The element that ignites an audience, whether you are an actor playing Hamlet, a politician giving a speech, or a CEO making a presentation -- is energy.

Remember Martin Luther King speaking of his "dream" and of standing on "the mountaintop" seeing "the promised land" and you think of energy: spirit, power, vitality. His words, although magnificent, would not have affected us so profoundly had they not been charged with energy. Energy is the life force in us all so we resonate to it. King ignited his listeners in such a way that no one who heard that speech will ever forget it.

Imagine a Van Gogh on the wall of a room that is so dark you cannot see the painting. Then someone switches on a light and immediately you are able to see the canvas's bright colors and captivating forms. Switching on the light is like charging a speech with your energy. If the speech is also well written and well spoken it will ignite your listeners and emblazon itself on their minds, sometimes forever.

But life can be complicated, hectic, and stressful and it is easy to lose touch with your energy, that elemental force within. It can become blocked, even deeply buried. Or, either just before or while public speaking, fears or inhibitions can suddenly surface that cut off its current and disconnect you from it. There are, however, various mental, physical and vocal exercises that can prevent this.

One of our actor-trainers coached a young CEO who was terrified of public speaking but was soon to make the most important speech of his career. He was very conscious of his image in the world and afraid of "making a fool" of himself so he was playing it close to the vest, rehearsing it without energy, in a listless monotone.

Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors tailors its work to the individual. In this instance, after trying several approaches, his trainer finally suggested he ham it up. He told him, "This isn't the way you're going to do it when you give the speech -- but for now throw caution to the winds --"overact" like crazy -- take every word and gesture to the limit." In the beginning the CEO was timid but eventually he was leaping around the studio, gesticulating and delivering the speech in zany and exaggerated ways, even singing and hollering, and enjoying it. Finally, the trainer said, "You think you're exaggerating and of course you are -- you're being hammy -- but the colors you're giving the words and the energy you're investing them with right now is a lot closer to what's needed than what you were doing before. And by the way, what's so terrible about making a fool of yourself? It's fun, isn't it?"

The exercise had unblocked the CEO's energy through its unconventional physicality which loosened him up physically and mentally, and by his trainer helping him get over the fear of appearing foolish by encouraging him to behave as foolishly as possible. When at last he gave his speech it was a success.

As the great actress Sarah Bernhardt put it, "Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich."

Copyright 2007 Amanda Blue

Often, just before speaking in public, people will try to distract themselves from fear by talking, laughing, rushing about, and pretending nothing important is about to happen. But run from fear and it will overtake you, tackle you, and bring you down.

Years ago, a friend, who was an opera buff, (I am not), invited me to join her in watching a Pay-Per-View Metropolitan Opera Broadcast starring tenors Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo. For weeks the constant publicity had likened this to a boxing match. We were to view two operatic heavyweights, in the same arena, with the assumption that one would emerge the winner.

As the broadcast began, we were told that both tenors were going to perform an entire act from an opera of their choosing, with an intermission in between: Pavarotti was to be the Duke of Mantua in Verdi's Rigoletto; Domingo was to be Verdi's Otello.

An interviewer wended her way backstage to Pavarotti's dressing room. The moment he saw her he opened his arms and expansively greeted her, invited her in and offered her wine. He was a most outgoing and exuberant host but the expression on his face betrayed terror under the surface. I turned to my friend and said, "He's in trouble -- he will not sing well tonight." She looked surprised, so I added, "He's terrified and dissipating his energy instead of gathering his forces."

The interviewer then went to Domingo's dressing room. He was applying dark pancake makeup to his hands and was deep in thought; nevertheless he motioned her in and said in a low voice, "I am very nervous." He explained that his son was in the audience and that he wanted to sing a favorite aria well for his child. And he spoke briefly of the complexities of Otello's character. He was quiet and contained. I told my friend, "He's going to be brilliant, wait and see."

Unfortunately my prediction was right: Pavarotti was dreadful that night. His gestures and movements were unfocused and when reaching for high notes his voice cracked, whereas Domingo was taut, electrically dynamic and sublime. This was reflected in the next day's reviews.

Pavarotti had tried to ignore and override his nervousness, but Domingo had faced his, with the result that the championship bout was over and it was clear who had won.

