Many people like to fool themselves into thinking that they can’t give formal presentation or that they can “give a speech.” But what is a speech? In my book, it’s anytime you open your mouth to communicate a message to one or more people.
So giving a “speech” is not just a politician advocating a tax cut or a tax increase in a 30-minute appeal to congress. A speech can be as simple as a baby screaming for “mama!” or “bottle.”
The simplest form of speech is asking for milk, attention, an allowance, a job, a raise, a vote, or a marriage contract. What we ask for may change; the price or value of what we ask for may vary, but the fundamental act of communicating through speech by asking one or more people to do something really doesn’t change.
What is the biggest difference between a minimum wage laborer and a star real estate broker who makes $4 million a year in commissions? The real estate broker mastered the art of asking people to do things he or she wants them to do. The minimum laborer didn’t master that art. This doesn’t mean the laborer is a bad person or morally inferior, but this inability to develop the skill of asking has stifled a career.
Too often people get caught up in the idea that giving presentations or grand public speeches is about being born with Charisma (whatever that is), or knowing advanced technical skills (like creating slick video PowerPoints), or having a huge vocabulary like William F. Buckley. No, these things are not the essence of speaking.
Asking is the essence of speaking. If you can ask one person for something and convince him or her to give it to you, then you can be a successful speaker. If you can persuade one person, then you can persuade 100 or 1000.
The most successful people in the world are constantly improving their ability to ask. They do this by refining their messages and techniques for asking and by improving the numbers of people they ask. So a homeless person who begs for money on the street one at a time usually doesn’t raise much money. But a televangelist who asks for money from 2 million viewers might bring in $10 million in one week.
Speaking is asking and asking is speaking. We all have to ask people to do things for us everyday, even billionaires have to ask their servants to carry out tasks. So, don’t think of a speech as something you do once a year at the annual board meeting. If you work on your speaking skills or your asking skills everyday, it can only lead to more success in every aspect of your professional life and your personal life.
