***Color Is What Makes for a Dynamic Delivery in Public Speaking

One of the most remarkable aspects of color – the life, the animation, the emotion you express in speaking – is that there is no right or wrong. Certainly your attitude can affect your color, which I discussed in my last article, but the true beauty of speaking with expression is that it is as individual to you as are your fingerprints. No two people will give the same presentation exactly the same way; no two people will deliver a speech exactly the same way. The danger for some people, however, lies in employing too many elements of expression in their delivery, making their presentation sound fake or forced and unnatural. With all the various aspects of color, therefore, it is important that these elements be handled within reason. In that sense, I advocate straddling the fence. Too much color is acting; too little color is boring. The idea is to strive to sound natural, to straddle the fence so as not to sound forced. If you have difficulty expressing emotion, I suggest you practice in front of a mirror. Say the simple sentence: That is great in the five manners listened below: 1. Happiness – Smile when you say this. 2. Excitement – More enthusiasm in your voice than with happiness. 3. A Disbelieving Question – Your voice should move up at the end as if in question. 4. Sarcasm – Good luck with this one. It’s a toughy. 5. Relief – Sigh into this. I also suggest that you record yourself, preferably by means of camcorder because it is your best tool for hearing and seeing how much or how little expression you exhibit. Don’t trust what you think you hear. Trust what happens on the camcorder or the audio recorder because that equipment will tell you the truth. Your inner ear will not. You owe it to your audience to be as personable as possibility on stage. A boring, monotonous delivery is not dynamic and will probably be a stumbling for future speaking engagements. In addition, a presentation given with little enthusiasm or life does not sell. More than 2,000 years ago, Cicero, the great Roman orator said that a very intelligent, well written speech with a mediocre delivery is not nearly as effective as a speech of lesser qualities in it’s creation but delivered with passion, enthusiasm and life. While the rules of public speaking have changed little since the time of Cicero, never forget that your purpose for public speaking is your audience. They are there to hear your message so make it memorable. You owe it to them!