Episode 054 -- Nose Contact and Slow is Smooth Smooth is Fast

 

 

2-Minute Tip: Use Nose Contact

 

Using eye contact effectively is an important skill for speakers to master. It helps the audience feel that the speaker cares. It emphasizes how the speaker and audience members are all participating in a shared experience.  Looking at audience members' eyes can be unnerving for some speakers, though.

 

The solution is nose contact. Instead of looking at the eyes of the audience, try looking at the bridge of the nose. The audience members will still think the speaker is making eye contact, but it can be more comfortable for the speaker.

 

Post Tip Discussion: Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast

 

Rushing gets us into trouble. Whether it's while hunting for a job, meeting folks at a conference, relearning how to walk, persuading a crowd, or training learners, there's a temptation to take the fast way to save time. Unfortunately, it doesn't actually save time. 

 

To really be efficient, its often more important to slow down and get it right. By focusing on the basic elements and going slowly, we can master the fundamentals. That's how you get to a smooth process, where execution is clean and simple. And once we have that level of skill, prep, or competence, then things go faster.

 

In this section, I included about a minute of audio from the Cliff Ravenscraft show, Episode 520.  By slowing down, Cliff was able to make his participation in a conference even more valuable by building deeper relationships now and in the future with folks he met there.  You can find Cliff's whole episode here.

 

Call To Action:

 

• How doe Slow is Smooth/Smooth is Fast apply to your own life or public speaking? Let us know in the comments below.
• If you haven't already done so, please subscribe to 2-Minute Talk Tips in your favorite podcast app.
• Try some nose contact at your next talk.
• Don't get best; get better.

Check out this episode!