So YOU want to be a Public Speaker?

YOU BETTER HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR

By: Cathy Droz

Do you want to be a speaker??You have something to share that will help the audience??Do you have a product or service you wish to sell “from the stage?”?Are you a motivational person like Tony Robbins or TEDx Brene Brown or do you just want the confidence to speak in front of the PTO at your child’s school?

If you knew me as a kid, I would be the last person you would expect to be comfortable speaking to one person, no less than 500. ?I was so shy and insecure about my looks, by permed hair, my freckles, chipped tooth and standing in front of a classroom of my peers.

I went to catholic school and one of the rules enforced by the nuns, was standing up at your desk to answer or ask a question. I barely raised my hand out of fear.?It wasn’t until public school in Jr. High that I realized I could raise my hand and stay seated.

What did I do to overcome my fear of speaking in public?

A.?????I started small – My boxer dog became my best audience. I also learned, because of her, how to handle people getting up and leaving in the middle of my speech.??

B.?????I found a subject I was passionate about and practiced with my family at Sunday dinner (Mom, Dad, and older brother). My older brother, like the dog, would get up and leave sometimes.

C.?????I am very honest and that comforts me from the fear of making a mistake or feeling embarrassed.

D.?????I became a trade show spokesperson where I was speaking on behalf of the product or service at the booth and not myself.?However, you are always selling yourself.

E.??????I took acting lessons at the local children’s theater (I was 43 years old).

F.??????I wrote a training program for the automotive industry and spoke in front of auto dealer personnel. I saw the numbers growing slowly from one pet to 15 humans to 50 to 300.

G.?????My volunteer board positions required me to lead and in doing so speaking with purpose became my passion. In my roles I encouraged more women to get up and speak.

Best Experience – Keynote for Awards Dinner for LifeLock (security) now Norton – The President (just featured on the Apprentice ) flew in to Arizona 300 key employees to be motivated by a speech on spark plugs.?In the middle of my presentation, the audio/visual equipment went haywire.?But like they say, the show must go on. I hadn’t memorized my power point but went on to tell a personal story, kicking off my high heels and walking about the venue giving examples of the value of spark plugs. ?Learning how to improvise is a big part of speaking. People thought it was all planned and I got a standing ovation.

Funniest Experience – I was scheduled to speak at a trade show for American Automobile Association (AAA). My subject was best vehicles for traveling that year.?Prior to my talk, about 200 folks had gathered around a TV newscaster everyone loved.?As the room emptied and I planned to prepare the stage for my topic, I noticed that no one returned and it was way past my scheduled start time, which had been advertised and posted in advance.?Finally, ten people rolled in and sat but no more than five minutes into my talk, five left.?I started to improvise and review my test drives bringing up hot cars and hot flashes as a joke.?Now all but one was left.?This man was really listening to me, and I was thrilled. ?I was surely getting through to him about the best car for him. I finished, and asked if there were any questions. He raised his hand and as I was ready to discuss vehicle travel, he asked, “can I have the name of your menopause doctor because my wife is going through it and driving me crazy.”

Speaking can be fun, you can get paid, make a difference or simply entertain, and you can start at any age.

?????????????????????Yes! I gave him the name of my doctor…?