The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2024 - 31

BP
less than 5%. However,
with minimal coaching
and practice, a very high
percentage of normal-range
individuals become effective
public speakers. Moreover,
it's important to remember
that even experienced
professionals can get nervous
before the actual event.
However, they have learned
this tension is acceptable
and manageable. Likewise,
businesspeople wishing
to market themselves and
their services can manage
their worries and make an
effective presentation even if
they are not especially gifted
in that area.
In practice, for the most
part, speaking proficiency
involves managing nerves,
proper preparation, and
selecting appropriate
subject matter. In terms
of avoiding blackout at the
podium, the key ratio is
nervousness to preparation
time. In other words, the
more insecure a person is
about public speaking, the
more that person needs to
practice. When " showtime "
comes, this practice pays
great dividends. I actually
practice much more now
than I used to as I want
better results. Preparation
involves understanding and
organizing the material
and smoothing out and
mastering the connection
between the various topics
in the presentation. Once
a speaker is certain of the
entire content, it's possible
to focus on and connect
with the audience. As for
subject matter, most people
cannot fake expertise. People
speak with confidence
on those matters they
thoroughly understand
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and enjoy discussing. With
proper psychological and
physical preparation as well
as carefully choosing the
content, the scary monster
of standing up in front of
people turns out to be a
manageable process.
Many people with much
knowledge to share don't
speak in public because they
believe their lack of comfort
or shyness doesn't allow it.
No businessperson, freelance
or salaried, feels comfortable
in all aspects of their job at all
times during their career. In
many cases, circumstances
force people to deal with
their fear of the unknown,
whether it's accounting or
personnel management. The
refusal to face these fears
prevents some people from
reaching their full potential.
By doing so, it doesn't mean
the task will necessarily
become their favorite, but
instead they will learn not
to let their fear interfere
with their performance. If
a freelancer has no budget
for effective advertising and
needs more customers, the
refusal to speak in public may
limit their potential growth.
Clearly, not dealing with
an issue is a choice, but not
necessarily an ideal one.
As for shyness, many
years ago, I was a sales
manager for an advertising
company and interviewed
a certain sales candidate
whose speaking skills, as
evidenced by his interview,
were so bad I rejected him
as a candidate in my head.
However, his answer to my
last question completely
changed my mind. I asked
him to tell me about a
special event in his life.
His description of skiing in
the Alps was so fluid and
passionate that I hired him.
The moral of this story is
that when talking about
something they enjoy,
people forget their shyness
and become effective public
speakers. A person can be
very shy at home and in
social situations but project
a strong presence in certain
work situations. Any person
can be persuasive.
Anyone Can Communicate
Effectively and Efficiently
In short, despite the general
perception, any businessperson
can effectively and efficiently
make a positive impression on
peers and potential clients by
speaking directly to them at
conferences, public events,
and even on video streams on
social media. It's possible to
overcome issues such as lack
of experience and innate fear
of public speaking, as these
deterrents are quite
manageable. A person doesn't
even have to be the leading
expert either. When speaking
directly to people, the
presenter becomes the
primary source of knowledge.
As the proverb goes, " in the
kingdom of the blind, the
one-eyed are kings, " which
makes for great marketing.
Stephen Rifkind has been a freelance
translator for 16 years. He translates from
Hebrew, French, and Russian into English, and
specializes in legal and financial translation as
well as official documents. He writes the Tip of the
Tongue blog. stephen@gaguzia-translations.com
American Translators Association 31
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The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2024

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