Public Speaking Lesson From The Declaration Of Independence

declaration-of-independence-public-speaking

 

I believe that the strongest and most authoritative way to begin your presentation is a belief declaration.

Because it is the simplest, most concise way to tell people where you stand.

I am not surprised that the writers of the Declaration of Independence chose to declare their beliefs right at the beginning of the document.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Notice how powerful, captivating and concise those words are.

You can do the same next time you speak in front of your customers and colleagues. Below is the formula to apply.

Easy Public Speaking Lesson

Belief Declaration Formula To Begin Your Presentation With Power and Authority:

1. Say: “I believe _______________.”

Fill in the blank with what you believe about your topic. Here are some examples from my most recent keynotes about the public speaking:

a) I believe that “ANYONE” can become great at public speaking.

b) I believe that public speaking skills are crucial to your career’s survival and success.

C) I believe that every employee you have can be an advocate for your organization.

Makes sense? Now try it! Come up with some beliefs that relate to your topic, industry, project, etc. and then go to step 2 below.

2. Say : “Because, _____________.”

Fill in the blank to justify the belief. Here is what I use for example “a” above.

Because public speaking becomes very simple to learn once you break it into three different areas. The first area is “confidence and delivery,” the second area is “structure; and how to build a presentation,” and the third area is “storytelling so that you can captivate and engage your audience.” …

During a keynote, I flesh it out a little more. But you get the idea.

Here is 1 and 2 put together:

I believe that “ANYONE” can become a great public speaker.

Because public speaking becomes very simple to learn once you break it into three different areas. The first area is “confidence and delivery,” the second area is “structure; and how to build a presentation,” and the third area is “storytelling so that you can captivate and engage your audience.”

Belief declaration is now my second favorite way of beginning my presentations: It’s compelling, concise, and to the point. However, my favorite technique of all times is starting with a story.

Hope you liked tip Tuesday and please share your beliefs in the comments section below. I would love to read them.

 

Peter Khoury

Peter Khoury: Founder @ MagneticSpeaking X-Pharmaceutical Engineer, turned author, national speaker and executive presentation coach.

In addition to Public Speaking training, Peter is a regular speaker on the topics of Negotiations, Conflict Management and Leadership. He is the author of the book “Self-Leadership Guide.