The Seven Things I Have Learned By Being A Guest Speaker To A High-School Class
Hi,
My public speaking history is filled with a love / hate relationship. I have attended Toastmasters (as most people did) but I have also followed private paid coaching. In all honesty, while I have gave my share of speeches, most were specialized business presentations to small groups of people.
This until today, when I’ve tried something different, something that few people can brag with. I have been the guest speaker for around 20 high-school students for around three hours. Oh, the students were located in Taiwan and most were not proficient in English.
And yet, this had been one of the most interesting self-development experience I’ve had in a while.
Why?
Because if you go to Toastmasters, you know what to expect. If you go to a TED talk, again, you know what to expect (I haven’t though). But delivering a speech to a group of young people that are hyperactive and do not live in an English speaking country proves to be in a category of its own.
Here are the seven things I have learned during this experience.
#1 — We all have a lot to learn from children.
Children are sincere. In a world where we either become sociopaths or narcissists in our pursuit to success, it is nice to see people who have no agenda whatsoever. They generally do what they feel and as most of us base our actions around maximizing ROI, this is a refreshing sight to behold.
#2 — They care more if you like them than your message.
When it comes to public speaking, we are taught that our message must have a big impact, must be intriguing and generally, must have a “wow” factor. However, do you know what people like more than big ideas? Simply to know that you like them, that you appreciate them and that you are friendly towards them. Guess what? This is true for most people.
#3 — When in doubt, improvise.
I’ve been to a lot of self-development seminars. In all of them were guest speakers. The speakers generally had a very well rehearsed speech and we (the attendees) sat quietly in our chairs until the speech was over. At worst, someone would go to the toilet or a phone would vibrate. Well, this doesn’t work here. The entire experience becomes far more dynamic, a dialogue, as opposed to simply presenting an idea.
#4 — Reading your audience matters a lot.
No two speeches are the same not because of the different content, but because of the audience. Every group has certain interests, likes and dislikes and they’ll act accordingly. If you’re good in one environment, it doesn’t automatically mean you’re good in another. While basic human nature stays the same, calibrating to your audience is very valuable.
#5 — The best thing you can give someone is positive feedback.
This is one of those lessons that I’ve learned the hard way in my life. Don’t criticize, don’t judge. Be an inspiration and a source of positive energy for those around you, not an analytical jerk that tries to always find the errors in what others do. I’ve noticed that from everything I’ve said, actually giving strong positive feedback and validation mattered more than anything else.
You know where else this works? Virtually everywhere, from your marriage to buying furniture.
#6 — Don’t set any expectations.
This will be the part of a bigger blog post but I’ve generally realized that being smart is realizing that predictions generally fail. In other words, I’ve noticed that most of the things that I predict are going to happen do not happen the way I’ve initially thought. No matter how smart you are, if a situation never arrived before, the truth is that you have no idea what’s going to happen next. Just let it be.
#7 — Like your audience.
This is something I’ve learned a long time ago. If you care about those to whom you address yourself, you’re going to give a good performance or at least, you’re going to try. If you do it for the sake of doing it, you’ll lose interest very fast and the entire experience will lack any substance whatsoever. A speech is not so much about the message but about your connection with the audience.
In a way, it is hard to say that I’ve learned all of this today. I have learned many of these things years before. However, this is the first time in over a year when I give a speech and the first time when my audience is not made out of professionals. The truth is that even if it was a form of organized chaos, I’d do this again whenever I would have the chance.
Best regards,
Razvan
About Me
I’m Razvan.
I’m a marketing consultant, start-up entrepreneur and generally, a huge geek. I write on Medium because I honestly believe in my duty to empower people in taking better decisions.
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