经济学人的文章：The secrets...
- Joken是个runner
- 2025-05-20 10:15:05
经济学人的文章：The secrets of public speaking
Lessons from actors on how to give a good presentation
A much-publicised survey from the 1970s claimed that Americans feared it more than death.
Among the American students they surveyed, speaking in front of a group was indeed the most common fear, beating out financial problems, loneliness and death. When respondents were asked to rank their phobias, death pipped public speaking to the top spot.
The advice of professional performers can be condensed into three main messages. First, presenting is a deeply physical activity.
Second, it helps to slow down the pace of delivery—to allow for pauses, to not rush to fill silences with “ers”, “ums” and other verbal detritus.
Third, don’t focus on yourself (or, in Ms Walker Miles’s phrase, turn “selfie view off”). Too often speakers concentrate on how they are doing—how many minutes to go? have I gone bright red?—and not on the experience of their audience.
Lessons from actors on how to give a good presentation
A much-publicised survey from the 1970s claimed that Americans feared it more than death.
Among the American students they surveyed, speaking in front of a group was indeed the most common fear, beating out financial problems, loneliness and death. When respondents were asked to rank their phobias, death pipped public speaking to the top spot.
The advice of professional performers can be condensed into three main messages. First, presenting is a deeply physical activity.
Second, it helps to slow down the pace of delivery—to allow for pauses, to not rush to fill silences with “ers”, “ums” and other verbal detritus.
Third, don’t focus on yourself (or, in Ms Walker Miles’s phrase, turn “selfie view off”). Too often speakers concentrate on how they are doing—how many minutes to go? have I gone bright red?—and not on the experience of their audience.
