Your Invitation for Strictly Come…..Speaking

There are all sorts of reasons why you might need to be speaking more. And I mean in a business context here – not just chatting to your mates. Perhaps you have recently been promoted to asked to do more presentations at work. You might have embarked on a career in sales. Perhaps you recently started a business or a side hustle, or you want to – and you know that getting up there on stage or in front of a camera is the best way to get your message out.

But it freaks you out.

You would not be alone. According to physcom.net:

Glossophobia, or a fear of public speaking, is a very common phobia and one that is believed to affect?up to 75% of the population. Some individuals may feel a slight nervousness at the very thought of public speaking, while others experience full-on panic and fear.

Because of that, anyone who CAN stand up in front of others, confidently and engagingly, immediately has positioning. What do I mean by that?

Well, if you see someone speak in front of a bunch of people, you immediately believe they are an expert, right?

I mean no-one is going to invite someone to speak on stage who knows nothing about the subject they are talking about. Even if it’s their own event – the same subconscious belief is there – that no-one is going to stand up in front of people – which is a HORRIFICALLY SCARY thing to do in the eyes of most people – if they don’t know what they are talking about.

Ergo – speakers are experts. (I know – look at me quoting Latin words. I must be an expert hey? Actually, when it comes to public speaking and training others to craft their message – I am.)

Of course, as soon as the speaker starts speaking, and especially if they are using ‘death by PowerPoint’, they can soon dispel the idea of being an expert. If you are boring, or reading off bullet pointed slides that the audience can’t see because there is too much wording on it, then your positioning goes down somewhat. But it is usually still higher than the audience.

But if you can WOW the audience, if you can tell stories and make them feel, if you can take them on a journey – then you have it cracked. Maya Angelou said words to the effect of – they won’t remember what you said or what you did, but they will always remember how you made them feel.

And that is the true skill of professional public speaking.

Now would you agree, that in life there are different horses for different courses? There are horses that are better on the flat, or in the wet or dry. Well, in the world of public speaking, there are many training courses. Most of them ignore one very vital aspect.

Without this you can create the best presentation ever, have the most imaginative slides, have incredible quotes and stories, and know exactly what to say – and it will all be for nothing. What am I talking about – I am, of course, referring to the ability to not only conquer your fear, but to actually turn that into excitement. To turn something you might have seen as something to be endured in a “I know I need to learn how to do this but I really don’t want to”, into “I can’t wait to get on stage and share my message”.

Now the ladies who came to my recent WHYs Words event, learnt that key skill. Were they still nervous? Of course! If something is important to you, and you are passionate about doing your best, then you are going to be a little nervous. But were they also raring to go, to get up and share their message? You bet they were.

And so it made me think.

At the Find Your WHY Foundation, we help people find their WHY, Live their WHY and ultimately Share Their WHY. But there are many other circumstances where women might need to be able to speak – not just about their WHY.

For example, a presentation to a board of directors, or to potential new clients. Perhaps you might need to give a speech at a wedding, funeral or other important family / friends event. Maybe you have been asked to speak to children at your child’s school, or in church. Possibly you have an opportunity to be interviewed on a podcast or radio station.

Whatever the reason, you need to be able to craft a compelling story, argument, presentation, and deliver it with confidence, passion and energy.

Heading into a possible recession, it has never been a more important skill for small business owners to master.

And so, on the 4th September I will be holding a one day event, Strictly Come Speaking, where I will be sharing some skills that you can implement straight away to become a (better) speaker.

And don’t worry – you don’t need an amazing/terrifying/heart wrenching story to be a compelling public speaker. I know, that’s what you thought. You see the Motivational Speakers who have overcome life threatening situations, or achieved something most people can only dream of, and you think – well if I had a story like that then it would be easy to be a great speaker.

But here’s the thing.

Yes, there is always a space for those stories, and they do inspire people. But most people may not want to go climb Everest. Those speakers need to be careful to relate their experiences to everyday life, as they don’t want people to think – “WOW, he is amazing, but I could never do that”.

What your average audience member is looking for is someone they can relate to, someone who knows how they feel and has been where they are. Someone who can show them the way, who is within their reach if they just push their comfort zone out of the way.

10 years ago, I was the person sitting in the audience, wanting to do more, be more, have more in my life. I didn’t know what that was – but I knew there was something missing. Because of someone I saw on stage, and because of something they said, my life changed forever. And now I do what I do, helping thousands of women, and men, to get clarity around their message, craft it into an amazing presentation, and impact many many thousands of lives.

The person I was listening to hadn’t done anything amazing – he hadn’t run 20 Iron mans, or gone to the moon, or invented anything, or overcome a near death experience. None of those ‘big moments’. He had faced the same sort of challenges many of us face: problems at work; mental health challenges in the family; self doubt. And I felt that he GOT me. He understood where I was, had been there, and had an answer.

And if you feel that way, if you feel that I might be the person who finally understands you, and can help you craft your message and deliver it powerfully, as I have with thousands of others, then I would invite you to pencil in the 4th September into your diary. And to email me for more details on?[email protected]

See you there!

Cheryl xx?

PS – The genetic blueprint really helps with understanding who you are and what you are here to do – fill in this 2-minute questionnaire and I will send you your own ‘genetic blueprint’ which will help you understand yourself so you can begin to find your why!?You will find it?here .??

PPS – If the link doesn’t work for any reason (sometimes technology has a bad day) then email me on?[email protected] ?and I will sort it out for you!?

PPPS – If you liked this newsletter and want to read more surrounding female empowerment, you can find last week’s blog here: ‘Imperfect Action ‘

“I’m on a global mission to help 10 million disheartened souls, who are at a crossroads, to STOP asking why me? And START saying why not me!”?