Publicly Speaking
About a year and a half ago, I decided it was time for me to address my issues with public speaking. I don’t know of a more important skill to possess, and yet I was woefully undertrained. Throughout my career I have had lots of opportunities to speak in front of people, whether it was my team at work, or even to a room full of people at a conference. I never enjoyed it. I wasn’t very good at it. Something needed to change.
My options at the time were to join a Toastmasters group or find someone to help me. As I was considering my options, I met Alan Hoffler. Alan is the CEO of Millswyck Communications, a professional speaker training company here in Raleigh, NC. Alan and I met for other reasons, but I really liked his energy and how he presented himself. I wanted some of what he had.
Alan teaches an introductory two-day workshop called “Powerful, Persuasive Speaking.” It is not cheap. I remember it being somewhere around $900 for the two days. At the time I was running my own company, and this was a big pill to swallow. I also knew that if I spent real money on something, I would take it more seriously. After talking to a few references, I decided to take the plunge.
The two-day class made me very uncomfortable. Every new topic was a struggle. Every new thing to remember seemed robotic and rehearsed. I still hated being up in front of people. Alan records every speech you give during the class and provides both written and real-time feedback as you are speaking. He also asks everyone else in the class to provide feedback. There is nothing quite like standing in front of a group of people and being critiqued on both the mechanics and the substance of what was just presented. Don’t get me wrong. It was all very constructive and done in a warm, engaging fashion. It didn’t make it any easier to hear how poorly I was doing.
As we gave speeches over those couple of days. I started to notice that the things I came in with were disappearing. I wasn’t using filler words like “um” and “uh.” I was engaging with the audience. I was able to understand when to pause and when to keep going. I knew when to move around and when to stand still. I was gaining a ton of confidence. I actually started to believe I could do this, and it wasn’t fluff. I could sit down and watch the progression myself using my videos.
I left the class full of energy. I had this nailed. I then proceeded to not use the skills I had learned at all for about nine months (with the exception of my podcast).
In the spring of this year, an opportunity presented itself for me to speak in front of about 250 people at a conference. I had to talk for about 15-20 minutes. I had never done anything close to this before, but I knew I had to say yes. I knew this was the time to slay my dragon. I called Alan and asked (more like begged) him for help.
Over the next couple of months, Alan helped me prepare the content and the delivery. He was unbelievably gracious with his time and energy when I needed it most. I went on to have a great time at the event.
I now am a member of a high-octane Toastmasters group here in Raleigh, which Alan also introduced me to. Everyone in the group speaks for a living. I am out of my league, which is just how I like it. I am constantly challenged to get better by people who don’t hold back in their critiques. I see amazingly talented people speak every week and come away energized.
Speaking in front of people is a high-wire act. There is no net. If you suck or screw up, the feedback is immediate. This used to induce fear and anxiety. Now I love the rush. I still have plenty of nerves, but it’s a different ball game now.
Alan Hoffler and Millswyck literally changed my life. There aren’t many people or organizations I can say that about. He remains a great friend and someone who I have tremendous respect for. If you live in Raleigh, or even if you don’t, I commend his classes to you. He is, for my money, the best there is.
The point of this post is not to tell you how great a public speaker I am. I still bumble through it and have a long ways to go. The point is that you are never too old or too far along to make a change or get better at something. Maybe for you it’s not public speaking, but there is something.
So, right now, go and do that.