Do you know what it feels like to never take a chance? To never put yourself out there naked. Vulnerable. Afraid. I do. I don’t want to anymore. I’m sick of playing it safe. I want to live. I want to be me. I’m not a 9 to 5 guy, but I’ve been doing it for over ten years. Why … Read More
How To Transform Your Story Into An Actual Message
Now, today is the day that you learn how to turn your life stories into messages that can change lives. Remember last week when we talked about sifting through your life to find stories? If not, please do. I’ll just sit here and wait for you. No worries. My time isn’t important… Back yet? …still waiting. Great, you’re back! … Read More
How To Come Up With Topics To Speak About
Listen or read! Or both. You decide! I’m sure we’ve all asked ourselves at one point, “what can I possibly talk about that’s worth a damn?” Today I’m going to tell you why you’re worth a damn. And no, I’m not just saying that to make you feel good. I’m going to show you how you can find topics … Read More
What You Should Never Forget
There are times that I’ve forgotten my roots. Unfortunately, it happens. What roots, you ask? The basic principles and fundamentals of public speaking that I labored to grasp. The ones that were necessary to shed my fear and improve as a speaker. It’s easy to get caught up in the fleeting nuances of life and forget to send … Read More
Listen And Observe: A Gift From Public Speaking
I get my haircut at one of those little franchise hair cutting joints (similar to Fantastic Sams but not quite as fantastic). I go about every 2-3 weeks. In fact, I’ve been going there for at least a year and a half on a consistent basis. Guess what? Not a single one of the stylists have remembered my name … Read More
Public Speaking: How To “Focus” Your Nervousness And Use It For Good
You ready?When the time to speak arrives… Go ahead, imagine it for a second. You’re about to stand up in front of a bunch of prying-eyed souls who expect you to deliver something valuable. Excited yet? Me too. However, it’s what you do with that excitement that determines if it holds you down, or lifts you up like Viagra. The focus … Read More
The 3 F’s of Fear
What we generally describe as “stage-fright” or the fear of public speaking, is actually much more specific. The fears can be broken down. One by one. And obliterated. Why do you think you are afraid to get up and speak in front of an audience? Most people know it’s scary, but usually have no specific reason why. It’s like skydiving–we … Read More
The Most Important Promise You Could Ever Make
Promises are important. The ones we make to our friends, our family, and even our pets are very important, and we should probably do our best to keep them. But what about promises to yourself? Ya, those…they are of killer importance, and they happen to be the most important promises you could make. So then, here’s the promise I urge you to make. Promise yourself … Read More
Do You Get This Feeling At The Beginning Of Your Presentations?
That elusive feeling. It’s so darn difficult to accurately remember it. It might even be difficult to explain it, so bear with me. Here’s the situation: You’re about to get up and give a talk, initially there’s that bit of “excitement,” then you get going, all is well, and then finally you end your talk. Job well done. You … Read More
Your Public Speaking “Toolkit”
I recently read this blog article listing 10 confidence building tips for public speaking. The interesting thing I noticed is that some of them seem more relevant to constructing a speech rather than building confidence. Whatever, still good tips! But, the last one ignited some of my brain synapses: Create Your Toolkit You know how sometimes you come across something that you’ve been doing, but … Read More