You may be thinking perhaps other circumstances caused Pavarotti's defeat. For instance, perhaps he was not feeling well that evening; all the more reason to have quietly prepared himself instead of having a party in his dressing room, wouldn't you agree?

At Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors our actor-trainers are often called upon to work with people who are experiencing Pavarotti-like panic about public speaking. There are various mental and physical relaxation exercises that help alleviate this but none will work without the deep willingness of the speaker to first acknowledge, accept and live with fear, as though it is a dear friend, because it is. It is one of your most valuable assets as a public speaker.

Fear is a terrific source of adrenaline, which can keep you on your toes, like the electric Domingo, enabling you to perform brilliantly. If, like actors, (who are no more immune to fear of public speaking than you are), you value, embrace and in actor's terminology, "use it", you will discover that, as a public speaker, fear can take you to great heights.

Copyright 2007 Amanda Blue

At Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors we are often asked, "Aren't most actors extroverts?" The answer, hard as it may be to believe, is, "No."

People assume their favorite actors perform brilliantly because they are extroverts, uninhibited, have no stage fright or reluctance to exhibit their deepest feelings in public, and conclude that if only they too were fearless extroverts they would excel at public speaking.

These are misconceptions:

The actors whom audiences particularly admire for their depth or originality are frequently introverts. They are sensitive people who are shy, insecure, find it hard to express themselves in life and for that reason turn to acting as a profession. They explain it is only onstage, in front of a camera, or hidden in the guise of a character not themselves that they are able to be expressive.

And some reticence about public speaking shows intelligence and awareness since making a presentation is not a casual matter but an important and heightened occasion at which people have gathered to hear what the speaker has to say.

Marilyn Monroe was a striking introvert/extrovert. Several of the actor-trainers in our company knew her. One likened her to a gardenia she was so easily bruised. Introverted and shy, she had difficulty looking people in the eye when in conversation and usually voiced feelings of inadequacy when discussing her work as an actress. Yet hours later, she would be seen in her public "persona" at a premiere, wearing a fur coat off her shoulders and grazing the floor, exuding charm, sex appeal and humor, the epitome of an extrovert.

And the Italian actress, Eleonora Duse, who lived from 1858 to 1924 and is considered by many to have been the greatest actress who has ever lived, while on an American tour in Pittsburgh, at the height of her dizzying international fame, was caught in the rain outside a locked stage door and too shy to insist that someone be found to let her in became soaked to the bone and soon after died of pneumonia.

There are many such examples.

Introversion and extroversion are opposite sides of the same coin. And those who are introverted in daily life, can, under the controlled circumstances of a rehearsed performance uninhibitedly express themselves.

This includes you. You may be convinced that you are an introvert and still become an extroverted public speaker through exploring the "opposite side of the coin" within yourself.

"But," you may ask, "aren't actors trained to accomplish this? Haven't they been taught various techniques to use in rehearsal and performance?"

Yes, but many of these techniques are not difficult to learn and are available to you. Our actor-trainers employ them when working with clients.

All forms of performance have much in common, whether they take place on a stage, in a classroom, boardroom or at a lectern and certain acting techniques have to do with things that concern public speakers most: the overcoming of tensions, fears, inhibitions; the powerful use of language and gesture; and how best to rehearse and prepare for a speech.

So if you feel stopped from expressing yourself freely at the podium consider working on some of these with a coach. These methods can be helpful even if you have no trepidation about public speaking.

It has been our experience at Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors that public speaking introverts, like their shy actor counterparts, can, with some application, become mesmerizing presenters, so take heart, persevere and enjoy the rewards that await you.

Copyright 2007 Amanda Blue

There is not one perfect way to give a speech, but as many perfect ways as there are people, although to speak effectively you must speak naturally.

Martin Luther King had the cadence and fervor of a preacher; President Clinton had a down-home charisma; and Roosevelt's Fireside Chats, in which he addressed the American people, over the radio, in his modulated and patrician way, made each listener feel he was speaking directly to him or her.

They were able to speak effectively, exceedingly so, because each was true to himself.

Everyone is an original. But, unfortunately, a lot of speakers (and people in general) spend their days wishing they were somebody else.

At Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors our actor-trainers are often told by those they coach that they cannot excel because, unlike speaker so-and-so, they are reserved, shy, unused to displaying emotion, have a regional accent, or a speech impediment, (the list goes on.)

These can all be good things, including the speech impediment, as audiences admire people who gracefully accept and work with their limitations; and shyness or reserve can be attractive, as long as you do not fight them, but instead speak naturally.

You need not be a highly charged and emotional speaker to speak effectively. But you must be in harmony with your nature, true to who you are.

Fiorello LaGuardia always seemed to be that. Affectionately dubbed "Little Flower" (the English equivalent of Fiorello), he was a character. At a portly five foot two, he was a complex, hot-tempered, ethical dynamo; spoke seven languages; and was a Republican-Episcopalian who had been raised in Arizona by a Jewish mother and an Italian-Roman Catholic-turned-atheist father. He is considered by many to have been New York's greatest mayor. And he had an earthy way of expressing himself.

In 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth became the first monarchs to visit the United States. In preparation, Americans had gone to great lengths to observe protocol, nervously studying what to say, what not to say, what to do, what not to do.

In New York City, amidst much fanfare, the Queen made a lengthy, formal speech in her clipped accent, and archly reserved manner. When at last it ended, legend has it that LaGuardia, joining her at the podium, exclaimed, "You sure said a mouthful Queenie!"

One little sentence from "Little Flower" and protocol went down the drain. Were people scandalized? No, they were elated. Their Majesties took it in stride as well. An hilarious example of someone who could speak naturally, be himself to the hilt at a lectern, with resultant success.

And to quote the revolutionary 20th century choreographer, Martha Graham, "There is a vitality, a life force...that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you, the experience is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost..."

In other words, speak naturally, speak effectively, on the podium (and off). To thine own self be true.

Copyright 2007 Amanda Blue

To conquer public speaking fear the most important step is the first one. As you feel it rise in you, do not resist. In this way you will be applying the guiding principle of Aikido.

Aikido, one of the most beautiful forms of Budo (the martial arts) is based on a philosophy of harmony.

Developed from ancient traditions of Japanese Samurai, physical strength is kept at a minimum while suppleness, flexibility and inner strength are encouraged. (And since Aikido is such an effective method of self-defense it is part of the basic training for Japanese Policemen today.)

What does conquering public speaking fear have to do with Japanese warriors?

The follower of Aikido is taught to offer no resistance when faced with an opponent trying to pin him to the mat, but instead to be flexible and to constantly adapt. This is based on a principle that the more you resist force of any kind (not just physical) the more you give it power and this includes the force of fear as it attempts to invade your sense of well-being and equanimity.

Aikido is a philosophy, therefore its governing principles are far-reaching and can be universally applied, even to conquering public speaking fear.

Resistance does have its good points. Resistance of the ground underneath your feet gives you stability and allows you to walk. And, in Aikido interaction, without the resistance of your body, your punch or kick will have no power, no effect.

But, if, in a contest, you resist a grab, a push or a pull, you offer stability to your opponent, who anticipates your resistance at the point of contact. If you do not offer it, he will lose his balance.

Something similar happens when having a "panic attack" about public speaking. By not resisting your fear it will lessen. If you fight it, it will increase.

Often the reaction to fear of public speaking is denial. "If I don't think about it, it will go away." That is not so. And denial is resistance. What is needed on your part is the bravery to accept the uncomfortable sensations of fear. You must speak gently to yourself, and say, "This is what I am feeling. I accept it. And now that I have faced it, I will first have a talk with myself about what exactly it is about public speaking that I so fear, and then try to differentiate my irrational thoughts on this subject from the few that make sense. After that, I will prepare myself by rehearsing my speech until it flows and feels natural as I say it."

And it can be helpful to work with a trainer. At Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors the actor-trainers coach people in various techniques which help them conquer public speaking fear and bring a speech alive, for although non-resistance is the first step it is not the only one.

As in Aikido, once non-resistance is learned many techniques come into play. But first, take a lesson from the ancient Samurai and begin to conquer public speaking fear like an Aikidoka. -- To your success!

Copyright 2008 Amanda Blue

As a public speaker there is nothing more important than your ability to speak passionately, or at least with enthusiasm, which is something the actor-trainers at Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors emphasize.

