3 Things I Stopped Doing as a Public Speaker

I have been speaking for over a decade, so there are some things I did in the beginning of my speaker journey that I do not do now AND do not recommend new speakers do either. That’s part of my job as a coach; to shorten your learning curve. I show you what to do and what to avoid because I’ve been there, and found what REALLY works; especially when it comes to decreasing the stress that can accompany the speech preparation process.

Here are three things I don’t do when it comes to public speaking:

1️⃣ Memorize my entire speech
Yes I did this in the early days, and do not recommend this. Guess what happens as soon as you forget which specific word comes next? You’re thrown off and look like a deer in the headlights. Memorizing can place unrealistic expectations of perfection on you, and when you don’t deliver that speech perfectly – it can chip away at your confidence. I’m more focused on remembering the order of my points or ideas and the MEANING behind the words rather than the exact words themselves. Of course I practice a LOT, but memorizing every single word is not my goal. The only parts I would recommend memorizing are the opening and closing, so you start and end strong. I’ll also make mental notes 📝 of important words and phrases I want to say.

2️⃣ Get on a phone call before speaking
I try to avoid accepting calls before speaking to an audience. God forbid the person is giving you bad news or is in a bad mood. This can totally wreck the headspace you’re in and could affect your performance. Ask me how I know! 😩

3️⃣ Force my self to “push through” and write
This isn’t about being lazy or uncommitted to the writing process. This is about knowing when you need to take a break and come back to the writing. When I feel like I’m slowing down and walk away from the speech for a bit, that’s when I often come back refreshed, inspired, and with amazing new ideas! I don’t fight it anymore. A break can literally be LIFEGIVING. 🤩

Which one of these tips stuck out to you?? I would love to hear from you!