People often struggle to master the art of public speaking and become nervous, anxious, and even angry when presenting their projects in front of an audience. Personally, I also did not have any clear understanding of the correct way of behaving when speaking publicly, especially during major events. Yet, after reading the article by Dale Carnegie called “Speak More Effectively,” I realized several key aspects of public speaking which I either could not formulate myself or previously ignored. The article completely changed my perspective on public speaking and encouraged me to improve my communication by applying the Cycle of Self-Development.
I am constantly focusing on enhancing my skills and abilities, yet the province of public speaking has always been difficult for me since I did not know about the basic rules which govern it. “Speak More Effectively” changed my perception of public speaking because it provided clear guidelines by following which one can easily advance their effectiveness in terms of communication skills. For instance, previously, I was certain that memorizing a talk before presenting it could deliver the best results since this way, I would stay in full control of my speech. Yet, after discovering Carnegie’s perspective that a talk learned by heart prevented the speaker from sounding interesting to the audience, I decided to completely reconsider my approach to public speaking (Carnegie, n.d.). Gaining new knowledge enabled me to apply the Cycle of Self-Development by first self-assessing my perspective on public speaking and introducing new aspects borrowed from Carnegie’s article. Namely, I created an action plan which I am planning to perform and included Carnegie’s recommendations about making notes, learning about the subject as much information as possible, and providing illustrations for talks.
It is clear that public speaking is a skill which is essential for any person, and I am not an exception since the ability to communicate effectively will benefit my professional and personal life. In the future, I am planning on working in a sphere which involves daily interactions with numerous individuals, as well as frequent presentations in front of people. The use of basic principles of public speaking outlined by Carnegie will definitely help me enhance my ability to deliver my ideas and present my projects to people in a more effective manner. Moreover, in terms of my personal life, Carnegie’s recommendations will also benefit my conversational skills, making me better at establishing and maintaining a dialogue with friends and new acquaintances. The story about how Will Rogers created his Sunday talks by trying them out when speaking to people throughout the week inspired me to do the same before my major presentations (Carnegie, n.d.). I will definitely try using this tactic with my friends in order to better my talks and improve my future performance, making them as interesting as possible.
To conclude, “Speak More Effectively” by Dale Carnegie is an article which completely changed my views on public speaking and enabled me to strive to improve my communication skills. Moreover, Carnegie outlined basic rules, which I found invaluable for every person who wants their talks to sound exciting and interesting to the audience. The Cycle of Self-Development, which I often use to enhance my skills, is the tool which helped me create an action plan based on Carnegie’s writing. Following the plan will ultimately allow me to achieve a new level in terms of public speaking and will significantly increase my value as a professional.
Reference
Carnegie, D. (n.d.). Speak more effectively. Dale Carnegie Training.