Sometimes the biggest enemy to our personal or professional success is ourselves. That’s right, us. You and me. We all have an inner voices that can be our harshest critics or our greatest supporters.

When it comes to public speaking, turn down your personal critic and be open to making mistakes. We’re human and mistakes happens. All the time. It’s acknowledging mistakes in a humble way that makes a great speaker; not ignoring mistakes and skipping over them altogether.

And what can go wrong in a live setting? Hmmm, only, you know… everything.

You might deliver the sharpest, funniest and most succinct speech BUT the audio was faulty and the people at the back couldn’t hear you; or the lights were too low and the audience couldn’t see your facial expressions for full impact; or there was a baby crying during the most poignant part of your heartwarming story.

And that’s just a few examples of mistakes from the outside. What about you? What if you feel so stressed and so anxious, with all of the eyes in the room gazing at you, that you stumble over your words or you drop the microphone because it’s too much pressure being the centre of attention? Do you know what that means? That means you’re human. Mistakes happen. If we set our bar of expectations too high, then it just means we have further to fall, doesn’t it? Perfection is subjective and therefore, by all standards, unachievable.

My advice for you is:

Don’t be afraid of making mistakes on stage. Embrace the lessons they bring because they will propel your speaking and presenting skills.

Do you want to learn how to plan and prepare for success in all circumstances? Join my next Communicate With Confidence Workshop!

– Jordana Borensztajn

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