingly.
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Power
in Your Fingertips.
Point with Your Nose. |
| When
you use gestures, control your fingertips.
Put power in them.
This will add both strength and sophistication to your
movements.
(One of the best methods for refining gestures is through
the practice of Magic Tricks!) |
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| Gesturing
is a "round-trip ticket."
Lift your hand, complete the gesture, then put
your hand back down. If you keep your hand
up and keep moving it, the gesture will lose its meaning.
You don't want to be like a "music conductor"
for your own speaking. |
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| Point
with your nose!
When you make eye-contact, don't only move your eyeballs.
Turn your head and body, and look straight at your listeners.
If you only shift your eyes, you will look suspicious.
The key is your nose. Your eyeballs
are "free-floating," but your nose is "fixed"
on your face. So if you "point" your nose
at your listener, your eyes will remain straight, and
you will always be able to make clear, direct eye-contact.
Interesting,
isn't it?
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| Content
Secrets |
| An
effective message is focused and deep.
Construct your content like a laser beam, not like a
searchlight. |
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The purpose of your speech's Introduction is
to capture the attention of your listeners.
As
Julius Caesar said, "A strong beginning is half
the victory." Don't start your presentation with
a simple, neutral phrase such as, "Today I want
to talk about . . ."
More effective techniques exist. |
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The magic word to use in your speech or presentation
is the word "You."
It will allow you to involve your listeners
more.
Look
at this sentence: "In order to succeed, an actor
must deeply study his or her own role."
Now this: "Imagine you are an
actor. If you want to succeed, you must deeply study
your role."
Better isn't it? |
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When you inform your client about your product or service,
don't just talk about the functions of your product.
Focus
on the benefits your user will receive.
If you are selling shampoo, you are not selling the
liquid itself, you are trying to sell beautiful hair. |
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"Some years ago, I went to the United States and
watched a baseball game."
An easy sentence to understand, isn't it? The English
is correct . . . but there's a problem.
It
is not vivid.
No
clear image comes to mind.
How about this: "In the spring of 2001, when Ichiro
first became a Major Leaguer, I watched a Mariners game
in Seattle."
Clearer, isn't it?
The use of concrete words can upgrade
your speaking content.
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| Time
to Laugh |
|
An American businessman was giving a speech in Tokyo,
his words translated by a Japanese interpreter.
In the middle of his speech, he started telling a long,
complicated joke. But after his joke, his interpreter
spoke just a few words, and the audience burst into
laughter.
When the speech was finished, the businessman said to
his interpreter, "I know my joke was long and maybe
hard to understand. But the people seemed to enjoy it.
How did you translate it?"
"Oh,
that's simple," the interpreter stated, "I
said, 'He made a joke. Everybody laugh!'" |
This
story is an example of a "universal joke."
The humor of this story will be understood anywhere
in the world. "Cultural jokes," on the other
hand, require the listener to have cultural knowledge
to understand the humor.
One of the secrets for communicating humor is to collect
universal jokes and use the right one at the right time
to the right persons. |
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Being able to effectively communicate humor adds a whole
new dimension to your speaking, in your presentation
and in your conversation. And the use of universal jokes
will be a low-risk/high-return venture.
Nobody hates to laugh. Audiences love to be entertained
even as they are being informed. |
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| The
secret of humor is to make listeners laugh with
you, not at you. |
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What's the difference between humor in Japan and the
U.S.?
This is what I think:
In the U.S., humor is used more "across the board,"
while the use of humor is more "segmented"
in Japan. |
For
example, in Japan: "This is a serious business
meeting. It's not time for humor. We can tell jokes
later when we go drinking."
In America, people make a lot of effort to inject humor
even into important business presentations. A politician
often uses humor as a tool to communicate his message
to the people. Former president Ronald Reagan even hired
two Hollywood joke-writers to work at the White House
to prepare jokes for his speeches! |
| If
you wish to be truly fluent and effective in English,
you must master the proper skills to use humor. The
English-speaking culture demands it. |
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Humor is particularly important when you want
to convey a serious, important message!
If you start seriously, and end your speech seriously,
the tone of your message will be "flat." But
if you inject some light moments, the important points
will become heavier, and will therefore carry more weight.
Contrast
is the key. |
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When I tell native English teachers from English conversation
schools about our Humor project in our SPEECH-COMMUNICATION
COURSE, the usual response is, "That's impossible.
I don't believe Japanese students can confidently stand
in front of an audience and make people laugh in English!" |
Well,
it can be done. There is a special training method that's
both fun and exciting to make it possible. I have personally
seen the results time and time again, year after year.
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| When
the same native teachers get a chance to see the performances
of our students, they are simply amazed.
There is a way, ladies and gentlemen. It's just that
many people, including teachers, have not discovered
the full potential of the Japanese student.
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| Same
Thing on Broadway |
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Many people have this misunderstanding about preparing
presentations or speeches. The moment they finish writing,
they think, "Whew! I finished my speech."
No, it's only the beginning.
Imagine
you are a star on Broadway, but you are given a new
script, just one night before opening night.
Without proper rehearsals, it will be impossible to
give a great performance, won't it?
It's
the same thing with your presentation. |
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A realistic flight-simulator is essential for pilot-training.
When
you practice your presentation at home, don't just silently
scan the words or mumble your sentences.
