186 How to Sell Yourself
Communicate ideas
One of the hardest traps to overcome is to stop reading words
when there’s a text in front of you. From now on, stop trying to
get exact words from the page. Deliver ideas. Your audience wants
to hear what’s on your mind, not what’s on a piece of paper.
Be attentive to your audience’s signals
Just as everything you say and do sends signals to your audi-
ence, they’re sending you signals all the time. If you see that you’re
losing them, don’t panic. That only makes the situation worse for
everyone. Stay calm. If you’re far along, it’s probably best to wrap
it up. If you’re at the early part, pull back, concentrate harder on
the open face and the gesture, and put more effort into the con-
cept of making intellectual love to your audience. Don’t speed up;
that’s deadly. It tells your audience you want to get it over with.
Be more deliberate and offer them more of you. Remember that
no one has the right to be dull. When it’s all over and you’ve had
a chance to recover, try to analyze why you lost their attention so
it doesn’t happen the next time you have to speak.
Practice diaphragmatic breathing
It’s both a speaking tool and a longevity tool. It helps you
convert stress into energy. The diaphragm moves out slightly on
the inhalation and back in on the exhalation. Remember it. Prac-
tice it. It may help keep a heart attack or a stroke from claiming
you too soon. It will certainly help you become a more relaxed
and natural speaker.
Look and sound pleasant and interesting.
The audience has arrived predisposed to like you. Don’t turn
that around by giving them a reason to tune you out.
Send positive, loving signals.
When in doubt, remember again what you do when you speak
to a baby. The signals are always right. Use them on an adult