While listening to a speech an audience is distracted. They may be admiring the way you look, sound, are dressed; feel bothered by the room being overly air-conditioned or too warm; and your speech will evoke associations and memories. Audience members, therefore, usually remember only one or two of your statements. What has impressed them more is something they have experienced viscerally. A study done at UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) shows that 93% of a speech's effectiveness lies not in what you say but the way you say it.

A memorial was held for an outstanding woman attended by hundreds of people. Some spoke brilliantly, others amusingly about her spirit and achievements. But the person everyone still remembers was the urbane man who stepped to the mike, said, "I knew (and he mentioned her name) ", then stopped talking. He was not crying but we could tell that he was too moved to continue although he refused to show emotion. Instead, after some silent seconds he waved his hand in the air as if to say, " I can't do this." and walked off the stage. No one will ever forget it, and what we remember is certainly not what he said.

He made a vivid impression because he felt deeply and was passionate, the element to which audiences respond the most strongly.

Now you might say, "I make speeches about plumbing fixtures and it is hard to be passionate about that."

I would reply, "Then you'd better find something about plumbing fixtures that you do feel passionate or at least enthusiastic about, even if you have to rack your brain."

The more pedestrian the topic the more exciting you should think it, in order to convey this to your listeners. Perhaps the fixtures once saved lives when there was a water-main break!

Here is an example of an exercise acting students do:

Two of them are told to have a debate on a controversial subject, like abortion. One is asked to be for it, the other against it, and they go at it heatedly. But first, each must find a way to believe in his/her point of view in order to speak passionately about it.

They are then told to debate the topic again but this time to switch views. They find ways to believe in the new and opposite point of view and again speak passionately.

This proves you can always find something to inspire you, which, as a public speaker you must do.

Back to the speaker who left the stage, not only was he passionate --

He put across the message that he had loved his friend, more potently than did any of his articulate colleagues, and --

He was succinct.

We can all learn from his example.

At Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors we think of him often. So speak passionately and be memorable too.

Copyright 2008 Amanda Blue

Do you have the distinction of belonging to one of the largest clubs in the world? The membership is in the millions. From street corners to classrooms, pulpits, presidential offices and beyond, members of The International Fear of Public Speaking Club represent every profession and walk of life, live in 245 countries and "entities", speak 6500 languages and span the globe.

Anxiety about public speaking is universal, although it is estimated that on average each person utters two thousand words a day, so that, with some exceptions, we are all well practiced speakers.

Why then is public speaking such a problem?

It isn't. Your self-doubts are the problem.

But if public speaking isn't the problem why does it bring up these doubts?

Because public speaking puts you in the spotlight, singles you out, places you on a pedestal and is an unusual circumstance in which all focus is on you -- but it is still not the problem.

At Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors our actor-trainers frequently put this question to people experiencing anxiety about public speaking, "When you imagine yourself giving a speech what are your thoughts?"

Here are some of the answers:

Why should anybody want to hear what I have to say?

Who am I to stand in front of a group of people and tell them anything about anything?

I am not qualified to talk on this topic. I am not an expert.

I feel like a fraud. I am presenting myself as something I am not.

I have pulled the wool over everyone's eyes. I have made them think that I am fantastic.

Wait until they see what I am really like.

I will be exposed.

Everyone will know that I am uninteresting.

Everyone will see that I have no personality.

Everyone will realize I have nothing important to say.

All these comments express feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. THIS is the problem that must be dealt with if you are to come to grips with anxiety about public speaking.

Begin by saying to yourself, "Isn't it strange that everyone feels as I do? We couldn't ALL be inadequate." EXACTLY!

Then tackle your self-doubts.

Ask yourself the same sort of question our actor-trainers would, "When I imagine myself giving a speech what are my thoughts?"

Listen to the response your mind gives you. If there is no immediate answer drink something warm or distract yourself in another way; take a walk, go to a movie and then ask yourself the question again. Do this until you receive a clear answer. And accept the answer even if it seems outlandish.

I will choose an example: "I think I am not worth much."

Realize this is nonsense. You are not worthless but are making the big mistake of thinking you are.

