People from all over America and abroad traveled to the US West Coast during the California Gold Rush, which began in 1848.
300,000 people rushed to grab their share of the gold and silver. It was common for people to blindly purchase land claims when so many people were vying for the same land. They often failed to investigate whether precious metals were present on the property.
In many cases, people end up with worthless land. Many people built homes there and made the best of the situation. Those with less integrity and more deception decided to cash in on the gold rush.
“A Mine Is a Hole in the Ground, Owned by a Liar” Mark Twain
Mark Twain’s quote is relevant here. At the time, unscrupulous landowners in California, Arizona, and other Western states would “salt the mine” to make a tidy profit.
Precious metals were not present on the property when they purchased it. They built a mine and invested a great deal of money and energy, but nothing came of it. Despite their devastating emotional and financial losses, these evil people managed to turn things around for the better for themselves. They lied about the amount of gold and silver they had discovered in their mine.
They Salted the Mine.
Consider how you sprinkle salt on your food. These are the types of things these bamboozlers did in their mines. To make the mine appear more profitable, they spread silver ore around. In some cases, gold dust was inserted into shotgun shells and fired into unproductive mines’ walls.
It was an easy snare for greenhorns with big dreams and little experience in mining. Gold rush con artists made millions by salting the mines.
While salting the mine was an evil act, you can healthily use a similar practice to express yourself more confidently.
How to Salt the Mine for Speaking Success
You can use the tried-and-true mine salting practice of the late 19th century to get your voice heard in meetings.
Place sympathetic ears in your audience to “Salt the Mine.”
Encourage your friends, coworkers, family, and others who support you to nod and make reinforcing comments. By doing this, you might feel more comfortable and confident in yourself. In addition, it also has a very positive impact on your audience.
You don’t have to be reluctant to give a presentation or to stand up for yourself and speak your mind. Just salt the mine if you want more confidence and to be perceived as authoritative and trustworthy. You’ll find after time that you don’t need to do this to inspire confidence in yourself and those you’re addressing.
