I was asked to hold a speech for a book that I contributed, should i accept?
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The document discusses whether to accept a speaking opportunity to discuss a book contribution. It outlines considering the pros and cons of speaking publicly by making a T-chart listing emotional and logical factors. While public speaking brings anxiety, declining could lead to self-doubt. Toastmasters is recommended to help with fears. Preparing and having support can help decide if this opportunity is worth the short-term discomfort to gain experience and future opportunities.
I was asked to hold a speech for a book that I contributed, should i accept?
- 1. I was askedto holda speechfor a book that I contributed,shouldI accept? I'm not comfortable totalkto a bigaudience (over50-60 people),andthatis mymain concernabout holdingaspeech. Thisappearsto me to be one of a classicpainvs gainscenario.Whichisbetter… to feel the paini.e.the fearof publicspeakingfora possible gainof increasedbooksales, furtherspeakingopportunities,increasedrevenue ornottofeel the painand decline the speakingopportunity? Decliningdoesn’tnecessarilyavoidthe pain.Itavoidsthe immediate anxietyandstressof nothavingto deliverthe speechbutitopensone upfor self-doubt,secondthoughtsandself-criticismforbeinga coward fornot takingthe opportunity. I findthatdecisionslike thisinvolve emotional andlogical thinkingtoresolve.A fearof publicspeakingis an example of anemotional response toprotectusfromfeelingthe pain.We can back upour fear- protectionmode byourlogic. “Nobodywouldwanttohear me.”;“I don’thave anythingtosay”; “it’sall inthe bookanyways,theydon’tneedme.” There are ways however, thatwe canuse our emotional/logical responsesstrategicallytohelpusmake difficultdecisions. I oftenuse a T graph on a piece of paperto helpme withdifficultdecisions.Ona goodsizedpiece of lined-paperIdrawa T. This createstwocolumns.Onone columnI add the wordPros.On the other columnI add Cons. The original questionhere iswhethertospeakpubliclyaboutthe contributiontothe bookor not. Therefore,the page shouldbe filledoutwithboththe prosand consof doingso.Thisis calleda brain- stormingsession.The ideaistogenerate asmanyideasaspossible onbothside of the T. At thispoint, the ideaisto generate ideas,notrate them. Once you have exhaustedyourideasIwouldthentake twohighlighterpensandworkingthroughboth columns,identifyeachideaasbeingemotional orlogical based. The nextstepwouldbe to determineif eachitemisactuallytrue ornot. Example:fromthe Cons column.‘Peoplewilllaughatme.’Possibly,butpossiblynot.Thisdoesn’twarrantaTrue rating.If questionable,afollow-upquestionwouldbe “Have peoplelaughedatme every time thatIhave spoken?”A follow-upquestiontothatone wouldbe “If theydidlaughat you whenyouspoke,doesthat have any impacton yourightnow?” Andthen“couldhavingpeople laughatyouworkto your advantage?” Thus far we have takena lookat howto resolve apainvs gainsituation.We still have todeal withthe fearof publicspeakingaspectof the question. There are lotsof variablesthatcome intoplayhere.How much leadtime doyouhave to prepare the speechi.e.whenisyourspeech?Howlongwill yoube expectedtospeak?Will yoube the onlyspeaker or will othercontributorstothe bookalsobe speaking?Isthe Organizerof the speakingeventable to assistyouin anyway?
- 2. Assumingyouhave time betweennowandthe actual speakingengagement,youcouldattendalocal Toastmastersclub.If the time isshort,it likelywon’tallow youtime todevelopandhone yourspeaking skillsbutitmightjusthelpyoucut the edge onyour fearof publicspeaking.Itcanbe helpful tosee otherpeople inagroup settingthatalsohave a fear of publicspeaking,yettheyare doingsomethingto overcome theirfears.Checkout http://toastmasters.org thenclickonthe Finda Clublinktosee if there isa clubnear you. In the eventualitythatthere isn’taToastmastersclubnearyou,or your speakingengagementis imminent,itmightbe helpful tosee if there issomeone inyourpersonal networkthatisproficientwith publicspeakingandbe willingtohelpyou. For me personally,Ihave avoidedspeakingopportunitiesdue tobeingafraidof publicspeaking.While I avoidedmyinitial pain,IalmostalwayswishedIhadhadthe courage to getup and speak.Idon’tknow if it causedmissedopportunityforme ornot. I was forty yearsoldbefore Ididsomethingaboutit.IjoinedToastmasters22 yearsago and continually lookforopportunitiestospeakinpublic.Itdoesn’tdoanythingaboutmypotentiallymissed opportunitiesbutIbelievethatitwill create future opportunities. Thanksfor the question.Ihope thatthe decisionyoumake worksforyou. As originallyansweredon Quora.com Rae A. Stonehouse (1954- ) is a Canadian born author & speaker. His professional career as a Registered Nurse working predominantly in psychiatry/mental health, has spanned four decades. Rae has embraced the principal of CANI (Constant and Never-ending Improvement) as promoted by thought leaders such as Tony Robbins and brings that philosophy to each of his publications and presentations. Rae has dedicated the latter segment of his journey through life to overcoming his personal inhibitions. As a 20+ year member of Toastmasters International he has systematically built his self-confidence and communicating ability. He is passionate about sharing his lessons with his readers and listeners. His publications thus far are of the self-help, self-improvement genre and systematically offer valuable sage advice on a specific topic. His writing style can be described as being conversational. As an author Rae strives to have a one-to-one conversation with each of his readers, very much like having your own personal self-development coach. Rae is known for having a wry sense of humour that features in his publications. To learn more about Rae A. Stonehouse, visit the Wonderful World of Rae Stonehouse at http://raestonehouse.com . Author of Self-Help Downloadable E-Books: Power Networking for Shy People: Tips & Techniques for Moving from Shy to Sly!
- 3. PROtect Yourself! Empowering Tips & Techniques for Personal Safety: A Practical Violence Prevention Manual for Healthcare Workers. E=Emcee Squared: Tips & Techniques to Becoming a Dynamic Master of Ceremonies. Power of Promotion: On-line Marketing for Toastmasters Club Growth Phone: Rae 250-451-6564 or info@raestonehouse.com Rae’s social … are you? Twitter: http://twitter.com/RaeStonehouse Linkedin? Rae is http://www.linkedin.com/in/raestonehouse Copyright 2016 Rae Stonehouse. The above document may be freely copied and distributed as long as the author’s name and contact info remain attached. Shar eShareWhat istheimportanceof SpeechCommunicat ionintheBusinessSector ?