Over this last week, I've been working on a speech that I'm presenting to a tech association next month.
In the past, I would have written my speech and re-read it again and again, hoping that it would help me when I would take the stage. It never worked because I would fumble over my words and forget key points when I was in the spotlight.
I knew I needed help, so I started working with Keith Bailey, a public speaking coach, back in 2019, who helped me transform my public speaking through storytelling.
Instead of writing detailed speeches on paper, I learned to practice my stories aloud and write one-word associations to help me remember my key points.
Now when I practice my speeches, I record my stories on my phone to listen to them. This helps me decide what to cut out, what needs to be added in, and the changes I need to make to make them flow.
I will tell you, shifting from writing detailed speeches to practicing them with one-word associations makes taking the stage a lot less stressful because there's no memorization required, just the need to touch upon key points.
I still get nervous at the beginning of a speech, but it quickly wears away because I've practiced and feel confident in what I'm going to say.
The tools Keith taught me are so awesome, I asked him to collaborate on creating a job interviewing course.
We made this FREE mini course, Master Storytelling for Job Interviews, that I wanted to share with you. The goal of the course is to help you search for the best story, shape it so that it's memorable, and share it aloud so that you connect with your interviewer. If you're looking for support with your job interview, or to learn public speaking tips, check it out. I'm proud of it.
If you watch the mini course, let me know what you think. One of the best ways to improve any presentation is to share it, receive feedback, and make some tweaks. Thanks everyone!