Being an Excellent Speaker

The sad truth is that excellence makes people nervous.

- Shana Alexander

What is Excellence in Speaking?

Excellence in speaking is being so good, that everyone in the room wants you to speak as much as possible. An excellent speaker is alive with energy, has fully internalized their speech, and captivates and motivates an audience to action. Without gimmicks, without a sales pitch, and without having to be "perfect", an excellent speaker gets us thinking about our life and how we can live it differently.

On Becoming Excellent

I have mentored and coached speakers ranging from professional trainers and presenters to people who have been scared to death of speaking in front of an audience. The trainers and presenters are similar; they are usually good but they want to be great. The people scared of speaking are usually bad, but they know that it is a fear to be conquered.

After six months of similar practice, both the professional and the neophyte can have the same level of speaking ability. The reality of speaking is that it does not take much practice to become a good speaker. For me, after just six months of Toastmasters, people would tell me that I should become a professional speaker. That I, "have what it takes." However, they did not watch the tapes.

After watching the video tapes of my speeches, I realized that yes, I was good but I was not great. While my presentations might have impressed a group of Toastmasters, I did not have the content, the connection, and the sparkle that separated good from great. That gap is what most people don't appreciate, other fear, and many more don't understand the amount of work it takes to cross.

Why Would Someone Fear Excellence?

A fear of excellence can come from a fear of standing out, a fear of failure, or a fear of change. Self improvement junkies like me want to cross that gap, want to get better, and want to make a difference. Many people are not like me. There are many speakers in this world that don't want to make a big splash, so they allow that fear to take hold. Those are the ones that do just enough to get good, but don't cross over to excellence.

How do I Conquer the Fear and Allow Excellence?

There are two keys to conquering the fear and allowing you to become excellent. The first is to admit that you have room for improvement and second is to focus on the steps it takes to become excellent. Let's talk about each of those in a little detail.

Admitting a Need for Improvement

Admitting that I am only good is something that I struggled with for a long time. Early on in my speaking, many people would tell me I should be a professional speaker. Needless to say, I let that go to my head. Thinking you are great when you are only good is a surefire way to stay stuck at just good.

To overcome this, videotape yourself giving speeches to an audience. The tough part is then watching them as a dispassionate observer and realizing that you are not as good as you thought. When you start doing this, you will notice what needs corrected and you will be able to put those corrections into action. Doing this forces you to get better as a speaker.

Focus on Becoming Excellent

Becoming excellent as a speaker is not as easy as saying you will be better. Becoming an excellent speaker is devotion to both the techniques of speaking and the development of excellent content. There are many speakers in this business that are either excellent speakers or excellent content producers. There are very few speakers that can do both. If you focus, day by day at improving your content and becoming a better speaker, you will move towards excellence.

The Path to Excellence in Speaking

The path to speaking excellence is not a day hike through an idyllic wonderland. Obtaining speaking excellence will require hard work, steady determination, and a dose of professional feedback. If that is something you seek, then attend and participate in as many Toastmasters meetings as possible, continually improve through study, and attend seminars and workshops that will coach you to speak better. It is not going to be an overnight transformation, but your continual dedication to self improvement will pay off. You just have to give it time and don't fear it happening.

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