Speech Muscle Memory

People look at public speaking as a means to convey information to an audience. A great speech is one that drives your audience to take action upon hearing it - the ultimate goal.

Approximately 50% of one’s ability to effectively deliver a speech and spur you audience to act comes from your body language and the energy you convey. About 40% comes from the voice. Most of this is controlled by muscles. Given that, it makes sense to train you muscles to act in speech situations without thinking about it – muscle memory.

We mainly think of muscle memory for sports and doing things repetitiously until we can do them without thinking. Pros and amateurs alike do this. It allows them to think about the game more strategically. Just think, if you had a coach that could teach you how to speak like an athlete’s coach teaches them. Imagine no longer thinking about what to do with your hands or where to stand and move – it just becomes natural and fluid.

With that, think of public speaking as a game and treat as such. Have fun with it. Break it down to specific muscle components and train them.

The closest sport that resembles public speaking is golf. You’re on the field alone, all control is in your hands, no two courses are the same and ther is no such thing as a perfect golf game. You can only work to get better. So, remember, there is no such thing as a perfect speech and no two are the same.