When Speaking In Public, You Just Gotta Have Fun
When it comes to speaking in public, let your sense of fun lead the way. So often when we prepare to give a speech we work so hard at trying to create something brilliant that we forget to add a hearty dose of fun. And maybe, dare I say it, even a little silliness.
What would happen if you let fun be your first priority when creating and giving your speech? Sure, you have points to make, a message to deliver, but what if those were secondary to your intention to have a blast when delivering those points and that message?
Now, before you poo-poo this idea, consider this. When you connect to what is fun and enjoyable for you, you connect to your creativity, your aliveness AND your natural confidence in who you are. When you allow yourself to play and have fun, there is an energy that surges through you to carry you to where you want to go.
And when you allow yourself to have fun, your audience will find you irresistible. Even if they could care less about what you are saying, they will be magnetically drawn to you, to all that playful energy.
Now, some of you may be saying, “But I’m talking about serious things here. I can’t be having fun!” That’s just not true. You don’t have to be silly and irreverent to have fun. It’s all about enjoying yourself to the maximum and allowing a playful, creative energy to be present no matter what you are talking about.
If you are still tripping on the “fun” word, let me ask you a different question: how can you create an experience that you thoroughly enjoy?
One of my clients gives presentations at industry conferences. The material is dry. The format is dictated by the rules and guidelines of the conference management. It’s a hard environment in which to imagine having a rip-roaring bit of fun when so much of what you are allowed to do is restricted by all these rules.
Nevertheless, I told my client, “Just imagine there are no rules, no guidelines, no restrictions. Just for now, imagine this is so. How can you create a presentation that would be outrageously fun for you?”
Starting from this intention to have fun, my client was able to create a playful, slightly zany way to present his rather dry material and still stay within the regulations of the conference. And because he called upon his own inner resources of what would be fun for him, rather than me telling him what I thought would be fun, he created something he could do with a natural confidence and ease. As a result, he was the star of the conference and his self-confidence soared to an all-time high.
Go for the fun! Start with the intention to create an experience that is totally delightful for you and see what happens. You may find yourself inspired to all sorts of ideas that you never allowed yourself to think before. Just remember, it has to be fun for YOU. What other speakers do may not work for you and you won’t feel comfortable. Just ask yourself, “How can I make this outrageously fun and enjoyable for me?”
If you’d like to find out how you can have a blast every time you speak in public, sign up for my free monthly e-zine, Becoming Fearless here: http://www.unconditionalconfidence.com
You can also learn the three power tools for feeling confident and creating a magnetic connection in all your communications with the “Engage Your Audience” CD.
Nancy Tierney liberates entrepreneurs from their fear of public speaking and moves them into a new experience of speaking with confidence, clarity and their own kind of charisma. You can discover more on how to speak or perform with complete confidence by going to: http://www.unconditionalconfidence.com
Tags: confident public speaking, fear of public speaking, Nancy Tierney, public speaking tip, speaking anxiety