You’ve probably heard of writer’s block. As many public speakers know, we often suffer from a similar problem. Often, whether or not you know the subject, you’ll find yourself sitting in front of your computer or pen and paper staring off into space, not sure what you’re going to say. It can be quite frustrating!
Public speakers want to offer unique content in their presentations. This often involves giving a talk on a familiar topic in a fresh and interesting way. What do you do when faced with “speaker’s block”? Perhaps you could chime in in the comments section below. For now, let us offer you a few suggestions.
Stop thinking about your topic and start thinking about your audience.
This may sound strange, but if you’re not careful, you can easily focus more on the content than on those to whom you’ll be delivering that content. Get away from your notes and think about how this topic could help your audience. For example, if you’re talking about family relationships, instead of trying to find unique content first, think about the relationships of those who will listen to you. put yourself in his place. How have they been fighting lately? How would their life be better if they could understand and apply its message?
Step away from your notes and practice delivering your speech extemporaneously.
Imagination is a wonderful thing. When released, it will prosper. Like a wild animal, it will suffocate in captivity. Leave your notes and go out and deliver your message to an imaginary audience. You may be surprised at how the creative juices begin to flow. Chances are, you’ll soon be back in your notes furiously writing down what you came up with in this exercise.
Think about your message.
The message is not delivery. The message is the grain of truth… the central idea that you came to deliver. Unfortunately, you can’t just stand up and say that truth in a sentence and then sit back. (Although sometimes that would be preferable!) Instead, you should include stories, humor, and a host of other words in an effort to convey a message that would probably only take a couple of sentences. spend time thinking about that message, idea, or truth. Think about how important it is. Think about what it means to you. Sometimes this is enough to get things working again.
Go do something else for a while.
This may not be possible if you postponed your preparation until the last minute or were not given much advance notice. However, in most cases you can afford to take a break. Go for a walk. Bake something. Take a nap. Do anything other than think about your talk. Sometimes this is the break you need.
Delivering unique content consistently is hard. It requires work, time and experience. The best public speakers struggle to stay fresh. What is your experience?
