{"id":127,"date":"2015-11-04T23:21:37","date_gmt":"2015-11-04T23:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michaelspeaks.com\/blog\/?p=127"},"modified":"2023-06-13T21:37:33","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T21:37:33","slug":"welcome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/michaelspeaks.com\/blog\/welcome\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to MichaelSpeaks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever read a post or an article that does nothing but tell you what you already know? <\/strong>I promise you something different.
\n<\/p>\n

Old-school advice<\/h3>\n

I find that nearly every public speaking blog and nearly every communication tips article just rehashes the same old advice that we all learned in sixth grade.<\/p>\n

Following clich\u00e9 advice might actually improve on monotony. It will take you all the way from monotony to mediocrity.<\/p>\n

You know what boring sounds like<\/h3>\n

\"baby-470069_1920\"When I was young my parents took me to church every Sunday. Every Sunday begins the same way as hundreds of eyes fixed toward the pulpit. That lasts about 2 minutes. Even into my teenage and adult years, I found a way to perch my head against the pew in front of me and fall asleep. “Why are they soooo boring?” I asked myself as I dozed off.<\/p>\n

The preaching was almost always mediocre, at best.<\/p>\n

You know what not-boring sounds like<\/h3>\n

Then, every once in a while, a speaker would come that was different. Every once in a while a new speaker would rise above mediocrity.<\/p>\n

What makes some speakers fun to listen to?<\/p>\n

Do great speakers sound just like everyone else? No.<\/p>\n

Can it ever be inspirational and mediocre at the same time? No.<\/p>\n

Can conventional wisdom create anything but a conventional impression? No.<\/p>\n

When you do what everyone else does, you will sound exactly like everyone else — mediocre.<\/p>\n

I experienced an anxiety attack<\/h3>\n

The first time I was asked to speak in public, I had a paralyzing anxiety attack. By the standard of conventional wisdom I did just fine. But I didn’t feel fine.<\/p>\n

Even when it was over, I had the most incredible churning in the gut and my head started spinning with nausea. Sweating palms, heart beating out of my chest, I could see only 2 options: run out of the room before I passed out, or make a scene.<\/p>\n

In my paralysis neither one actually happened, but I second guessed myself for days. Was it good? Are the compliments really sincere? What did they really think?<\/em><\/p>\n

The experience was so miserable that for weeks, I repeated to myself this internal commitment: “If I’m ever asked to speak again, I’m going to say no!”<\/p>\n

That experience transformed my life, because as the weeks wore on I came to understand that refusal to speak would only undermine my progress, and prevent others from seeing what valuable insights I had to offer.<\/p>\n

I studied the secrets of professionals<\/h3>\n

I made a new commitment–learn what those great speakers do that makes them great.<\/p>\n

The next time I spoke in public about 3 years later was completely different. I can sum up the gist of the compliments I received with one statement: “How did you do that?”<\/p>\n

I didn’t do it with practice, or eye contact, or any of the conventional wisdom.<\/p>\n

My favorite quote of all time is from professional speaker Joel Weldon.<\/p>\n

\n

Find out what everybody else is doing … and don’t do it. — Joel Weldon<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I’ve now been collecting the secrets of those professional communicators for 25 years, and I can tell you with certainty that the secret is not to study public speaking.<\/p>\n

The secret of great communication is great science.<\/p>\n

What makes people listen?
\nWhat makes people remember?
\nWhat makes people act?<\/p>\n

Try something different<\/h3>\n


\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For the complete detail, please check out my one-of-a-kind communication training and software at SpeechDeck.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Where does this blog come in? I’m sick and tired of reading the bad advice that naive amateurs promulgate all over the web.<\/p>\n

That’s why I’ve finally decided to publish MichaelSpeaks. If you want to rise above mediocrity, you need to hear the secrets that amateurs just don’t know.<\/p>\n

I promise you something different — truth you’ve never heard before.<\/p>\n

Until next week,
\n\"sig\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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