Be a good speaker
by Amal Hewavissenti
 Generally, the man who has the
ability to speak fluently and persuasively naturally enjoys widespread
public attraction and popularity. The ability to speak to a large body
of people with a mesmerising effect is thought to be the premier
leadership quality that is able to bring everybody under one wing.
Gift of the gab
The most prominent problem for a speaker is his lack of training and
practice of the skills to give free expression to what he wants to put
across. Though someone is full to the brim with data and facts, the
across-the-board rule is the general difficulty in organising what is to
be spoken.
Having to speak before a gathering, whether formally or informally,
is one of the expected or unexpected situations in one’s life. However,
the gift of the gab is not only a talent that one is blessed with from
birth but also a skill that could be developed by unbroken commitment,
and one’s own efforts and resources. In fact, this art cannot be
mastered by passive learning of techniques but it is possible through
active involvement in speaking.
If you are bent on becoming a speaker with resounding success, you
should first reflect on who you are speaking to, how to adjust your
personality traits, whether you know how to produce the desired effect
on the listeners. Here you can give weight to who you are going to speak
to and what is to be spoken.
 Therefore, you can then manipulate the vocabulary and ideas to match
the standard of the listeners and their different levels of
understanding. For example, you can adjust your facial expression to
suit the words used and employ gestures so as to captivate the
listeners’ attention.
Perhaps you might have stood in open-mouthed wonder at some who speak
at the full blast of their voice and keep thudding the tables at every
word they utter. Such mind-numbingly boring gestures are totally
pointless because they fail to make understood or make the speech
“interesting.”
Eye contact
Still, there are others who are accustomed to walk, swing legs, wipe
the face or scratch their heads while addressing a large gathering. This
will only knock such a speaker off his pedestal. If someone speaking
before a gathering stays solemn or self-important in an affected way,
the listeners will naturally keep aloof from him because they like to
listen to simple ideas, not a pedantic speech peppered with trash.
A talented speaker knows how to enliven his speech with thought
provoking ideas or quotes and verses that appeal to the listener’s
innermost point of soul.
World famous skilful speakers such as Abraham Lincoln, Chief Seatle,
or Dr. Martin Luther King have used clear vocabulary and mesmerising
expressions that matched the situation perfectly and the mood of the
people in question. They have left much for the would-be-speakers to
follow.
 A tactful speaker keeps his eyes directly fixed on the
listeners, totally gripping them. An irresponsible, idiot-like speaker
may ignore the audience before him and speak to the roof, wall or trees
around, displaying his diffidence.
You can clearly sense the interest being developed within the
listeners by closely observing how far they have been absorbed in what
you have already spoken.
On the other hand, a general whisper or lowered
voices among the listeners is a stark signal that your speech has turned
out to be mind-numbingly boring. Take the first step by cancelling out
your stage fear and rehearse a speech before a mirror or a select group
of friends for a feedback.
This will enable you to penetrate your own weaknesses. Never read a
written speech and never memorise a speech. Simply give expression to
your free thoughts and if you happen to forget something, do not let
yourself get stuck. Resume the speech tactfully without giving the
listeners the slightest idea that you went wrong. Whatever you speak,
refresh the listeners’ interest.
Good luck!
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