Everyone\u00a0 used to believe the world was flat.\u00a0 It took a while to let go of that perception.<\/p>\n

Everyone used to believe the sun revolved around the earth.\u00a0 That view took centuries to change.<\/p>\n

We know how hard it is to listen to an opposing point of view. I often find myself closing down, as if I were afraid of being infected with the other perspective.<\/p>\n

Just like you and me, your audience<\/a> has a set of internal narratives to defend.<\/p>\n

As a speaker<\/a>, you better know those narratives, pay them respect, and ask their owners repeatedly, both in public and private, using all the tools<\/a> at your disposal, if they would please consider rearranging their mental furniture.<\/p>\n

And as a listener, when new information doesn\u2019t fit with your perceptions, listen harder.<\/p>\n

Beware the closed mind, theirs and your own.<\/p>\n

These are two of the hardest things in life\u2014also the most important.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sims Wyeth & Co.<\/em><\/a> provides <\/em>public speaking courses<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>executive speech coaching<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>presentation skills training<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>voice and speech training<\/em>, <\/em>speech writing<\/em><\/a>, and courses that address stage fright, body language, presentation strategy, and effective use of PowerPoint, all of which contribute to greater executive presence and personal impact.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everyone\u00a0 used to believe the world was flat.\u00a0 It took a while to let go of that perception. Everyone used to believe the sun revolved around the earth.\u00a0 That view took centuries to change. We know how hard it is to listen to an opposing point of view. I often find myself closing down, as… Read More »Speakers and listeners: Beware the closed mind<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","_ti_tpc_template_sync":false,"_ti_tpc_template_id":""},"categories":[144,336,149,1],"tags":[603,145,596,117,904],"yoast_head":"\n