Speech is a conquest because we speak so little in our youth. Don't focus on the mountains but on trying to move them. Passion comes from practice and can occur in unexpected places without caring about your plan for the future. Failing an exam is not the end of life. Do your best constantly and you might be lucky. Speech is a social marker, the lower class doesn't feel worthy of being listened too. You can correct a written text but not a speech from which you'll be categorized after just 7 words. Say "Hello Sir/Madam" instead of just "Hello". Equality is intransigence for all. Language is contextual, you can say "Wesh" to a buddy but not to a teacher. What do you want to say and to whom? Speaking well is life-changing, way more than learning about corporate finance, and so is transmitting what you know. Always highlight what is positive, even if it is small, as every student learns at his own pace. Focus on your message, not on people's opinion about you. Speech isn't a toy, speech is a weapon you can change the world with. What is your message? When you speak, accept that it won't be perfect. Using a slideshow as a substitute for a speech is a crime, have pity for your audience. The greatest speeches are built in the present rather than rehearsed to perfection, the speaker should be in danger. Focus on meeting people, not on being viewed. Have you ever felt deep emotions from a TED Talk? Speaking isn't reading a text, otherwise you don't connect with the audience. Does the vocabulary make the spirit or does the spirit makes the vocabulary? A better vocabulary means a sharper mind. You can't be a great speaker if you're not a great reader. The 5 forbidden words are being, having, saying, putting, and doing because there always is a better alternative. Stress disappears when you point it out and denying its presence makes discomfort bigger for everyone. The audience isn't against a speaker but with him, if he fails than everyone as lost time. Every student has its own base level and learning rate that the teacher must take into account when creating a roadmap to success. To get into the habit of running or speaking frequently, sign a contract with yourself stating how you'll exercise. To train speaking, record a fake radio show using your phone that gets longer and less prepared over time using this framework: tell a story, analyze events, share your point of view. The 3 stress reducers are preparation work, deep breathing, and speech visualization. All you need to know is the beginning, the end, and the checkpoints in between. Be antagonistic, learn the antithesis of your thesis to better disprove it and make your thesis appear stronger, but respect your opponent. Use quotes if they are part of you and your flow, not to show off, because people want to hear you, not others. A punchline, a good formula, is important because it is easy to remember, gives both blood and meaning, and suits social networks format. When you are invited to speak somewhere, ask yourself why in order to know your expected role. Listen to others to understand them, not to fight them, to find the truth hidden behind what they say. Debate ideas, not people. Powerful debate techniques to use or to point out are caricature (liberals are thieves), common sense (we all know that), dilemma (either this or that), association (Hitler taught that too), and reorientation (this matters less than that). Family is made for love, not for debate: do you want to talk about that or have a good time? Speech is words, a body, and a voice while a text is only words. Too many non-verbal gestures and verbal tics are distracting your audience from your speech. Good posture is no substitute for having something to say. Start and end with your stronger arguments. The only person aware of your speech weaknesses is you, act like it is perfect.
Bertrand Périer