It's a Good Thing That Most Public Speakers Are Awful.

I have some good news for you, and it relates to a topic we discussed in last week's episode. And here's the news, and it's a major news flash for some of you. Most speeches in the world are awful. Most public speakers in the world are awful. Now why do I think that's great news? It's great news because if you just practice a little bit, if you just shave off a few rough edges, if you just have a few good points and a couple stories, you're going to stand out. Not as competent or okay or above average, but as great. To me, this is profoundly exciting because it means any time you spend on your public speaking and improving it, you're going to get a payoff because it's going to stand out. Think of it this way. And I'm not a golfer. But whether you are or imagine this, I'm not a very good golfer. If I go out in a golf tournament, which I played one in my life, I'm going to shoot 150, and that's cheating, and I'm not a good golfer. But imagine all of a sudden I have to play golf against a handful of people who've never played golf, never watched golf, never seen a golf tournament, never seen a golf club before, don't even know which end of the club to use, and they're just told the rules before we start this golf tournament. Well, all of a sudden I'm going to seem like Tiger woods or Jack Nicklaus or any other of the greatest golfers in the world. I might still shoot 150, but they would shoot 300. By the way, if you're not a regular golfer, the lower score the better. They would shoot 300. If they literally never seen golf and never touched a golf club and didn't know what end of the club to use. I would be a superstar in that competitive arena. In a comparison there, that's kind of how it is with public speaking, with your colleagues in your own company, your own organization you're running for city council, your fellow candidates. For the most part, everybody's awful. That's good. It's good. And it's bad news. It's bad news because we all have to listen to speakers. Some of you who go to religious services may have encountered a really boring sermon from time to time. Most speakers are simply not very good. Most speakers are nervous. Most speakers commit the same blunders of being too abstract, of data dumping and being boring. That's good news for you and for me by the sheer fact that you're listening to this podcast, it means that you have some interest in improving your speaking. And with following just even a couple of tips of this whole series, you're going to be much better off than most speakers. So when you see an awful speaker, rejoice. That's your competition.