PLANKS OF CONFIDENCE

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PLANKS OF CONFIDENCE

• Building the House of Public Speaking Success

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Examining the Planks of Confidence

• When you see a shell of a house being put up, you
  cant help but notice the individual pieces of
  wood, two by fours, of varying lengths, that make
  up the walls and roof.
• These pieces of wood are referred to as planks.
• Now, take the word CONFIDENCE and use each letter
  in the word as a figurative plank.
• These are ten components that will help you nail
  down self confidence.

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CONFIDENCE

• Content
• Organization
• Notes
• Friendliness
• Impression

• Dedication
• Empathy
• Newness
• Conviction
• Enthusiasm

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Content

• Have something worthwhile to say.
• You cannot be a confident speaker if you are not
  confident in your content
• Audiences respect a person who shares a message
  that contains facts and pertinent evidence.
• Build a relevant message with solid content by
  going to the library, surfing the Internet,
  reading newspapers or current magazines,
  interviewing someone who knows the topic, or
  watching the news or educational television.
• Do not base your speech on assertions or
  emotional appeal only.

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Organization

• Have an outline to follow.
• Your format must be logical.
• You must have a main idea or point, clear areas
  of analysis, and supporting evidence that fits.
• Also important are an introduction, thesis
  statement, and conclusion.
• Dont always rely on the spontaneity of the
  moment.
• Offer clarity and sequence to your audience.

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Notes

• Jot down ideas in a brief, outlined form.
• Notes are not a substitute for preparation.
• Notes provide you with a memory
  springboardseeing a keyword or phrase should
  remind you of where you were and where you should
  be going.
• Avoid the two greatest problems regarding notes
• Too many words on one card
• Too many note cards

7
Friendliness

• Be congenial.
• You can gain confidence by being friendly and
  seeing that the audience will give you positive
  feedback.
• With friendliness you audience will forgive just
  about everything else you do wrong. Without is
  you can hit every bulls-eye in the room and no
  one will be impressed.
• Dont be afraid to smile and direct your speech
  to individuals in the room.
• An audience that likes you is more likely to be
  receptive you your message.

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Impression

• Getting off to a good start is essential in
  building confidence.
• 55 of what others think about you is determined
  before you ever open your mouth.
• Impressions are made in the first 4-6 seconds
  that an audience sees you.
• Your dress and grooming determines whether or
  not you are taken seriously.
• Be sure that your makeup, jewelry, and clothing
  do not detract from your message.

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Dedication

• Practice, practice, practice
• You must practice your speech, out loud as much
  as possible.
• Reading over your notes is not practice.
• Would a baseball player just think about his
  swing in his mind?
• Practice every part of your speech eye contact,
  gestures, movement, using visual aids
• Be dedicated so that if you do mess you, you know
  how to work your way out of it.

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Empathy

• Know how it feels to feel that way.
• Empathy A sincere understanding of the feelings,
  thoughts, and motives of others.
• Empathy helps you to understand your audience
  better.
• Common ground shows an audience that you are all
  in this together.

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Newness

• Apply some originality
• Taking a different slant or approach to a topic.
• Clever anecdote or meaningful quote can add
  uniqueness
• Personal stories add an individual touch.
• Be creative!

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Conviction

• Believe in what you say!
• Know what your principles are and have the
  courage to stand up and voice them.
• Ordinary topics take on new, vital meaning when
  you are strong in your convictions.
• Your audience will take your topic more
  seriously.
• If you are confident about the importance of your
  message, then you audience is more likely to be
  persuaded.

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Enthusiasm

• Get Fired Up!!!
• No one wants to listen to an unemotional
  mannequin.
• Directed energy keeps your audience involved.
• The most ordinary speech can become entertaining
  with enthusiasm.
• You can inspire your audience by being fired up
  in two ways
• Intellectually, so that your mind is sharp and
  alert
• Physically, so that your body is involved

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CONFIDENCE in a Nutshell

• Have worthwhile CONTENT
• Stay ORGANIZED
• Use carefully planned NOTES
• Practice FRIENDLINESS
• Make a good IMPRESSION
• Be DEDICATED
• Live out EMPATHY
• Apply NEWNESS
• Live with CONVICTION
• Perform ENTHUSIASTICALLY!