Farookh's Magic Kitchen. Review on Delivering an Effective Speech

You come face to face many a time in your life, occasion to speak in public. I, also, know that you are remarkably adept at dodging such unpleasant situations all along, till one day you find that circumstances have conspired to elevate'poor you' to the podium. Now, you are trapped, hopelessly trapped, with a thousand eyes directed at you, studying you, some anxious, some expectant, and some highly amused.

The tragedy is that the moment of reckoning has come when you least expected it and are totally unprepared. So, you make a fine mess of what, otherwise, would have been a lovely evening. Unfortunately, that is not the end of that, this highly forgettable episode is seldom forgotten and has a vitriolic affect on your personality.

You, slowly but inevitably, go into your shell and are no longer the confident bustling person you were. Whether it happens in your personal life or in your career, the consequences are devastating. DO YOU HAVE AN OPTION? As far as I see it?  NO!  If you are in public life or have a career, the chances are that you will come across situations where you are required to speak more often than not. So, the sooner you address this problem of yours the better it is. "I have no problem!" or "I don't see any problem, you may say with a growing note of irritation in your voice.

Well, the problem is right before you, but you do not want to accept it or acknowledge it, as though even mere accepting or acknowledging it would mean signaling defeat, or failure. I have learnt public speaking the hard way and believe me there are no shortcuts. Any number of books on public speaking will be of no help to you, as long as you doubt your beliefs and believe your doubts.

The only way is to exorcise the demons within you. IS IT THAT BAD? My answer is again, NO!  All you need to do is go back to the basics. Yes that's the key to success in "public speaking." You will not become one of the escoffiers of oratory like Winston Churchill, Mark Anthony, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, or Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who gave such attractive and fiery speeches on countless occasions during the "freedom struggle." But, you will be able to deliver an effective, eloquent and entertaining speech, and it is towards this my intentions are directed and not "public swaying" oratory.

For oratory you need talent, but for effective public speaking all you need is will and effort.

FAROOKH?S MAGIC KITCHEN: Learning to speak in public is in many ways like learning to cook a new Tarla Dalal dish you just saw on TV, very simple if you follow the basics. Even "afrank, " the writer I admire most on MS for her lucid style and subtle humour would agree with me, not withstanding her own "I can cook, yeah" review on cooking.

Public speaking, again like Tarla Dalal?s cooking, is a craft that can be learnt. It doesn't require any exceptional talent; all you need to do is have the right mix of ingredients. A minimum of 25000 words vocabulary is what you need to start with. Add to that a few hundred idioms and phrases to get that lovely aroma. Add pronunciation and accent to taste. Place this mixture in the cauldron of the language you wish to speak(in this case, English). Marinate it for at least a few months until you are able to pronounce a majority of the words correctly and precisely. Place it on the gas burner on a low flame and allow it to simmer for at least a month. In the meantime, try a few flings with your close friends. Use your friends' feedback to adjust the tone and quality of the mixture.

The secret of success of any dish is in its presentation. In this case not only the dish but also the host must be properly dressed. The host must at all times have confidence in himself as well as the in the dish he is preparing. Praising your'boss, ' a'friend, ' or the'chair' are the kinds of spices and condiments you would wish to add, but avoid an overdose of it as the mixture is liable to become too heady.

Just before serving, garnish it with funny anecdotes and personal experiences. Remember, while serving, the host must look and sound sincere. For best results, serve buffet style(standing). However, do not serve in paper plates(chits), rather serve directly from the mouth(extempore). Remember; always serve the dish while the topic is hot.

Mbfarookh. ©

P.S. for members, thanks for tasting the dish, please rate and comment before it gets cold.