Page 285 - ConvinceThemFlip

the show must go on
swallowed every few words, and was standing motion-
less on what was clearly a pair of weak knees. Finally she
just stopped talking, a victim of every speaker’s worst
answering the phone on one occasion to be told,
“This is the Mexican consulate, may I please
speak to Sandy?” She was ten at the time and had
phoned asking for information. It subsequently
arrived in the mail. At first, the kids were shy
and nervous, but before long they were learning
from one another how to research and how to
make their talks enjoyable and informative. Guests
would sometimes join us at the table and get in on
the fun—we never took the content very seriously.
These entertaining adventures continued for more
than a year, and we had a wonderful time.
Today, the kids don’t think twice when they have
to give a talk or a presentation. Do you think this
exercise helped them at school and later on in life?
You bet. Do you think it’s ever too early, or too
late, to start learning a skill as valuable as this?
No. Find a way to practice your public speaking
skills. You can start small—even by just telling
folks at dinner about an interesting article you
read in the paper or online. Make sure you have
a hook, a point, some steak, and some sizzle (see
page 252).
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