Stand
up, fully use your Voice and Body, and if you make a
mistake, never start over from the beginning. (Remember,
in "real time," you cannot re-start your speech.)
Fully
simulate your rehearsals. Your speech and your
confidence will take flight. |
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Your phone rings. You are in the middle of your speech
practice. After the phone call, you start your practice
again, from the beginning of the speech. Like this,
the first half of a presentation often
gets brushed up more than the second half. But usually,
the important message appears in the second
half!
Sometimes, start practicing from the middle
of your speech.
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| Show
Time! |
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When you speak in front of people, don't read your paper,
read your audience.
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Legendary golfer Arnold Palmer was once asked, "Why
do you think so many people love to watch you play?"
Palmer answered, "That's simple. They enjoy watching
me play because I enjoy playing myself."
An essential ingredient for Effective Speaking is a
positive attitude.
Don't regard your presentation simply as a duty. Approach
it with passion. "Want to speak"
is always stronger than "Have to speak."
Your listeners will know the difference. |
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Your presentation begins from your chair!
As you walk to the front of the room, your audience
will already be watching you. Stand up
confidently, walk to the stage confidently
(don't worry, nobody will throw eggs at you), and after
saying your last word, pause for a
moment and confidently walk back to your chair. |
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Don't apologize or make excuses before you speak!
Some people say it's part of the Japanese culture to
show modesty. But a Japanese singer or actor never says
"I'm nervous" or "I'm not prepared"
before his performance, right?
This
is not a question of modesty. It is an attitude for
showing professionalism.
And if you make a mistake during your speech, don't
"advertise" it by smiling. Sometimes, the
mistake itself is not the problem, highlighting it with
a smile, is. |
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A long speech can become boring. Keep it short!
It
is worth mentioning that the shortest inaugural address
(debut speech) by any American president was by George
Washington―just 135 words.
The longest was by William Henry Harrison in 1841. He
delivered a two-hour 9,000-word speech facing his audience
as well as a freezing northeast wind.
He
caught a cold the following day and a month later he
died.
Franklin D. Roosevelt summed it up very nicely, "Be
sincere. Be brief. Be seated."
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| Growing
by Giving |
An Effective Speaker is an Effective Listener.
Encourage
the speaker with your eye-contact and facial expressions.
Don't study your speech when someone else is speaking!
Good communication is a two-way street. The listener
has the power to "make" or "break"a
speaker.
So ask not what the speaker can do for you, ask what
you can do for the speaker too. |
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"Any comments?" This is an often-asked question
after a presentation in Speech Class. And right here,
there's a huge opportunity to improve your speaking
skills.
Not
only in receiving feedback, but in giving
them.
A comment is different from an opinion. Anybody can
give a simple opinion: "I liked it . . . it was
good . . . " just like after watching a movie.
A constructive comment focuses on brushing
up specific areas of the speech. It
requires you to listen critically and analyze points
that can be improved. And since it's a public
speech, you will have to consider how the speech appeals
to a general audience―you cannot judge
it based only on your personal taste.
Finally,
you need to express your comments in a clear, organized
manner.
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Training
to do all these points will enrich your own
ability as a speaker. Through other people's
speeches, you will be able to develop deeper insights
and find creative solutions for your own presentation.
This is one of the secrets why our Speech students make
so much progress with their overall
communication ability.
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What do you say to wish a speaker good luck before his
or her speech?
You can say, "Good luck!" But the native English
expression is "Break a leg!"
Sounds strange, doesn't it? Legend has it that once
a theatre actor in England actually broke his leg before
his performance. But he decided to go on stage, and
he delivered the best performance of his life. Since
then, "breaking a leg" has been associated
with good luck.
If you really want to wish the speaker a lot of luck,
you can say, "Break both legs!"
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| "The
Next One" |
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Seven years before the first moon landing, President
John F. Kennedy said, "Why go to the moon? . .
. We choose to go to the moon, not because it's easy,
but because it is hard."
The same holds true in becoming an Effective Speaker.
We start by taking the first step, we acquire new skills
as we go forward, encouraging each other throughout
the way. It is a challenging journey.
That's why we do it!
If
it's easy, then anybody can do it, and then, there's
no need to study it. |
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Charlie Chaplin was once asked in an interview, "Mr.
Chaplin, what's your best movie?"
Chaplin replied, "The next one."
It's the same with your speech.
Keep
practicing.
The next one will always be the best.
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| POSTSCRIPT
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Teaching is my passion. |
Every
time I step into the classroom, I feel a special
sense of excitement. How can I bring progress
to my students today? How can I be a better teacher? |
I
grew up in two cultures. The U.S. and Japan. In
college, I majored in Speech-Communication. It's
my field, and it's my profession. I have friends
in America who have gone on to become Speech-Communication
consultants to people in business and to people
in politics.
But I wanted to teach in Japan.
My
mother is Japanese. My heart is close to Japan. |
Over
the years, I've been fortunate to have so many
outstanding students.
And still do! |
To
all my students, it is a pleasure and an honor
to teach every one of you. I will continue trying
my best to help you reach your goal. |
And
to you, who stayed with me reading this column
till the end―I thank you for the time you spent
listening to me. |
I
hope you will find much progress with your study
of English and I also hope you will find much
excitement and happiness in your life. |
| Remenber
always, the potential is inside of you. |
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All rights reserved.
RICHARD HAN SPEECH ACADEMY 2007 |
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