If I asked you, "What's the greatest speech you've ever heard in your lifetime?," would you have an immediate answer? Or would you have to think about it for awhile? For some people a great speech and a great speaker will spring to mind without any hesitation just because
they were so memorable. 

      For many of us, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 is the first to come to mind. We know it as his "I Have A Dream" speech.  We revisit that moment every year on Dr. King's birthday and we can hear it any time on YouTube.  It's accessible electronically in a way that most other historic speeches are not.  How lucky for us. 

      What made that speech great?  Why do we remember it?  It touches us in a way that few other speeches in our history have.  What did Dr. King say that was so special?  

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Last year I confessed that every year at this time I make a few New Year's Resolutions that I have every intention of keeping. And sometimes I actually do keep them. Sometimes I don't.  
     
      There are a few Resolutions that I seem to carry forward from year to year.  One is something about my weight.  Others are about getting organized, making more money, playing the piano again (I was pretty good for a 14-year-old) or finally getting to see the Grand Canyon. They're like old friends that I've grown really fond of and don't want to let go of.  

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       At this time of year, when we're all celebrating many different holidays, we're often called upon to say a few words, or maybe more than a few, to express our thoughts and warm feelings toward our families, friends and colleagues. In order to make speaking to a large  crowd or a few close friends and family a happy experience, here are a few helpful, easy to follow secrets that experienced speakers use to entice and entertain their audiences.

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      Have you ever had The Dream? You know the one. It comes in the night when you have to give a speech tomorrow or a week from tomorrow, but you really, really don't want to. 

      There you are, standing alone in front of the crowd, afraid to say a word because you know you're going to mess it up. You feel exposed, vulnerable. There's nothing between you and them to protect you. Uh-oh.

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       People who aren't comfortable speaking in public have dozens of reasons why they can't or won't do it. Maybe it's a really debilitating fear. But maybe it's just laziness or a reluctance to work harder to achieve something that doesn't come easily. The truth is that wherever your reluctance comes from, it's possible to overcome it. Here's the question to ask yourself: "What would my life look like, how would it be improved, if I weren't afraid?"
     
      Let's imagine a few typical scenarios.

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                          "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?"
                              "Practice! Practice! Practice!"
    
       If you haven't heard that old joke before... where have you been? No one remembers who said it first, however everyone who has to perform before an audience should know it by heart. It's never more true than when we intend to speak to an audience, especially an unfamiliar one, about a subject we know like the back of our hand. There's no greater temptation than simply to say, "I know this material. I don't need to rehearse this speech. I'll just get up and tell them what I know. No sweat."

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