Leonardo De Vinci’s birthday and advice for Public Speaking

We can improve our Public Speaking from him

Today 15th April 1452, one of the greatest ever people was born. Leonardo became proficient / expert in so many fields, painting, drawing, mathematics, engineering, musician, sculptor, architect, anatomist and writer. To us normal people a real bastard, he was also the illegitimate son of a notary and a peasant women.

There are whole books on his work in the various fields. So what can he help us with in Public speaking?

1. He was a polymath. What is a polymath? Is a person whose knowledge is not restricted to one subject, from the Greek for “having learned much”.  He was widely read and was interested in everything, that allowed him to borrow from other fields to help another.
2. He “hot housed” , Renaissance Italy was full of the greatest in their field of their time. He mixed with the likes of Botticelli. The informal discussions, careful listening and observation followed by critical analysis allowed him to develop his expertise. We can all learn from others. Everyone does certain things better than you, but what? Observe and listen to other presenters, identify the good elements and apply.
3. Always keep paper, or now days an iphone to record your good ideas. Leaonardo always had a notebook to collect and develop his ideas.
4. Experiment, he was always doing this to find better ways of doing things. Experiment, perhaps in low key talks, different ways of presenting your work.
5. Teach and coach others. He was an apprentice, a good one, and saw the advantages of coaching others. Often the act of teaching and coaching can bring out the best in peoples knowledge of a subject, forcing a deeper understanding of why they do certain things.
6. Practise – as he said

“Wisdom is the daughter of experience.”

Regards

Steve