The Three Types of Speeches You Give – Prepare, Deliver, Reflect
Founder + Partner + CEO
Published Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Have you ever been asked to give a speech or sit for an interview? I’m guessing you have, and when you finished, you probably thought of the things you forgot to mention, the topics you didn’t make clear, and the responses you received - all mixed with the feeling of anxiety.
“When asked to give a speech, there are three types of speeches you give - the first speech runs through your head when you are first asked to give it, the second when you deliver your speech in front of an audience, and the third when you reflect on the speech you gave and how much better you could have done.” I use this lesson every day in my professional career. Dr. D.N. Deidrich taught it in my public address class at Ball State University. Yes, this lesson gears toward public speaking, but in its raw form (Prepare, Deliver, Reflect), I apply it to everything I do in business. It’s how I stay prepared, it’s how I stay humble, and importantly, it’s how I improve.
I’m not giving formal speeches every day. However, I am conducting meetings, making phone calls, writing articles, motivating my team, working with customers, writing sales orders, being interviewed for podcasts, etc. In all I do, I use this lesson and prepare, deliver, and reflect. I even use it when I’m playing golf (the shot I prepare to hit, the shot I hit, and the shot I wished I hit). This lesson forces me to be prepared, deliver a solid product, and learn from what I did. It’s how I grow and how I improve.
Dedirich was arguably the most challenging and most generous professor during my time at Ball State University. He was tough, demanded excellence, and was despised by many. However, to me, he was a professor with a passion that challenged his students to perform at their very best. He would give anything to those who wanted to learn. Few people knew how wealthy he was and how he used the money to be philanthropic. He once bought a car for a student who threatened to drop out because he had no way to get to class.
In his most challenging and demanding class, he taught me the most important lesson I learned in my time in college. I apply this lesson to every task I do still to this day. It continues to make me a more confident person as I continue to stay prepared and learn from my mistakes.