I was a debater in high school and college—including off topic debating (where we debated nonsense and the topic was not known in advance).
So—I can talk persuasively in public on things about which I know little (most stuff :-) ) as well as those where I am an expert.
When in the business world I spent a lot of time training others—because I had the knack of breaking down complex ideas into bite sized easily understandable pieces—and a speaking style that kept people’s attention.
I learned early on to watch the audience very carefully—and to change my approach at the slightest hint they were losing interest.
It is also critical to know your audience—what their education is, what their belief system is, what their prejudices are—and tailor the talk to fit in their “comfort zone”. If you get people hostile they will not listen to you.
:-)
Another trick I learned was speaking slowly with short sentences with clear emphasis on specific words—it allows people to digest what is being said.
Communication is not what you say—it is what your audience understands.
Most speakers fail to effectively communicate their ideas when they fail to use these techniques.
I love it.
I’m doing something similar for my team now as an professional refresher on property code. I’m distilling several hundred pages down to the most important elements that they will use frequently and exposing them to others (not deep in depth, but enough that it will trigger them to look into it before moving forward).
All of these tips will be invaluable. Thank you for sharing them!