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Show Speech (Continued) also helped me. I once had the honor of preaching to a distinguished congregation which included Herbert Hoover.. An extremely land man, Mr. Hoover "shoolc nlandswtuhTmeaf ter the service, saying, "That was a darn good sermon.' Later I was asked to address a large gathering of businessmen. I hadjriever spoken to such an assemblage before and Was jittery. Then I remembered Mr. Hoover's words. "A former President of the United States told you that you preached a darn good sermon, I said to myself. "If you could do that, Norman, you can get up now and make a darn good speech!" I have found more platform courage throulh Before prayer, however, than through starting speaker audience. That, I think, is the most important my request that any speaker can make of the Almighty. If you really love your listeners you can't be afraid of them. At the same time, you will be trying so hard to please them and lift their spirits that you ' can hardly fail! Knowing exactly what he is going to say will help any speaker. You don't have to write out your self-prai- MEW se. shoe. The speaker, he said, a certain Congressman, had been terrible. The chairman then introduced me as "a preacher from New York" and predicted that I would probably be ven worse than the Congressman. As I rose to speak, I was greeted with loud boos and catcalls. Above the hubbub, one -- Early Bird shouted, "You're not a preacher. You're not even dressed like one. Where's your surplice?" That gave me my chance and-- I used the old pun, remembered from my unregenerate youth when I used to attend vaudeville shows. "I'm a Protestant preacher" I said. "In my church we don't have a surplus. We have a deficit!" I probably should have been ashamed of myself, but the old gag seemed appropriate to the mood of AerlyiriancLthey.apparen liked it. At least they settled down and listened to me without g. After the meeting, .further yelling or they even presented me with one of their bibs. pan-beatin- In addition to gaining your listeners' attention, it is important to win their good will right at the start; This is especially necessary if the chairman or toastmaster has said flattering things IBapiEiE. speech ahead of time, although this is advisable for MUTE 28 Last-minu- Family Weekly, June 15, 195 r said with a sneer, "why should I be? They're a loL of dumb jerks or they wouldn't be here. They'll eat up any thing I say and love it." Such an attitude is the worst any speaker can have, and I am not sluTrpTiseoT that the actor has faded into obliviortTAny group of people, no matter Jiow simple their background, quickly sense and resent any tendency by a speaker to patronize them. On the other hand, they respond graciously if he treats them as equals. It is easy to show esteem for an audience without resorting to flattery. One way is by expressing sincere appreciation and respect Jor things you know are close to their hearts. Making a talk in the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. I established rapport with my audience by telling how much I enjoyed the view from my hotel window. It was thrilling to me, I said and I meant it to look out atthe mountain pass through which Brigham Young haoMed the Mormons' cov- ered wagons into the valley olGreat Salt Lake in MM CAPK about you. You can't very well call him a liar, but beginners. But you should plan it carefully, with there are several graceful ways you can make it a definite goal. What do you hope to accomplish plain that you don't take his remarks too seriously, with your remarks? Do you wish to enlighten, One of my friends, the late A. Harry Moore, persuade, inspire, invoke deep thought, or merelylhree times governor of New Jersey, used to deflate entertain? Whatever your goal, keep it in mind in himself after a fulsome introduction with one clever preparing your speech and try to march toward it sentence, which has become something of a comedy from beginning to end. classic: "Ladies and gentlemen, as I sat here listenThe beginning is the most important part If you ing to that magnificent introduction, I could hardly can't arouse your listeners' interest during the wait to hear myself talk!" first minute or two, you probably never will. There are any number of other ways in which But every opening should be flexible enough to you can puncture your ego without being disgustte te allow circumchanges. ingly humble. In my own case, I often tell of an stances may offer a chance for a better opening experience I had as an after-dinn- er speaker in a than anything you can contrive ahead of time! Pennsylvania city. The chairman was-- ar local judge An ancient pun helped me out when I addressed who took a dim view of life. Most o the guests had a hilarious breakfast meeting of the Early Birds a delightful time blowing up toy balloons, singing, Club in Washington, D. C. The Early Birds, mostly and otherwise disporting themselves. Finally the prominent Washington businessmen, wore big bibs judge turned to me. "Well, Dr. Peale," he said with tied around their necks and paraded through, the a sigh, "shall we let the people have yoiir speech dining room beating spoons on tin pans beforesit-tin- g now cr shall we let them enjoy themselves for a down to eat Horseplay continued all during little while longer?" the meal, and the reading of the minutes was quite Stories like that won't always bring a laugh. But ludicrous and entertaining: they tend to soften up a tough audience's "sales The food had been awful on that occasion, the resistance" and put it in a mood at least to tolerate secretary reported, the ham and eggs ice cold, the your other remarks. toast burned, the coffee strained through an old Once I spoke from the same platform with a then- last-minu- famous movie actor. We faced an audience of .several thousand working men and women and I asked him if he didn't feel nervous. "Nervous," he 1 SIA 7 i Horort iro oir n; h irh ho ann hie trl Irwirarc harl made blossom 0 1 1 like1 the rose. nce you are off to a favorable start, you will hold your audience's attention if you speak with enthusiasm and authority. You should be bubbling over with your subject, convinced that the speech you are making will turn out to be the best you ever delivered, and making it plain that while you may be an ignoramus in other respects, you are an expert on what you are talking about. At the same time, you should establish the idea that it is a subject of great importance to your audience. After you've started the main body of your speech, it is advisable to stick to your theme and drive home your principal points I'm never in favor of more than three main points one after another. An occasional digression is permissible for the sake of a laugh, but excessive wandering will confuse your audience and you may get lost yourself. This doesn't mean you shouldn't use illustrative anecdotes. The more of them you can sprinkle through your speech the better, provided they illuminate the points you are trying to make. Most listeners soon get bored with straight facts no matter how important they are. But if you can present facts in the guise of interesting little stories, or as |