Author imparts public speaking skills through new book

NOAH Mangwarara (pictured right) is a seasoned public speaking coach, as well as an inspirational writer, who has published several books.

In his book “The Mastery of Public Speaking — Stand Up, Speak Up, Sit Down”, Mangwarara says he started speaking in public when he was aged 23, which shows that this was not something in-born.

“During my high school years, it was known that the back seat was reserved for me. I couldn’t afford sitting closer to the front for fear that the teachers would point at me for contributions.” (p 5).

The long and the short of what the author is saying is that public speaking is an art that can be mastered. This implies you have to invest time into it so that you reap the desired results.

Public speaking “is not something that we are born with, but we all have the potential to learn and become master presenters on any platform. If you give yourself to it, there is no doubt of what you can achieve as a speaker”. (p 7)

In Mangwarara’s view, the future of any organisation lies in how it presents itself to the public it interacts with. True, perception does matter in real life.

It boils down to how you present yourself.

Effectiveness in speaking before people is paramount within organisations, churches, political establishments and other similar entities.

“Impact or mediocrity of an entity rests, to a greater degree, upon how those people who deliver presentations do it as this has the effect of determining the future of some of these establishments.” (p 9).

Published by Noah’s Ark Publishing, the 147-page book is effective in helping those who are keen on developing their public speaking skills. They will get gems from the book, as it was written by someone who has walked the journey and knows what is possible and what is not.

The author explains the steps one should take to be a successful public speaker. According to him, there is no way you can make a good presentation if you do not know the purpose of your presentation.

In public speaking, you need to identify not only your audience but also the purpose of the speech.

“Many speakers abuse audiences by saying out things that are not relevant to the cause of the gathering. Think of a pastor who, instead of preaching to the congregation, as that is their mandate, divert and campaign for political candidates or parties,” says Mangwarara. (p 16).

A speaker must be able to identify the problem, and also needs to have an understanding of the audience.

“Matters that affect teenagers are different from the ones that affect married people in as much as different categories of working people have different characteristics.” (p 21).

Planning has always been an important part of any programme. The success of a programme is determined by the preparation you make. Your presentation will reflect whether you are well-prepared or not.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail Society, Mangwarara said he had to put pen to paper following people’s pleas with him to do so.

“People that I encountered in the other sessions that I hold were always saying, ‘You have brilliant ideas which can help a lot of other people, especially if you put them down on paper.’ Also, it had something to do with my background and the type of school I went to. Eventually, I thought my story should be shared because many people continued to encourage me to do so,” Mangwarara said.