Dear Lloyd,I recently encountered a trainer who sounded more like a preacher than a public speaker. I wonder if it's a good way to teach.RonnyDear Ronny,I have to be very honest with you. I don't like the idea of having someone speak like a preacher to me when we talk about public speaking. The reason is simple: public speaking isn't preaching.In the opinion I wrote in my upcoming book, I wrote:'Some speakers sound like a pastor or a priest or a Bible teacher. When they do, what's the tendency? To deliver a sermon, a homily, or a self-reflection rather than a public speech.'You see, public speaking isn't always about telling people what to do, how to do their jobs, or how to live their lives. The challenge in public speaking is not everyone in the room belongs to the same church or religious persuasion.'If your audience feels like you're making a homily — I'm talking about the speaking style as well as the content — you're dead in the water.'You're not in a Sunday school and chances are, the speech is done on a weekday or a Saturday? It won't end well for an audience that habitually sleeps during homilies.'I hope this helps.* * *The Public Speaking Institute runs public speaking training courses in 2023. The Certified Public Speaker (CPS) is a six-session program every first two weeks of each month, Monday, Thursday and Saturday, from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. via Zoom, and the Public Speaking Fellow (PSF) certification program every two months with face-to-face sessions. If you want to improve your communication skills, please go to www.publicspeaking.ph. We'll be happy to assist you.Sgt. Lloyd A. Luna, PAFR, is the first registered speaking professional in the Philippines. He is an international leadership speaker, an author, a master communicator, and the founder of The Luna Group. Visit his website, www.lloydluna.com, or email him at lloyd@lloydluna.com.
