The Art Of Public Speaking
A Creative Process

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Home > The Art of Public Speaking

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Like any other art, the art of public speaking develops over time. No one wakes up and can suddenly paint a masterpice or compose a symphony. It takes an understanding of the skill founded on the rudimentary basic tasks. From there you begin to move forward.

Imagine a paint-by-numbers canvas. Then the finished product. Most of us have experience with this. It is hardly considered "art". You paint with the prescribed colours within the lines, and after a while the picture is complete. Yet, it's not quite right. What happened? All the right colours are there, the basic outline of the subject is there, you followed the directions. It just doesn't look - real.

The problem is you stayed in the lines. Visual artists begin to realize, slowly at first, the importance of blending the colours. And as long as the colours are blended and balanced in the general vicinity of the "line", the picture begins to come to life.

The same can be held when considering the art of public speaking. In the beginning you learn the basics of the opening, body, and conclusion of the speech. You segregate those aspects. They are correct, yet they are robotic as separate components, and you have to learn to slightly "blend" the transitions to give your speech a natural feel. One that is lifelike and authentically you.

Here's where the creativity comes in. Every great public speaker taps into their creative genius during each presentation. And though that may sound like a monumental task to some, it is really quite easy and all it requires is a simple awareness.

Creativity, when boiled down to its essence, is really only these 2 activities "blended" together:

1) Being Present, and

2) Making Choices

It's as simple as that.

Think of it as building a house. You have your framework (the message you want to get across), you have a front door (your opening), and you have a back door (your conclusion).

Now within that house you're the designer. Where do you want the walls to go? Where do you want the windows? What colour do you want to paint the rooms? What curtains or blinds, or other furnishings do you want to include?

The art of public speaking allows you to decide all of this as you are moving along in your speech. You can change it any way you want at any time you want. You need only be aware of where you are in your speech and then decide what you want to do at that point.

Like any other art, it develops over time. All that is required of you is to be present and make choices.

Have fun!