Do An “Opposite” Speech

by Promod Sharma, CC

Stephen Covey said that we see the world not as it is but as we are. You’ll reach more of your audience if you look at the world differently.

Have you done a speech making points contrary to your views?

Think back to your last vacation. Would you recommend that trip to others? If yes, highlight the negatives instead. If no, highlight the positives.

Discomfort Zone

Here’s another idea. Think of something you consider an extravagance and usually avoid. That could be to:

• take a day off when work is piling up
• go to dinner and a play
• get valet parking
• go to a less nice restaurant than you normally would

What’s extravagant for you will be normal for some other people. Tony Robbins said that people do things for reasons that make sense to them. That doesn't mean those reasons make — or need to make — sense to us. You enrich yourself when you try to see why others like or do what you don’t.

Debates

Debates are part of the Toastmasters experience. At Goodyear Toastmasters, the room gets arbitrarily divided into two groups. You may be forced to briefly adopt a view contrary to your own. The topic could be gun control, for instance. This experience can help you see the world differently but you’re only involved briefly. You’re also competing to win, which can affect your motivation.

Doing something with conviction is much more effective than merely talking.

Benefits

We benefit from looking at things in different ways. An "opposite" exercise helps you see different perspectives. That's helpful during Table Topics and real life situations like negotiations at work or home.

You can create a speech from your experiences.

Links

• The how and why of Table Topics
• A must-do for speakers (even beginners)
• Why go to Toastmasters in the summer
• image courtesy of Michael Brown

To learn more about Promod Sharma, visit promodsharma.com.