|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 15 June 2003 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
How to get over that panic attack by NEOMI KODIKARA Do you remember those dreadful moments each time you stand in front of a crowd of people and speak? Can you recall faltering over the words when asked to read aloud or forgetting lines in a college play? How awful it is! Heart is pounding so loud even the audience could hear, hands and legs are wet and shaky, lips have dried up, the mind has gone completely blank. And then you envy that confident smile of the cool guy who is going to speak after you. This nervous, stressful situation is not an uncommon experience to most of us. It is absolutely normal, when speaking in public. However, experts say adrenaline which is the cause of the above gestures is not all bad, it helps to create a good performance, but feeling incapacitated by nervousness is severe. Yet it is not just a dream to be a good public speaker. Cheer up! The art of eloquence is not an innate gift bestowed upon only a privileged few. It is a subject that can be studied like any other subject. So many great orators have improved themselves through learning and practice. Today with the growth of business networks, public speaking is fast becoming an essential requirement in life. A company's success depends on communication. Employees face an endless exchange of ideas and information as they deal with one another and with customers in their day-to-day work. According to Dr. Dilip Abayasekara, Vice President for the Toastmasters International attitude is of primary importance. A speaker with a negative attitude of himself can sabotage the whole programme. "Creating a positive attitude is what happens at the Toastmasters, we won't laugh at you but we are ready to laugh with you," he says. Being a professional speaker, trainer and a speech coach he says that he never loads too much of public-speaking techniques on a learner's head at the beginning. He believes that 'the quality of speech depends on what the listeners grasp from it". So he helps people discover their own genius and find the path of fulfilment. He advises youth not to wait until they are adults to improve their public-speaking skills. "If you can speak confidently, it will actually keep you in a better position than those paper qualifications, as there is a big demand in Sri Lanka and elsewhere for people who can think, face and talk confidently." Talking about his experiences at 'Youth Leadership programmes', he conducted, Abayasekara says that for some youth it had been the first opportunity to express their ideas. He feels these programmes empower innovative youths to respond to life in a constructive and assertive manner. "One has to prepare oneself and one's material before speaking in public," he says getting ready to offer some tips on effective public-speaking. For this, a clear understanding of the composition of the audience, their expectations and level of education is necessary. The speaker should have a knowledge of the time limit given, using of handouts, visual aids or demonstration objects. "If the delivery needs to be effective, the speaker's focus should not be on himself but on the audience, because, the more one is aware of oneself, the more nervous he can be," he explains. Preparation well in advance is a principal factor, he says. This includes from writing the speech to last minute rehearsals. The speech should be written after doing thorough research on the topic. He advises amateur speakers to write the entire speech at the beginning of their career as it disciplines the mind. "Later on you can learn to write only key words, phrases or sentences and develop the speech around them, further. "With experience you will be able to speak without jotting down a single word but by organising the speech in mind," he claims. Inarticulate speeches makes the audience suffer, and tolerate blanketed sound, straining to make sense. This can also reflect lack of confidence. Therefore, quality, range and clarity should be improved to oil the voice. "But do not imitate, be yourself and have your own, natural style," he emphasises. Imitating someone else lasts a shorter time and it creates a barrier between the speaker and the audience affecting effective communication. However, he stresses that public speaking is not an art that can be learnt within a day or two, but a vast area that can be learnt only through practice. Dr. Abayasekara, a scientist turned professional speaker, trainer and speech coach is the first Asian to be elected to preside over Toastmasters International since its inception in 1932. He will take over the office of President in 2005. Born and raised in Colombo he was a student of Royal College, Colombo and Aquinas University College. He was twice a finalist at Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking, and was placed second in 1992. Fifty-one-year-old Abayasekara lives in Missouri with his wife and two children. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
