Lisa Kleiman - You Got This: Everything You Need to Master Authentic Public Speaking

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Published by River Grove Books
Austin, TX
www.rivergrovebooks.com

Copyright 2019 Lisa Kleiman

All rights reserved.

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Distributed by River Grove Books

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Cover image: Mircrophone, Azat Valeev. Used under license from Shutterstock.com

Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication data is available.

Print ISBN: 978-1-63299-232-1

eBook ISBN: 978-1-63299-233-8

First Edition

This book is dedicated to my husband and daughter. Im grateful for their encouragement and patience, and especially for allowing me the nonjudgmental space to work on and complete it.

I would also like to dedicate this book in loving memory to my late nephew, Michael, who infused soulful and creative writing and illustrations of a book that was yet to be published. This book is in honor of your quest.

S itting in my high school English class at age seventeen, feeling nauseous in anticipation of my turn to stand up in front of the class and give a formal presentation about a famous historical author, I never would have guessed that Id spend many years of my life helping others improve their public speaking skills, especially in the role of instructor. The idea of speaking in front of an audience as a profession seemed awful. I didnt understand why people would want to purposely expose themselves to possible ridicule and embarrassment. I dreaded giving speeches in class and almost didnt run for a student council position because I was fearful of giving the required vote for me speech to the entire student body. (I was subsequently very relieved and surprised when I won.) In hindsight, part of that fear could have stemmed from an age-related environment conducive to judgmentteens judging others and themselvesespecially those in authority.

This fear carried on through college. I panicked at the thought of giving a speech in front of a class. Fortunately, or so I thought at the time, few courses I took required such an assignment. Following college, the next several years were spent on developing a career, mostly in the corporate world. I still carried that self-inflicted fear with me, always hoping I wouldnt have to give a presentation, but I admired those who could dynamically articulate their message in front of a live audience.

One speaker stood out to me in particular. I had attended an all-day off-site business writing workshop and was captivated by one of the presenters. She seemed so passionate and charged about her role, and that drew me in. I wanted to experience that feeling as well and be like her, oddly thinking that maybe speaking in front of people and being that engaging would be something Id like to do.

As time progressed, I gained more experience with giving presentations, mostly in work situations and in various professional organizations. Even though giving presentations was not a primary function of roles I held early in my career, I still had to periodically speak in front of a group, such as when presenting results, updates, or proposals to management and staff; leading department meetings; negotiating formally with clients; training staff; and networking. Initially I found these experiences nerve-wracking, especially if I felt inferior to othersthose I thought had more prestige and business experience than I did. My high school self would come creeping back, worried I was being judged. However, over time I became more confident and ultimately more comfortable giving presentations. I actually grew to enjoy them. Eventually I took on instructing and training roles, which mainly involved speaking in front of an audience.

I have now coached individuals and facilitated hundreds of classes, workshops, and seminars for diverse audiences across the globe on such topics as public speaking, business writing, business communication, English as a second language, and English composition through my roles in management and consulting positions at private organizations and Fortune 500 companies and as a lecturer for higher learning at various universities and adult education organizations.

Today I embrace public speaking opportunities. I get excited when asked to speak in front of a group, no matter the size. Admittedly, I still feel some trepidation prior to the presentation, some worry about failure. However, I know those thoughts are constructive, because I want to do well. Even if I still have a few flutters that well up in my stomach just prior to speaking, a switch turns on as soon as I set foot on the stage. I feel elated and charged, and my mind instantly switches gears to focus on the audience instead of on how Im feeling. I have learned to approach public speaking with strategies that work. The public speaking journey can be rewarding; its an accomplishment to give a speech, which will likely include mixed emotions of relief that its over and the satisfaction of knowing that you had the courage to complete it.

I was inspired to write this book to help others learn how to present as easily and smoothly as possible. My journey in becoming a confident, polished speaker took many years; much of it was by trial and error. I could have benefited from using a resource that showed me how to plan and what to do to pull off a good speech. Thinking back to presentations Id given years ago, there were many I did not feel good about; I was frustrated, not knowing how to get started or how to convey my message. At times I rambled for too long, never quite getting to the point. Other times I didnt say enough, or I didnt clearly communicate the purpose of my speech, leaving my audience confused and likely annoyed. I needed a step-by-step explanation of what to do not only when preparing a speech, but also what to do when things dont go as planned during a speech.

I spent many hours learning what I could about public speaking, sometimes for unique and specific occasions, such as when introducing or honoring a guest speaker. I asked other speakers for advice, viewed recordings of various related speeches, attended presentations and assessed the speakers, and read whatever I could find about speaking publicly. I learned a lot in the process, and it took a lot of time. This book provides a resource for many of these things. My hope is that you wont have to spend countless hours, as I did, to become a better public speaker. This book is intended to be a one-stop resource, a quick reference tool, for becoming a solid public speaker, no matter the occasion and purpose. My goal is for you to enjoy giving speeches.

T he content for this book is based on a conglomeration of resources that includes personal experience, research, and shared stories from those who can attest to and advise about public speaking. Im grateful to those whose speaking engagement experiences provided fodder for examples that I share in this book and for those who have meticulously studied and published their work about public speaking. When gathering information for this book, I pleasantly found that people willingly shared, when asked, their public speaking experiences. Most would quickly remember what they considered embarrassing moments, or their fears, when presenting publicly, and they didnt hesitate to offer advice on some tricks of the trade.