Public Speaking Skills For Dummies

Chapter 19

If at First You Don’t Succeed

IN THIS CHAPTER

Knowing people don’t want you to fail

Taking things in stride

Knowing whether or not to apologize

Ad libbing

You’ve practiced your speech, have everything in place, and are as prepared as you’re ever going to be. You look sharp, you sound sharp, and you ooze confidence. And then the unthinkable happens. Something you didn’t plan for. Something that could derail your speech. What then?

You don’t let it derail your speech, that’s what.

This chapter is about preparing for the inevitable. You may be a positive person who doesn’t think problems are inevitable. Well, if you do something for long enough, you see it all. And I’m telling you, if you do any sort of public speaking for long enough, something will go wrong. So, cheers to the inevitable. It’s time to prepare.

Everyone Wants You to Succeed

The audience is there because they want to hear what you have to say. And they want to you to do well. Even if they are forced to be there, they don’t want to sit through a boring speech. They want to be engaged and enthralled with ...