Speaking Lessons From a Tae Kwon Do Master

No, Speaking Doesn’t Involve Physically Attacking Your Audience!

Chris had asked a good question, and made an excellent point about speaking before an audience.

In learning any new skill, far too many people want to quickly pick up as many new ideas as possible, thinking that more knowledge is the key to mastery. What they don’t understand is that the key to excellence is mastering the basics.

Every spring, baseball teams return to Spring training; every summer, football teams return to training camp.  Why?

Because in the downtime between seasons, they could develop bad habits, or forget some of the essential moves or plays they need to make to be the best they can be. Training camps are designed to help players review and re-master the basics.

Anthony Robbins tells the story of one of his martial arts instructors, Tae Kwon Do Grand Master Jhoon Rhee. Students often approach Master Rhee and say “teach me something new.” He typically responds: “I will not. Until you have mastered the seven basic fundamentals, you are not ready to learn new techniques.”

Jhoon Rhee understands that repetition of the essential elements creates excellence.  Great performers don’t get bored with basics – they’re energized by the challenge of mastery.

The same holds true for speaking.  Before you attempt to learn new delivery ideas, or pick up new tools to craft a better message, ask yourself if you have mastered these basics:

– Develop a single, walk away idea that is as clear as possible to your audience

– Craft stories that create an experience that grabs audiences emotionally

– Use silence to allow audiences to experience humor AND reflect on your key points

– Open with a Bang

– Conclude on a high note, and a call to action

These are not all the essentials, but this is a good place to start. Master these five and you’re well on your way to creating a memorable talk.

Can you learn new ideas and skills to become a better speaker?

Absolutely.

Should you learn those skills now?

Not necessarily. Until you’ve gone deeper in your knowledge and use of the basic elements, wait.  The additional ideas will be there, waiting for you, but only when you’ve taken the advice of a Tae Kwon Do Grand Master and mastered the basics.

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