Why on earth would you be worthless or in any way incapable of the simple act of getting up in front of people and expressing some views?

As a human being you have all the faculties needed to be a naturally good public speaker. You lack nothing. You are complete. You are excellent. You are worthy and what you have to say is worthwhile.

This is the way to reason with yourself as you confront each of your self-doubts. If you do this with seriousness and consistency it will yield good results.

Finally, dissociate negative thoughts about yourself from your thoughts about public speaking. This will starve and lessen your anxiety about public speaking. Turn to yourself as you would to a child and say, "These thoughts have nothing to do with reality. These thoughts have nothing to do with my abilities as a public speaker. These thoughts are unhealthy, ridiculous and getting in the way of my doing something I was born to do well. I am crazy to feel so inadequate. I must talk myself out of this lunacy." This kind of dialogue will become fun when you realize how helpful it can be.

Your public speaking is not the problem. Your self-doubts are, so when working on reducing anxiety about public speaking that is where your focus should be.

In Solidarity!

Copyright 2007 Amanda Blue

Perhaps we at Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors can be of help:

Fear

Don Miguel Ruiz:
"Death is not the biggest fear we`have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive -- the risk to be alive and express who we really are."

Dorothy Thompson:
"Fear grows in darkness; if you think there's a bogeyman around, turn on the light."

Marie Curie:
"There is nothing to be feared. It is only to be understood."

The eloquent man is no beautiful speaker, but who is inwardly and desperately drunk with a certain belief.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Journals 1845

Jerry Seinfeld:
According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Death is number two. This means, to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you are better off in the casket than delivering the eulogy.

Mark Twain:
It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.

John Wayne:
Talk low, talk slow and don't talk too much.

Aristotle:
It is simplicity that makes the uneducated more effective than the educated when addressing the populace.

D.H. Lawrence:
Be still when you have nothing to say, when genuine passion moves you say what you've got to say and say it hot.

Friedrich Nietszche:
It is good to express a thing twice at the outset and so to give it a right foot and a left one. Truth can surely stand on one foot but with two it will be able to walk and get around.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt:
Be sincere, be brief, be seated.

"I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there 's a pair of us-don't tell!
They 'd banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!"

"Brevity is the soul of wit." And we've all been made aware that usually "Less is more." Apparently George agreed.

George Washington
1st President of the United States

Monday, March 4, 1793

Second Inaugural Address Given in the City of Philadelphia

Fellow citizens, I am again called upon by the voice of my country to execute the functions of its Chief Magistrate. When the occasion proper for it shall arrive, I shall endeavor to express the high sense I entertain of this distinguished honor, and of the confidence which has been reposed in me by the people of united America.

Previous to the execution of any official act of the President the Constitution requires an oath of office. This oath I am now about to take, and in your presence: That if it shall be found during my administration of the Government I have in any instance violated willingly or knowingly the injunctions thereof, I may (besides incurring constitutional punishment) be subject to the upbraidings of all who are now witnesses of the present solemn ceremony.

There is no single sensible answer to this question. It is impossible to count the number of words in a language, because it is so hard to decide what counts as a word. Is dog one word, or two (a noun meaning 'a kind of animal', and a verb meaning 'to follow persistently')? If we count it as two, then do we count inflections separately too (dogs plural noun, dogs present tense of the verb). Is dog-tired a word, or just two other words joined together? Is hot dog really two words, since we might also find hot-dog or even hotdog?

It is also difficult to decide what counts as 'English'. What about medical and scientific terms? Latin words used in law, French words used in cooking, German words used in academic writing, Japanese words used in martial arts? Do you count Scots dialect? Youth slang? Computing jargon?

The Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary contains full entries for 171,476 words in current use, and 47,156 obsolete words. To this may be added around 9,500 derivative words included as subentries. Over half of these words are nouns, about a quarter adjectives, and about a seventh verbs; the rest is made up of interjections, conjunctions, prepositions, suffixes, etc. These figures take no account of entries with senses for different parts of speech (such as noun and adjective).

This suggests that there are, at the very least, a quarter of a million distinct English words, excluding inflections, and words from technical and regional vocabulary not covered by the OED, or words not yet added to the published dictionary, of which perhaps 20 per cent are no longer in current use. If distinct senses were counted, the total would probably approach three quarters of a million.

