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There
you are -- standing before a new audience -- yearning to
reach each person with your ideas. How are you to do this? Gerry
Spence in his "How to Argue and Win Every Time," showed me a
vision of the possible. Enter into his world with me. Experience
the methods of this master.
---
"Your words are your verbal fingerprints.
"They're
the fingerprints of your personhood. The energy in your
phrases is an extraordinary mix of traits and talents and
experience that's unique. It's yours alone."
You
start by being credible. To be credible, stand
psychologically naked before your audience. Resolute
authenticity, no trickery, pure truth -- these are your
credibility tools. "In the course of human history, truth-telling
has been designated as the highest of virtues in every culture.
This is why the credibility that results therefrom is always so
powerful."
Stand
tall and proud. Walk like a matador. "The way you move is
your autobiography in motion."
---
Use image-laden words.
"Words
that do not create images should be discarded. Words that
have no intrinsic emotional or visual content ought to be
avoided. Words that are directed to the sterile, intellectual
head-place should be abandoned. Use simple words that create
pictures, words that generate feeling. Tell yourself, 'If I am
real, the right words will come.'"
Prove
your points with stories. "Why is the story so powerful? It
speaks in the language form of the species. Its structure is
natural. It permits you to speak easily, openly, powerfully, from
your heart zone. It provokes interest. It is an antidote to the
doldrums. A story touches us in our tenders, in those soft,
unprotected places where our decisions are always made."
---
"The magic, the joy of preparation:
Preparation
is wading into life, languishing in it, rolling in
it, embracing it, smearing it over yourself, living it. I say, go
play. Write out your ideas. Watch new ideas come popping out from
magical depths. Learn how it feels to discover, not only what
there is to know about your ideas, but also what there is to
discover about the most uniquely interesting person in the
history of mankind -- namely, you."
Let
your words be "powered by your stories. Make them rich with
the emotional commitment of a person who cares. Tune in to the
power of the heart zone. Tell me how it was! How it is! Make me
see it! Make me feel it! Make me understand! Make me care! If I
cannot care, I cannot make anyone else care."
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"Action, not abstraction:
Stick
with the action. Avoid the abstraction. The power of the
story is in its ability to create action and to avoid
abstraction."
---
"Charisma:
Charisma
is energy, energy from the heart zone. Charisma occurs
when your feelings are transferred in their purest form to the
audience. Charisma is not diluted feelings. It is not disguised.
It is raw feeling. Charisma is the passing of our pure energy,
our pure passion, to the audience."
---
"Open the floodgates:
Focus
on your feelings. Feel your feelings. Feel your passion for
your ideas. Feel the fervor that comes steaming up. Feel the love
that caresses. Feel the joy! Let your feelings run free."
I
recommend that -- if you choose to be a consummate speaker --
you buy this book. It includes many more powerful and poignant
ideas. Any bookstore can get it for you. The publisher is St.
Martin's Press, N.Y. ISBN# 0-312-11827-9.
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