There are many ways to let others know that you're well-versed in a subject:
1) Show them your credentials and certifications.
Probably the default way here in sunny Singapore, this definitely works with the right crowd.
For example, you'd want to do this if you're presenting to a group of academics.
You might want to skip this if your audience comprises self-made business owners who didn't go through tertiary education.
2) Present your successful and not-so-successful case studies
This may or may not be in the form of a story.
Maybe it's the scientist in me, or maybe it's my information hoarding tendencies that say, "Just the facts, Ma'am," but, personally, I don't like presenters who tell a story for everything.
Certain things can just be a list on a slide, a chart, or a graph.
My point is, present your case studies in a way that makes sense to your audience. And switch up your methods as necessary.
This isn't one-size-fits-all.
3) Make your knowledge accessible
Any time someone asks for your opinion / advice, give it to them.
Build up an archive of what you know, and put it up where others can find it.
I started with a blog, then social platforms, and now I'm working towards podcasting and videos.
I didn't say to give it away for free, necessarily.
Charge for it if you want, but make it accessible.
Nobody will know what you know, if they don't know that you know what you know.
I'll stop now and give you a second to process that.
I am Not a Toastmaster
I am not a Toastmaster.
I had considered joining a Toastmasters Club many, many years ago. I just couldn’t find one that fit my odd work schedule or be close enough to home that I would actually not mind travelling to.
It turns out that it didn’t matter.
I learned the hard way, through the cleansing fires of non-friendly, sometimes even hostile, audiences. In my opinion, that’s the fastest, surest way to learn.
Let me qualify that. Toastmasters clubs can be very helpful for someone who wishes to overcome his/her fear of public speaking. I have a fair number of friends who are Toastmasters, and I have seen them grow in confidence as they take the stage.
In the friendlier spaces of their respective clubs, there is greater safety, as well as the presence of potential mentors who can help. These are valuable. No doubt about that.
That said, the usefulness of these things stops once the speaker is past a certain point. Things start to go a little awry. I have listened to hundreds of speakers, both in-person and through the Internet, and I have come to notice certain traits that quite a number of them, who happen to be Toastmasters, have:
1) They have unnaturally exaggerated facial expressions and body language, all the while over-enunciating and placing too much emphasis on their words, often in a slightly off-beat manner that’s very difficult to listen to without getting distracted.
Nobody talks like that in real life. If they did, people around them would either raise incredulous eyebrows, politely excuse themselves, or run.
2) The content of their speeches is lacklustre.
I have heard from a few sources that Toastmasters are judged more on delivery than they are on content.
If that is true, I can only surmise that, in order to win contests and/or titles, they have no choice but to sacrifice substance for form. I certainly cannot speak for others, but that is a sacrifice I am unwilling to make.
Yes, there is a place for pretty speeches, but if the audience learns nothing from the encounter, what’s the point?
3) There seems to be an emphasis on telling personal stories that borders on idolatry.
Personal stories can be powerful and moving. IF they are used appropriately and for the right reasons.
I have lost count of the number of times I had to sit through an unnecessarily long, over-dramatised, poorly-executed narration of an inconsequential incident in the life of a speaker I happened to be sitting in front of.
For some reason, telling a personal story has become a ‘must’ and ‘the only way to start a speech / presentation’. It is not.
The audience doesn’t care about the speaker’s life more than they care about their own.
With that in mind, wouldn’t it make more sense to relate to the audience first, and then tell a personal story that they can relate to, in order to cement that bond?
No, I don’t hate the Toastmasters, nor do I think that they should dissolve. I simply believe that it’s time for them to update themselves.
Story-telling has no shortcuts. It is an art and a science, and needs to be respected, taught, and practised as such.
Thoughts after Reading: Talk Like TED
Written by Carmine Gallo, Talk Like TED is an analysis of the best presentations in the now-famous TED conferences.
The author picked out the common denominators behind what made these presentations so compelling to listen to and categorised them into:
1) Passion
2) Story-telling skills
3) Being conversational with the audience
4) Presenting novelty
5) Jaw-dropping moments
6) Multi-sensory experiences
Having had these experiences, I must say that the author is right on the money with these.
On a personal note, I love a good story and thus I find good story-telling skills particularly compelling. I highly recommend the book. After all, we will each have at least one major presentation in our lives. Why not make it good enough to be featured on TED?