Courtesy of - AskOxford.com

Is it true that English has the most words of any language?

This question is practically impossible to answer, for the reasons set out in the answer to How many words are there in the English language? However, it seems quite probable that English has more words than most comparable world languages.

The reason for this is historical. English was originally a Germanic language, related to Dutch and German, and it shares much of its grammar and basic vocabulary with those languages. However, after the Norman Conquest in 1066 it was hugely influenced by Norman French, which became the language of the ruling class for a considerable period, and by Latin, which was the language of scholarship and of the Church. Very large numbers of French and Latin words entered the language. Consequently, English has a much larger vocabulary than either the Germanic languages or the members of the Romance language family to which French belongs.

English is also very ready to accommodate foreign words, and as it has become an international language, it has absorbed vocabulary from a large number of other sources. This does, of course, assume that you ignore 'agglutinative' languages such as Finnish, in which words can be stuck together in long strings of indefinite length, and which therefore have an almost infinite number of 'words'.

Courtesy of - AskOxford.com

Hamlet's "Advice to the Players" in which he instructs a group of actors on how to perform a play he has written is an excellent primer on what to do and what not to when speaking in public:

Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue. But if you mouth it, as many of our players do, I had as lief the town crier spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus, by use all gently, for in the very torrent, tempest, and (as I may say) whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness. O, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb shows and noise. I would have such a fellow whipped for o'erdoing Termagant. It out-herods Herod. Pray you avoid it. Be not too tame neither, but let your own discretion be your tutor. Suit the action to the word, the word to the action, with this special observance, that you o'erstep not the modesty of nature. For anything so overdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to nature, to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure. Now this overdone, or come tardy off, though it make the unskillful laugh, cannot but make the judicious grieve, the censure of the which one must in your allowance o'erweigh a whole theatre of others. O, there be players that I have seen play, and heard others praise, and that highly (not to speak profanely), that neither having th' accent of Christians, nor the gait of Christian, pagan, nor man, have so strutted and bellowed that I have thought some of Nature's journeymen had made men, and not made them well, they imitated humanity so abominably. Reform it altogether! And let those that play your clowns speak no more than is set down for them, for there be of them that will themselves laugh, to set on some quantity of barren spectators to laugh too, though in the mean time some necessary question of the play be then to be considered. That's villainous and shows a most pitiful ambition in the fool that uses it. Go make you ready.

...for isn't self-expression what public speaking is all about?

This little light of mine I'm going to let it shine...
Song

Marilyn Monroe:
If I can't be myself who can I be?

Noam Chomsky:
If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.

Benjamin Disraeli:
Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for truth.

Pearl Buck:
Self-expression must pass into communication for its fulfillment.

Ralph Waldo Emerson:
Insist on yourself; never imitate.

Virginia Woolf:
Methinks the human method of expression by sound of tongue is very elementary, and ought to be substituted for some ingenious method which would be able to give vent to at least six coherent sentences at once.

Elwyn Brooks White:
The whole problem is to establish commmunication with ones self.

Bernard Baruch
The ability to express an idea is well nigh as important as the idea itself.

Continue to be yourself because in the end that is what people will remember about you.
Unknown Source

It's always good to have a goddess on your side so we thought we'd let you public speakers become acqauainted with Sarasvati, the goddess of speech and writing. Someone to say your prayers to at night.

For a more complete bio continue reading:

Sarasvati is the Hindu Goddess of all arts: speech, music, painting, sculpture, dance, and writing. She is credited with presenting the gift of writing to mankind so that her songs could be written down and preserved. Sarasvati is often depicted on the back of a swan or peacock, and with four arms, with which she plays the lute or drum and bestows jeweled blessings. She is the Goddess of eloquence, and words pour from her like a sweetly flowing river. One myth of this Goddess is that She is a jealous rival of the Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, and that pursuing wealth alone will assure that Sarasvati's gifts will desert you.

Bio and Photo Courtesy of www.lunaea.com

To learn more about us and the work we do visit the Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors web site at:

Broadway Actors

http://www.broadwayactors.net

(Image by Elizabeth Simpson, FPG International, LLC)

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