Why the world needs you to speak from the heart

Take a peek around you in the media - what do you see? Another celebrity scandal? Another politician who’s got in trouble for saying something? Another frenzy about the new iSomething-that-we-don’t-really-need?

To me, all this seems rather unreal, distant and uninspiring. Like it misses the point somewhere.

What gets me tickled is connection. Like last week, when I heard the founder of the Coaches Training Institute Karen Kimsey-House speak in London. She had a complete absence of spin. No hype. No hoopla. No glossy buzzwords. Yet she was one of the most inspiring speaker’s I’ve come across. Why? Because she spoke from the heart.

It felt fresh, it felt deep and I found myself listening to and receiving her words on a whole different level.

What the world needs now, more than ever, is inspiration. And the most powerful way I’ve found of inspiring others is to stand up and speak from the heart. It’s known in some circles as public speaking. And it’s more powerful than any video, email or tweet could ever be.

What the world needs now is you – the people who think and care – to step out of your comfort zone and become a voice for positive change. It doesn’t matter if you’re scared, Laura Whitworth admits to still being terrified of public speaking. What matters is that you get your message out there.

See, what I’m finding as I think more about public speaking (which I ought to be doing having just finished writing a book about it), is that truly brilliant public speaking boils down to authenticity.

Of course a good speaker needs to get the basics right. They should be at choice with how their body, voice and mind behave whilst they’re speaking; they should have a solid sense of empathy with their audience’s needs; their content should be fresh, engaging and well-structured. But all of this can leave you cold without those authentic moments when a speaker talks from the heart.

If all this talk of inspiring public speaking sounds daunting, let me assure you that there’s a proven pathway to get you there. With help, support and a fair dose of your own bravery, you will get there. The first three steps along that pathway go a little like this:

1) Solidify your message. Find out what you really care about. What is the tank you’re willing to stand in front of? Learn for yourself what’s really important to you, by seeing what grabs your attention in the news, or in life at large. This is your message.

2) Link your message to what you do. What you do as a job or hobby is your practical reason for standing up and speaking in public. If your message totally conflicts with both, I’d urge you to find new ways of spending your time. Usually there’s a good link. And this is your reason for speaking in public.

3) Speak up! Know that nobody will hear your message of change unless you start to tell it. If you don’t say it, nobody else will – not in that special way that’s authentic to you. If you understand the significance of your message, you’ll be ready to talk, even if it makes your knees wobble. So it’s time to get moving.

You may need some help on the way to shape the message, or to build your speaking technique, but make a start. If you’ve nowhere else to go, head to a local Toastmasters club where new (and experienced) public speakers are always welcome.

And, of course, this is just the start of the journey. I support speakers and aspiring speakers along the way.

My programmes include:

Foundations of Excellent Public Speaking

Memorable Messages through Public Speaking

Public Speaking for Workshop Leaders

For more information, please visit: http://www.go-ginger.com/workshops.html

Sarah Lloyd-Hughes is founder of Ginger Training & Coaching – www.go-ginger.com and author of “How to be Brilliant at Public Speaking” (Pearson, Sept 2011).