My favorite quote about public speaking is “the only reason to give a speech is to change the world.” I began my first book, Working the Room, with it — and it got re-titled in honor of the quote as Give Your Speech, Change the World. It does not come from President Kennedy, as many have thought. The origin is uncertain.
I was thinking once again about this quotation when I ran across one of those inspirational sayings from a friend on Facebook to the effect that when you’re young you want to change the world, and when you learn wisdom you want to change yourself. A lovely thought and one that gave me pause. Does it mean, I wondered, that all public speaking is hopelessly narcissistic, or arrogant, or at the very least unwise?
And if that’s true, how are we going to stop all public speaking?
That’s what a summer vacation and Facebook surfing will do to you.
After a bit more thought, I came to the conclusion that public speaking is not going to go away, and that it fulfills a useful function. And that people infected with passion and ideas are going to lead the charge, in public, on stage, and that’s a good thing, on the whole.
But it did seem that there were some questions that public speakers ought to ask themselves before they got up to speak. A kind of wisdom check for public speakers, perhaps. So here they are: ten questions that public speakers should ask themselves before they try to change the world. For your consideration, to see if you pass the test.
1.What would the world look like if you realized your vision – who would benefit, and who would suffer? All too often we don’t want to ponder the negative effects of all our striving.
2.What motivates you to do what you do? An obvious question, but one that is difficult to answer honestly.
3.Where does your passion come from? The trick here is to go back fare enough into your childhood to find that sled named Rosebud.
4.What and whom do you love best? You need to be clear on the source of your strength and the core of your tribe.
5.What are you most afraid of? Getting your way or not getting your way? For some people, realizing a dream is the end of a journey; it should be the beginning.
6.Who else has been down your road before you? You’re not the first one to have thought these thoughts. Who are your mentors, your heroes, and your predecessors?
7.What do you spend most of your time doing? Excellence, someone said, is practicing good habits.
8.When are you most fully yourself? We all have moments and places where we come alive. What and where are yours?
9.What one word best sums up you and your vision? Of course you’re too subtle and complex to be summed up in a hundred words, let alone one. But try.
10.What and who inspires you with awe? What is the power larger than yourself that you turn to, respect, and that is beyond your ken?
I’m going to spend the rest of my vacation thinking about these questions personally — with breaks for the occasional glass of Chianti Classico. If you think about them and come up with some interesting answers, let me know.
Wow, huge and important questions that would be great for small group exercises at speaker conventions!
Would love to hear your view on how speakers, having pondered and answered these questions, might translate thoughts into action and change (and perhaps change in the profession?)
Thanks for the comment — sounds like a followup post to me….
Looking forward to it! Enjoy your summer vacation :-)
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Great questions Nick. I just learned about you and your blog from this month’s Toastmasters magazine article. What grabbed my attention was this very quote; “the only reason to give a speech is to change the world.” One may not change the world, at least not right away, but if you can make people think… if you can change one person’s perception of himself or the world, you are a catalyst that inspires a positive change that will spread if it rings true in people’s hearts.
I am a member of Speakers Round Table, Atlanta’s Premier Advanced Toastmasters club and current VP PR. I will re-post this to our blog in hopes that it inspires our members to think about what they are doing every time they speak.
Nick, you have built an amazing Team – one that I aspire to emulate. I have all the skills and experience of each of your members, but I can’t do it all. Building a core team and focusing on my passion to create a legacy of inspiration, a catalyst who inspires people to expand who they are and what they do – is my life’s passion. I’m grateful that our paths have crossed.
Thanks so much, Shea, for your comment. You are right — the goal should always be to change the world one person at a time.
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Great post, Nick. I’m working on a new workshop that is the intersection between decision-making and time management. I came across a quote in the Heath Brothers’ book Decisive that seemed related to some of your excellent questions:
“In one series of interviews led by William F. Pounds of MIT, managers were asked to share the important problems they were facing in their organizations. Most managers mentioned five to eight problems. Later in the interview, they were asked to describe their activities from the previous week. Pounds shared the punch line that ‘no manager reported any activity which could be directly associated with the problems he had described.’ They’d done no work on their core priorities. Urgencies had crowded out priorities.”
As speakers, it’s easy to be so busy with urgencies that we avoid focusing on the most important issues. For example, I should be making progress on my next book, but I’m speaking 4-5 times per week. There is some work I should be saying No to. I’m letting the urgencies crowd out priorities.
Too many of us are the managers Pounds interviewed. Questions 5 and 7 flushed this out for me today. Thanks for reminder!
Thanks, as always, Andy, for your great comment. And the reminder not to let the urgent drive out the important on our to do lists!
Excellent questiIons. I will enjoy pondering them on my vacation with a glass of Pino Noir. And I agree with Podium Wisdom … There’s a follow-up blog here. Enjoy your vacation.
Thanks, Halina!