Public speaking...with a mouthful of pebbles

Speaking to an audience is considered by most people to be more terrifying and stressful than having to go to a dentist to have a tooth or teeth extracted without anaesthetic. In fact, surveys have found that it is often more feared than dying – and not just on your feet, either! In fact, in one survey about people’s worst fears, death came third and speaking in public came top!

But speaking in public can be one of the greatest buzzes you will experience. Getting a standing ovation after making a speech is so much better than getting a walking ovation.

Seneca, the Roman statesman and Stoic philosopher, had a charmingly colourful take. "A speech should evolve like the act of love. It should begin slowly, it should progress at a steady pace, it should end with a bang – and it should last no more than two minutes!"

This was advice blatantly ignored by the 18th century British Member of Parliament David Hartley. Such was his ineptitude as a public speaker that he regularly emptied the House of Commons when he rose to speak. On one occasion in 1783, having culled the audience from about 300 MPs to 80, most of whom were half asleep, Hartley demanded that the clerk of the House read the text of the 1765 Riot Act to illustrate an obscure point which he was trying to make. At this point his fellow MP Edmund Burke, who was a great orator, leapt to his feet and cried: "The Riot Act? The Riot Act!? To what purpose? Don't you see that the mob is already quietly dispersed?"

Don’t worry. You’re not going to be like the hapless Hartley! He enjoyed his speaking, but didn’t care whether his audience did. And that’s where you’re different.

But even speakers like the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, one of history’s most compelling orators, worked hard to make it appear easy. The wartime leader’s talent for extemporaneous debate was apparent to fans and critics alike. "Winston has devoted the best years of his life to preparing his impromptu speeches," quipped his fellow Tory MP and former Lord Chancellor F.E.Smith, the First Earl of Birkenhead.

Still, you shouldn’t go to the lengths that the Greek orator Demosthenes went to. He was considered to be one of the greatest orators of the classical period. But, having suffered so badly from stuttering that he could scarcely speak in public, he forced himself to practise speaking with a handful of pebbles in his mouth! In fact, it’s also said that he shaved one side of his head so that he would not be tempted to go out and socialize instead of practising!

So, cancel your appointment at the hairdressers, barbers and even your local garden centre, for a hair-shaved and pebble-free experience and read my website instead for tips and insights on how to become a confident speaker.