My lifetime of speaking has provided invaluable insights, shortcuts, work-arounds, and band-aids. Don't get me wrong and think even for a second that I believe I have learned all there is to know. Far from it. Each time I speak, there is something to be gleaned, and stored for future use. With that in mind, you may yet take the following to the bank.
There are two keys to speaking success. Upon these two keys all successful speeches are built. Without these two keys, the greatest material, the friendliest crowd, a venue's amazing acoustics, or a sold-out show will not help you as you crash and burn in front of all God's children! Yikes!
The focus of today's blog is Key One in The Two Keys to Speaking Success. It is a key that works in concert with Key Two, as these two keys feed off one another. It can be developed, part of your DNA, or come to you rather organically over time, but it must be present for the good speech to become great.
Key One in The Two Keys to Speaking Success is Confidence. Without confidence most personal endeavors miss the mark of excellence. We all are subject to a greater exposure to failure when we operate without confidence. It is confidence that allows us to take the stage fearlessly. It is confidence that compels us to take a speaking gig with only two days to prepare. And it is confidence that puts our audiences at ease and allows them to trust us.
When teaching 'The Two Keys' I provide the background on where my own confidence came from. It originated from an outing at the lake with my folks when I was about six years old. On this particular weekend, my Mom and Dad had asked me to tell a joke. There were three or four families camping together that weekend, and most of the adults stopped what they were doing to hear the joke.
We all know the humor of a six-year old is not terribly sophisticated, but they laughed! Most likely they were just being polite, but hearing that laughter made me feel great. It gave me confidence. Quite obviously my parents had already laid the groundwork for this success in how I was being reared, but that is the moment I readily identify as the beginning of my confidence as a speaker.
From that point on, I had confidence that my voice was worth hearing. I performed in elementary school plays, volunteered to be on stage for high school fund raisers, was a DJ in college, and with two days to prepare preached a revival sermon in a church, city, and country where I'd never been before. Confidence: It is Key One in The Two Keys to Speaking Success.
Fearlessly,
JD
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