Page 48 - MSC-Corporate Speaking

5
YOU THE MESSENGER
“I can’t hear what you are saying because what you are is shouting at me.”
– Chinese Proverb
There is little doubt that you have to have something to say if you are going to influence an audience in some particular direction. Having a point is important. But it is very surprising to most people that what you say is probably less important than the delivery of the message.
The messenger is very often a bigger part of communication than the message itself.
Very often, the character of the person who stands up to speak shines through before they even open their mouth, doesn’t it?
The look of the presenter is absorbed by everyone in the audience long before they open their mouth to say the first words of their message. The way they use their voice is also key. How often have you sat and listened to a monotone delivery of a very dull speech that is sending everyone in the audience to sleep?
It may very well not be a dull message, but the way it is delivered makes it seem like it is. What the presenter does with their body is also very important in either supporting the message or distracting from it
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