Does your brain race ahead of what you're trying to say? No wonder! Here's why you can't think and speak at the same time.
Would you like to be a master at responding quickly to questions from your audience?
How about being a presenter who is light on his or her feet and yet highly focused?
Could you stand being called someone who possesses real stage presence?
If you'd like to be those things, here's a place to start: learn how to focus like a major league baseball player.
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Are You Here to Speak . . . Or Think About It?
I'm thinking specifically of Yogi Berra.
Yes, that Yogi Berra, the New York Yankees Baseball Hall of Fame catcher and home-grown philosopher. The man who uttered these immortal words of advice (among many other famous sayings): "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." And, "You can observe a lot by just watching." And also, "The future ain't what it used to be."
The Yogi-ism that concerns us today, though, is this one: "You can't think and hit at the same time."
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Focus, focus, and focus. And don't forget to focus. To tease out the meaning of Yogi's advice, consider a MLB batter, up at the plate. His task is to connect with one of the pitches coming at him at 90+ miles per hour (sometimes aimed at his head). Or perhaps that pitch seems to drop like it just fell or a cliff, or curves away mysteriously just as the batter tries to hit it. Or maybe it simply goes dead, seeming to lose all its energy when he does manage to connect.
Would you say that that batter needs a sufficient level of focus between the time the ball leaves the pitcher's hand and it reaches the plate? The answer is actually, "No." The batter doesn't need a sufficient level of focus. Or even a superior level. He needs an all-consuming, "Get your head back here now, bubba!" kind of focus. The same is true for you as a speaker or presenter.
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The Performance Is the Time to Perform, Not Think!
Let's face it: there's all the difference in the world between you practicing a presentation, and the moment you're delivering it. The earlier stages get you ready, and they are essential. But when the rubber hits the road, it all comes down to you. That's the heart of public speaking: you, bringing the topic to life. You provide the meaning, context, and whatever else matters besides the content. That's why you're there for the audience! Without you, it just ain't happening.
Of course, to make it work, you need to draw upon all of your abilities, experience, skills with people, and the rest of what you've learned up to now. But can you think about all of that while you're speaking? Of course not. This is the time of performance. Not only that, but you've prepared and practiced for just this moment. So what is there to think about? The moment's here, and the curtain has just gone up. You're on!
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So, What Was Yogi Really Saying?
Let's go back to Yogi Berra and his famous saying, "You can't think and hit at the same time." He wasn't saying that you can't bring your mind to the game. Or that strategizing with regard to an opposing pitcher or manager was a useless exercise. Baseball has always been a strategic game, sometimes subtly and beautifully so.
What I believe he meant was this: that the at-bat moment is not the time to be wondering how you'll get out of the slump you've been in for the past two weeks. Or how many hits you need each game to bring your batting average up. Or how anybody like that person sitting near third base could wear an outfit like that to a baseball stadium.
See the ball, hit the ball.
That's what he meant. That's the batter's task every day of the week—and it's one we already know requires superhuman concentration. Can the batter let anything interfere with his level of focus and performance?
Like thinking?
Nope.
Neither can you as a speaker.
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Gary Genard is an actor, author, and expert in public speaking and overcoming speaking fear. His company, The Genard Method offers live 1:1 Zoom executive coaching and corporate group training worldwide. He is the author of the Amazon Best-Seller How to Give a Speech. His second book, Fearless Speaking, was named in 2019 as “One of the 100 Best Confidence Books of All Time.” For nine consecutive years, he was ranked by Global Gurus as one of The World’s Top 30 Communication Professionals, and he has been named as one of America's Top 5 Speech Coaches. His handbook for presenting in videoconferences, Speaking Virtually offers techniques for developing virtual presence. He is also the author of Speak for Leadership: An Executive Speech Coach's Secrets for Developing Leadership Presence. His latest book is The Confidence Book: 75 Ways to Reduce Your Anxiety, Let Go of Your Fears, Change Your Negative Thinking, and Perform At Your Professional Best. He is also the creator of The Dr. William Scarlet supernatural thrillers. Contact Gary here.
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