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Public Speaking: The Power of Words
by Paul Evans
Published on this site: March 31st, 2006 - See
more articles from this month
Words hurt, heal, motivate, and aggravate. They are powerful.
They control emotions and can even control a person physically.
A word is worth a thousand pictures.
"Come here." Two words that move a person from there
to here.
"Write this down." Three words that cause people
to put words on a page.
"Remember a time when you felt angry." Seven words
that can create an overload of emotions.
Your words are power. Think of the number of people you have
made smile by saying, "I really appreciate you."
Or the number of people you have hurt by saying, "What's
wrong with you? Can't you do anything right?"
Words possess just as much power when spoken to a crowd of
a thousand as in a one on one conversation. It's one thing
to get one person excited, but impassion an entire group,
and you have irresistible intensity on your side.
Use your words more effectively.
- Understand their influence. Do not use or choose
your terms lightly. A wrong word can turn an audience from
friends to fiends. The better you know your group the better
you can tailor your terms for their benefit.
You get to choose the outcome. Want the group to be charged,
mad, excited, encouraged, content, or happy? You can produce
any of those by using the right words in the right way.
- Don't be afraid to be edgy. Too many speakers
are soft. You can be tough without being obnoxious, or insulting
a group's intelligence. You can humorous and still make
a hard-hitting point.
I got in at 1 a.m. last night after spending two days speaking
to 1,500 people. Get this - all the reviews came back at the
top level, and I was tough on the folks. Several came up and
said, "You're not afraid to tell it like it is!"
The words I chose challenged the group without breaking them.
What about your words? Do you toss them out lightly, or with
precision power? Your words can change lives and influence
millions. Choose and use them well.
Paul Evans is the creator of the public speaking system
Instant Speaking Success. Read more of his articles at http://www.free-knowledge.com
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