Welcome to the 4th edition of “Interviews with Speaking Experts”. The expert for today is Margaret Page. Margaret Page is the founder and director of Etiquette Page, a leading Canadian firm offering business etiquette and international protocol services.
Marcus Smith: On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your first speech? Why?
Margaret Page: I am not sure if you mean first Toastmasters speech or speech to the public. I will assume you mean TM. My first TM speech was a four. It was my first speech and I wanted to share ALL the basic details of my life. I used a lot of props and spoke too fast. I didn’t have anything for the audience. It was all about me.
Marcus Smith: On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your last speech? Why?
Margaret Page: My last TM speech I would give it a 7. I had a good intro and conclusion. The body was structured well. I was comfortable delivering it and my audience was inspired but it wasn’t a competition level speech.
Marcus Smith: In your opinion what is the most important part of a speech? Why?
Margaret Page: All parts of the speech are equally important. If one part is particularly poorly done then it affects the rest. It is like a puzzle if one piece is missing it isn’t a complete picture.
Marcus Smith: In your opinion what is the least important part of a speech? Why?
Margaret Page: Again, all parts are equally important.
Marcus Smith: Why is public speaking such a paralyzing fear in the world today?
Margaret Page: Natural communication or every day communication is two way. It is conversational. Public speaking is generally one way unless you have a fun heckler in the audience.
Marcus Smith: Who is the speaker you admire the most and why?
Margaret Page: Irshad Manji – She is very engaging, shares new and different information (for me), never falters on a word, each sentence is perfect, stimulating facial gestures. Interesting voice. I think she is perfect! Definitely a ten in public speaking.
Dr. Gerald Coffee was also amazing. You could hear a pin drop while he was speaking. He is a mesmerizing emotional roller coaster.
Marcus Smith: What are your thoughts on writing a speech down word for word prior to delivery?
Margaret Page: I now write all my speeches word for word. I don’t deliver it word for word but it guides me in two ways. One , I know how long my speech will be. Two, it helps me nail down analogies, examples, and quotes that add a little spice to a speech.
Marcus Smith: Why were you initially drawn to public speaking?
Margaret Page: I was always thrilled and delighted to get the chance to hear a good speaker. Then one day I heard Dan Clark in Las Vegas. At one point, I looked around the room to see if others were as enchanted as I was and they were. It gave me goose bumps!
Marcus Smith: List 3 common public speaking myths that you hear constantly. Tell us why they aren’t true.
Margaret Page: That only 7% of the message the listener gets is from the words we say. That is skewing the study.
Start with a joke. Yes, but only if they are good jokes.
Make eye contact for 3-5 seconds. That’s not long enough to connect.
Marcus Smith: What advice would you give someone who is about to deliver their first real speech to an audience?
Margaret Page: If your heart is beating wildly and you are struggling for air – take a deep breathe and hold it for a slow count of 8. Repeat it a few more times if necessary. That will allow the body time for an exchange of gases, your heart will begin to slow down and you will feel calmer almost immediately.
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