If I suggested that we take the morning off together to go bungee jumping, how
many takers would I get? Probably a fair few, although it’s no longer all that trendy.
How about skydiving? It could happen. And it’s so much more graceful than
bungee jumping.

How about getting up and giving a totally off-the-cuff presentation on the
topic of your choice to 500 people?

No takers? Nobody? I’ll bargain you down to a hundred people. Okay, fifty.
Twenty-five? Family members?

Still nobody?

The crazy thing is, I love it. I love public speaking, especially off-the-cuff. I
loved it from my first college competition when I was eighteen. I’ve been teaching it
whenever I’ve had the chance for ten years. And unlike many skilled public
speakers, I’m not a naturally outgoing person. Years of experience as a speaker and
therapist got me to my current understanding. I’m hoping to save you a few steps.
I’ve already done it the hard way.

The gold paint has long since flaked off my old college trophies. My job now is
to help you take home gold, the kind that shows up on your paycheck. I’m a
business communication consultant, as well as a therapist. It’s my job to help
people learn to communicate better.

Because public speaking isn’t just speeches. It’s any occasion on which you
need other people to understand what you’re trying to get across. That can include
phone calls, meetings, running into someone you want to know at Starbucks, and
sales presentations. It’s your choice of words, your choice of tone, your posture,
your facial expression, your use of humor. It’s understanding the difference
between your public and private selves and using both to your advantage.

Start watching those around you. Who are the good communicators, and who
are the poor communicators? What makes one good? How could the other
improve? Where do you fall?

What civic or professional groups do you belong to? Offer to speak on your
topic of expertise. Or on any topic useful to your organization. Even if your field is
database management and you find yourself speaking to a knitting group on
Elizabethan-era stockings, you’ve still made a connection, established yourself as
an important person in that community, and given yourself an “in” to find out what
businesses and organizations your audience members belong to, and arrange more
speaking engagements.

What has been going on in your life? Did your cat just get spayed? Find an
animal rescue shelter and offer to speak at a fundraising event on spaying and
neutering from an owner’s perspective. Did your youngest child just leave for
college? Speak to a parenting support group on college funding, or dealing with
“empty-nest” syndrome.

Any time you’re speaking to a person or group about your profession, it’s
public speaking. And it doesn’t have to be terrifying. In fact, it can be a big thrill.
Take it from someone who’s been doing this verbal bungee jump for years.

Aimee N. Daramus, M.A., L.P.C., has a masters in psychology from the Adler School
of Psychology in Chicago, IL. She has been teaching public speaking for nearly ten
years. She is a member of the Junior League of Chicago and secretary of the
Chicago Adlerian Society. She can be reached at adaramus@mac.com. For more
about public speaking as a business tool, visit:

http://www.home.earthlink.net/aimeed/speechcoaching