Platform skills? Platform skills? What are platform skills? Well, let me tell you. Any Toastmaster, professional speaker, or member of the National Speakers’ Association can tell you what platform skills are. Simply, platform skills are the ways in which a speaker reaches out to connect with his/her audience. It has been said that the number one fear of most people is to be called upon to speak publically. This fear is rated higher than one’s fear of dying! Yes, the average person had rather die, than be placed in a position requiring speaking in public. Amazing, but true!

How does one overcome such fear? Practice, Practice, Practice. Your first step in becoming a public, and later a professional speaker, is to get yourself to a toastmaster club and learn the fundamental skills necessary to speak publically. Toastmasters International is the best program in the world, to teach platform skills. The cost is relatively low; a nominal annual cost to belong to Toastmasters International, and then a small fee for site rental at the local level. In exchange, you will never view a politician’s speech the same way again; you will notice all the flaws. My caution here is all Toastmaster’s clubs are not equal. Each club has a different personality. Find the club which has a personality most closely aligned with your personality, and you will find your comfort zone.

Now, what are these platform skills about which we spoke earlier? In general, these elusive skills are the ways in which a speaker reaches an audience to communicate.

There are three levels of speaking and then multiple levels within each of the three levels. The first level we’ve all seen at some awkward moment as an inexperienced speaker gets up and essentially reads his/her prepared words. Everyone is relieved when the ordeal is over. The second level encompasses virtually all other speaking wherein a speaker communicates information by speaking it publically in a straightforward manner to an audience. Efficient, but hardly Oscar materiel. The last level occurs rarely, but when it does, you know it. When a speaker moves you emotionally, he/she has reached out to you in such a way that you are impacted. When this kind of speaker takes the stage, our lives change. After all, why do speakers speak? Answer: for people to change their lives!

When audience members make a change in their lives three days after you’ve spoken, you’ve arrived as a speaker.

Given our discussion above regarding platform skills, let’s finish off this area by addressing another necessary skill in delivering speeches: speech writing skills. Speech writing is at once simple and at the same time complex. Let me give you the key here: every time you open your mouth to speak, you should have three parts to your speech: an opening, a body, and a closing. Whether you are speaking for 5 minutes or two hours, your speech must have these three parts. What sets skilled orators apart is they have highly developed platform skills coupled with advanced speech writing skills. Couple these two skills together, and you will become a highly paid and sought after speaker.

I teach speaking and speech writing skills by request. Please contact me here to find out more.