Page 29 - Tee Up Your Speech

Tee Up Your Speech: Golf is Like Public Speaking

Tip #26

Take time

to pause and

gather yourself.

Rushing can only lead to problems.

In golf, if you hit a poor shot, take a
moment to regroup. Take a breath, focus,
and use a swing thought for your next
swing. How many times have you rushed
to swing again, and the same poor shot
happened? You need to reframe your
thoughts. If you get distracted prior to
swinging, step away from the ball, and
start again. The many thoughts that are
swirling around in our heads can
undermine our performance.

For public speaking, be sure to gather yourself and focus before you even begin. If you jump in
too quickly, you may not have control of your breath and your voice may quiver. Inhale and exhale
to settle your nerves. Look at a friendly face in the audience and smile. Once you feel more
“centered,” you can begin.
Throughout your talk, be sure to pause in between thoughts and at the end of sentences. It helps
the audience process the information and it gives us a chance to breathe and think (It also reduces
those word fillers!) Great speakers use pausing effectively. It adds to our delivery of information
and improves our executive presence.

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