2 essentials for nailing confidence with your public speaking

Hi from Cécile,

Let’s start with this: confidence is an essential ingredient of a solid, impactful public speaking event.

That can be a short presentation at the office, a corporate presentation in front of a large audience, or even a TEDx talk!

The importance is the same. As well as the necessary skills (hard ones and soft ones) to nail it.

But, why do we need confidence in the first place? Easy to answer. You need it to inspire trust, engage with your audience and establish your credibility.

“Cécile, confidence is easier said than done!”

I know that. Been there, done that.

Through my life experiences (I admit I’ve had more than my fair share of it…) & my work experience, I’ve realized that confidence comes from within.

Yes, good preparation and knowing your thing always contribute to your confidence.

However, deep in its foundation lie other things.

Knowing yourself.

If you don’t know yourself and what you like, what you are passionate about, your confidence will struggle.

Have you heard about authenticity? It’s more than a buzzword.

It’s about feeling and acting like yourself, with all your strengths and flaws, your passions and preferences.

That’s what famous German actress Diane Kruger said during her speech at the Zürich Film Festival a few days ago.

I was there & got so inspired by her words. For more on that, watch this.

Being resilient.

It comes from a term in physics. It’s the ability of a substance or object to spring back to shape; in other words, its elasticity.

Much like in physics, human resilience is about bouncing back, withstanding and recovering quickly from difficulties.

I take that one step further: I prefer “bouncing forward” and that’s the key message of my monumental TEDx talk.

Becoming resilient & bouncing forward (to your future better self rather than the past) can help you become more confident with public speaking, and in life in general.

You will know you can achieve more; that adversity is part of the game and a learning experience; that overcoming what you did wrong or what went wrong will only make you better & improve your growth potential.

But what happens when things go wrong? Why does confidence go away?

Well, it doesn’t have to go away. Don’t let it slip through your hands.

Unexpected things are more than likely to take place during your presentation or speech.

Here are some examples: too much noise, an anxious audience, equipment not working, time running out, a sore throat, [you name it]...

These are all distractions. They can and do take much of your focus away during those crucial 20 or so minutes.

What next? Focus gone? Try to refocus not by deciding to ignore those distractions, but by acknowledging their existence and impact.

“I wish there wasn't that noise in the room!”. Yes, that’s wishful thinking.

It exists, and the more you try to ignore it, the more it will hit back (and harder).

Make friends with adversity. Use a bit of humor to lift your and your audience’s spirits up. Still do your best given the circumstances.

Confidence won’t go away if you follow these tips.

For more on adversity & how to handle unexpected situations, watch this short video with #theRealCecile ‘s story (it’s true & fun as well).

That’s all from Cécile this week! See you soon!

In the meantime, remember that confidence is saying to yourself “I got my own back”!

Today’s keywords (Keep them in mind, process & work on them) : Confidence, resilience, authenticity