“Whatโs trapped inside you is eating you alive.” ย ~ย Charles Henderson
Many times, speakers ask, โWhat are good subjects to talk about; what is popular today?โ ย On the surface, this sounds like a good question, but itโs not. Why?
Imagine if you asked this question, and the answer you received was โThe impending death of the personal computer in Americaโ or โHow can the Federal Government avoid bankrupting the economy.โ Interesting topics, to be sure, but what if your knowledge of these subject is limited, or, even worse, you donโt really care. The world is littered with speeches given by people who lacked either the knowledge, passion (or both) about any given subject. Donโt fall into this trap.
If you donโt talk about whatโs popular, what should you talk about?ย The quote above is a clue. There are subjects which you may have buried inside, even have deep levels of concern, passion and interest for, but havenโt had the courage to discuss.ย Thatโs where you should look. To paraphrase an old saying, โThereโs gold in them thar subjects!โ
I know what you may be thinking, โMichael, the topics I care about wouldnโt be of interest to anyone.”ย I beg to differ. While itโs true some subjects can, at first glance, seem limited in their popularity, there is a speech development tool that can connect any subject to an audience.
That tool is to share lessons learned from your topic. When you transform your passion into a teachable moment, you create a long-lasting benefit.
For example, my friend Carol recently emailed me about a family member who is involved in wood working. If this young man stands up to talk about this topic, chances are heโd have a limited audience. However, there are several life lessons he could tie to wood working. Not being a connoisseur of the subject, I can only speculate some universal concepts that could be tied to it:
Creativity โ Use Your Imagination to Create Your Unique Vision;
Patience โ Use the Concept of โMeasure Twice, Cut Onceโ to Save Time and Aggravation;
Sharpen the Saw โ How to Ensure that You are Working with the Best Possible Tools to Do Yourย Job Well.
These are just threeย of an endless list of ideas, and I know nothing about the art of wood working. The point here is that you can take a seemingly limitedย subject, tie it to lessons which resonate with all people, and then develop a talk thatย impacts them long after they hear you speak.
The next time you have an opportunity to give a talk, donโt sweat your subject matter. Remember the words of Charles Henderson. Donโt leave your passions buried inside.ย Tie your interests to universal messages, and you can change the way people Think, Feel or Act.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE OF THE WEEK
Inject More Humor into Your Presentations
Presenters who use humor make deeper connections with their audiences, earn more money, motivate others more effectively, are more memorable, stand out from the crowd, andโฆ have more fun!
Learn how to inject more laughter into your speeches from humorist Phil Barth, finalist in the 2011 World Championship of Public Speaking. ย He is interviewed by Michael Davis, and shares his secrets about how to bring laughter to your message.
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