Matthew Childs gives a remarkable talk on the 9 rules of mountain climbing on TED.com: http://tinyurl.com/cqjd8v. Obviously, he means the rules to apply to life, too. What’s interesting is how well they apply to public speaking and communications. Childs is not a great speaker; he’s too nervous to put the audience at its ease. But his message is powerful nonetheless.
1. Don’t let go. Just as in climbing, the consequences of giving up in public speaking are unpleasant. Both disciplines require commitment and follow-through.
2. Hesitation is bad. Passion and intensity of almost any kind are better than hesitating in public speaking. Emotion attracts our attention, but the half-hearted approach does not.
3. Have a plan. Trying to wing it in speaking, as in climbing, is almost always self-destructive. Some climbs – and some speeches – are easy enough that you can fake it. But preparation tells in the long run. Have a plan. Please. For the sake of the audience as well as the speaker.
4. The move is the end. The point of this rule is that the moment is important, too. Don’t be thinking so hard about finishing that you forget to be there when it counts. Make your move. Say what you have to say. Be there. Then finish the job.
5. Know how to rest. Getting proper rest before a speech, and taking little breathers during a speech, are both good ideas. No one requires that you race at top speed from start to finish. In fact, we prefer that you don’t.
6. Fear sucks. While audiences expect the jitters at the beginning, they also expect you to get over them. Fear sucks because it gets between you, your message, and your audience.
7. Opposites are good. I love this one, because contrast is one of the best ways to make meaning clear and to sustain interest. Opposites are very, very good in public speaking.
8. Strength doesn’t equal success. What is the translation of this one into the public speaking realm? It’s not just about volume, or speed, or size? I suppose the lesson is that you can’t just power your way through a talk; a little judicial use of psychology and audience involvement will get you much further than just doing it all yourself.
9. Know how to let go. The toughest time to be a public speaker, or any kind of performer, is right after the event is over. At that point, you just want to have someone say, “You were wonderful!” and let you collapse in your hotel room. But many speakers do themselves psychic injury by second-guessing, replaying, and critiquing themselves right after a speech. Wait. Let go. Look at the tape 24 hours later, when you’re back to yourself again.
And finally, as Childs says, ‘balance rules.’ As in most things, success comes from keeping your balance. That's a great final lesson for both speakers and climbers.
Yes, yes and yes! Never give up, that only compounds whatever faults you thought you had that depressed you. Realizing that the audience expects you to be nervous at the beginning is also a great help in public speaking.
Yes, yes and yes! Never give up, that only compounds whatever faults you thought you had that depressed you. Realizing that the audience expects you to be nervous at the beginning is also a great help in public speaking.