vesterberg.se

When I have spoken publicly I have often wondered about the dynamics of speaking to a crowd. Sometimes it is easy, like a brook flowing out from you and sometimes it is like chewing sawdust or sand. Sometimes you are able to catch the attention of the audience and sometimes you are very happy to have notes and you just want to finish your speech as soon as possible. The brook-experiences are great. It is like what you are saying is created afresh in that very moment and you say things you have not thought about before. An interested and participating audience “pulls” out a living message.

Some days ago I read an interesting article at the Pegasus site called “A whole approach to public speaking” by Carla Kimball that describes this phenomenon very nice. She talks about how we can grow in our public speaking abilities by  developing awareness when speaking. You can connect to the audience, seeing both yourself and the audience as a larger whole. She talks about establishing a relationship with the ones you are talking to and creating a shared space. What is being said is, in a way, created by both the speaker and the audience. One of the keys is to think how you can be of service. It is not about presenting your thing, but about being a servant.

I have recently experienced both being in the flow and chewing sand, so the explanation really came alive to me.