Master the Three B's of Public Speaking
The school year has ended. Kids are on the move. Some are graduating, while others are moving up to a new level or heading off to their first real jobs. Weddings are popping up. And while summer is still a month away, vacation travel season has arrived.
Things are moving, changing. It's a time of transition.
In the midst of this swirl of events, you might be asked to make a speech or give a toast. Whether it’s a commencement speech, a wedding reception toast or remarks at a graduation party, you will benefit from knowing and practicing the “Three B’s of Public Speaking.”
The Day I Learned the Three B's
Several years ago, I attended an awards banquet where the keynote speaker was a respected, highly decorated, retired Army colonel.?
Colonel’s remarks stood between us and dinner being served.?He knew what Abraham Lincoln and all other great speakers know.
Following a glorious introduction by the emcee, the colonel took to the rostrum and began speaking. He paused for a brief moment and made eye contact with us, as he scanned the room with a warm smile.
His first words calmed us. “You all deserve to be congratulated on your accomplishments. Know that I, and all of us gathered here, admire and appreciate what you’ve done."
领英推荐
Colonel went on remarking, “I thought about the best way to acknowledge and reward you this evening. So in return for your efforts, I am going to share with you the most valuable leadership tool I know. It’s called the Three B’s of Public Speaking.”
With that, he laid out this simple, effective and incredibly memorable lesson, explaining each of the three elements with just a sentence or two.
1 - Be brief. Get to your point. Everyone’s time is valuable. Respect it and never waste it. Brevity is key to maintaining engagement with your audience.
2 - Be brilliant. Have something unique and valuable to say. Craft memorable phrases that fit together into a cogent flow or structure. Aim for your remarks to be insightful and impactful.
3 - Be gone. Once you’ve made your key points, take your seat. Quit while you’re ahead. Your audience will appreciate your brevity. When you keep your remarks short, you make a lasting impression. They’ll recognize that you possess confident humility: not having to talk just to hear yourself talk.?
Where Abraham Lincoln Comes into the Lesson
Part of the greatness and lasting impression of The Gettysburg Address is its brevity. Lincoln spoke just 272 words in making his profoundly historic remarks.
How many words do you truly need?
An upperclassman peer, I believe named Matt Adams, whom I knew from Student Congress back in my days at Providence College spoke with eloquence, humor and brevity. In his speech he both shared and modeled the 3 Bs and it has successfully stuck with me - well over 3 decades later.