PUBLIC SPEAKING It’s Not About You, It’s About Something Else

Teachers learn to teach by gaining competency in a subject and by attending teacher training. But standing in front of others to speak or teach for real can be a shock. A jargon-filled way to say this is that when you stand up to speak in public, “A great deal happens in the dark interstices of your aphistra.”

A plain way to say it is, “Your stomach churns.” That means it’s emotional; and teaching requires emotional maturity and readiness. A way to be emotionally ready for speaking, teaching, and leadership is to turn our focus on the audience, and our message, rather than on how nervous we may feel. The following is a model (explanation below) for this attitudinal teacher turning point, or what I call the (die wende).

First, when a builder constructs a house they establish a solid foundation. For speaking and teaching, an attitude is the foundation upon which everything will rise or fall. Good teachers, just like builders, focus on the foundation. The foundation for speaking and teaching is the attitude one brings. Attitude toward listeners is the foundation and the place speakers take their stand.