We just discussed a story about a woman who lost her Power Point notes. Right after writing that blog . . .
My wife and I were invited to a baptism. The priest opened her sermon by announcing: “In all the excitement about the baptism, I forgot my notes for today’s talk; so I’ll have to just speak from the heart”.
As a public-speaking instructor, I would be inclined to say that’s not a good opener. I would have coached someone in that situation to say nothing and proceed from memory. But in this case it thoroughly worked in her favor. She created a little bit of tension; people sat a bit taller. We all wondered how well she would handle the circumstances.
It helped that she was likeable and sincere. I think everyone was silently rooting for her to do a great job. She did. Few things resonate more to an audience than “speaking from the heart”. Also, without the crutch of notes, all of the other wonderful connecting strategies naturally flourish: eye contact, pausing to think, facial expressions, movement and inflection.
Once again, if you tend to overuse your notes or Power Point, take a chance and see how well you can connect with an audience by “speaking form the heart”.
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