THOU SHALL SPEAK WITH CONVICTION, PASSION AND PERSUATION

Ever since I first read Dale Carnegie's’ classic on Public Speaking – some thirty-five years ago - one thing has stayed like a rock in my mind: Unless we are enthusiastic and persuasive enough, we can not leave an impact on our audience.

Period.

For years, I have been helping small and young children, both, to speak well in public with loads of self-confidence. I am more and more convinced, as seasons pass by, that none on this planet, leave alone a small fry like me, can take away this basic lesson of the old master, Dale Carnegie, from the text of Public Speaking.

Today, let me write something more on this.

To speak well, you need to possess incredible amount of conviction. You need to believe in your ideas, your words… Just as you would believe in your God… Just as you would believe that the Mount Everest is the tallest and the toughest mountain to climb, even though you haven’t seen it, touched it and felt it! Yes, you need to possess that unshakeable belief in your ideas, your words…

How else, will you speak well 

before your audience? 

How else will you expect to leave 

an impact on them?

From your inner conviction - rock-solid conviction – comes your passion to speak. I always tell everyone this: Passion is red – blood red! When a passionate person speaks, he is life personified… He charges you, leaves you inspired. Yes, passion comes from your soul… It is real, honest and packed with power. When you speak with passion, you are all animated, enthusiastic… Almost possessed!

 Now imagine this: When you have that bulldog conviction in what you want to communicate to your audience and when you are as passionate as a possessed man  about your subject, let me tell you this too: you WIIL be that persuasive to sway your audience to your line of thinking.

Period.

A last line: The Sun just shines… The Moon just glows… And, you just speak…

Amen.

GERLAD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Abhishek Iyer