154 How to Sell Yourself
Using good communication skills will make public speaking
easier.
The right beginning
Once more, I urge you to start off with proper breathing. It’s
the first step in the process of throwing off stress and gaining
control of yourself.
Be prepared. That alone will increase your self-confidence
enormously. Concentrate on making the briefest possible state-
ment of your position. Five words usually have far more impact
than 5,000.
Be open.
Be honest, direct, and courteous.
Be personal. Tell the assembled group what this action will
mean to them, their community, their pocketbooks, their neigh-
borhoods—this kind of information has impact.
A local hearing is usually much less formal than a legislative
hearing. Use the lack of formality to your advantage. Observe any
protocol, but be as informal as you feel will help your cause. And
talk quietly. Even if the issue is highly charged and the hearing is
adversarial, don’t get angry. Don’t lose your temper.
Above all, remember the rules of the confrontation.
Turn negative questions into positive answers.
If you pause and think before you speak, your words will have
even greater impact.
Get involved
If you’ve been consumed by fear and have refused to partici-
pate in local issues, remember that your viewpoint is just as im-
portant as anyone else’s. By practicing the skills and techniques
of good communication that apply in any speaking situation, you
will be able to make a difference in your community by getting
your message across.
It works!
A developer I worked with recommended me to a friend in
another city who was proposing a huge new development to a rather