My Students All Get an “A” Grade

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I saw a video about a conductor and music teacher named Benjamin Zander who gives his students an “A” the minute they enter his classroom. He tells them that they all have a “A” and that their final assignment will be to write an essay explaining how they earned it. I loved that idea and have tried it with two groups: my students in the Hogan Entrepreneur Program at Chaminade University, and my students in my most recent Level I Presentation Course. Here is Rosella’s essay, shared with her permission:

WHY I DESERVE THE “A”

by Rosella Shishido

Getting an “A” for this Presentation Course on our very first class was an unexpected but gladly received merit for me. All of a sudden, it became a goal. “I’ve got to deserve that A,” I thought to myself. And being the task-oriented person that I am, I aimed for that A like a marksman would for the bull’s eye.

As I write this six weeks later, I recount how much time and effort I’ve devoted to this course, and, modesty aside, I can say that I have earned that A.

I have learned to stop focusing on negative thoughts about public speaking. I have learned to be open to feedback and apply the constructive criticisms I received from the class after speaking exercises.

I deserve the A because I now believe I have something valuable to say that will benefit at least one person in the audience. I don’t have to have a written script of my talk. I can prep for it instead by drawing and coloring my bullet points to help me internalize what I want to say.

I deserve the A because I learned that when I’m presenting, I don’t have to carry the load of my talk’s success all by myself. I can share the load with my audience by involving them.

I had signed up for this course to help me face and overcome my fear of public speaking. I can’t say that I’m all there yet, but I’m getting there.

How to Not Freeze Up While Speaking

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Two words: don’t memorize.

Why? Speaking from memory is not the way we normally communicate. It is canned and stale. It prevents connection with others. Worst of all, it allows you to be derailed by any distraction that may come your way.

We’ve all seen it, and many of us have done it: The speaker begins with confidence. Five minutes later, she starts saying, “Um, and so . . . um . . . I mean . . .um.” She has frozen up. We pray that she will find her place. We wish we knew how to help.

Solution for frozen speakers: If you can’t hide it, paint it red. “My mind just went blank. Where was I?” Someone will prompt you. Or you could say, “My mind just went blank. Quick! Somebody ask me a question.”

But let’s prevent this entirely.

Instead of memorizing, prepare. Prepare captivating power point images that you can simply talk about. Or prepare a written outline of brief phrases that will naturally lead you to your next point.

Recently, one of my clients pooh-poohed my advice when I warned him about memorizing. Sure enough, he memorized his talk, started speaking, and froze within minutes. He recovered when a helpful audience member threw out a question, but in the meantime, we were united in pain instead of pleasure. Don’t memorize. Prepare!

Non-attachment vs. detachment

Written by Pam Chambers 1 comment so far. Share your thoughts.

Many of my public speaking clients have outcomes in mind before they give their presentations. They want the audience members to be interested and curious. They want them to arrive on time, ready to soak in the information. They want them to avoid distracting behavior.

We would all like that! But some of the gifts of spontaneity, mystery, and healthy suspense are missing when we become “attached” to outcomes.

One of my favorite speakers is Rev. Sky St. John, head of Diamond Head Unity Church. Recently he gave a talk about the difference between attachment and non-attachment. He was careful to not use the word “detachment” because that can connote aloofness and lack of caring.

As public speakers, we would do well to have positive outcomes in mind, yet to practice non-attachment to those outcomes. I am getting better at this. Being attached can lead to disappointment, a feeling of failure, and discouragement. Being non-attcheded leads to awe, amazement, and wonder. Who are we to try to dictate or control what happens when we join with others in an activity called public speaking? Let’s release control and then analyze what we learned by doing so.