Whether public speaking is a key goal for you, or whether you’d just like to feel more confident every time you make a sales call, presentation is a huge part of being in business. That’s why I was excited to go behind-the-scenes with Michael Port for the Profit. Power. Pursuit. podcast.
Michael’s recently released his latest book, Steal the Show, and he’s been teaching and talking about presentation and public speaking all over the country.
Public speaking is a huge part of my business and life. I love stepping on stage, sharing my ideas, and wowing an audience. It’s also one of my best sources for new clients. So this opportunity to pick Michael’s brain was especially enticing.
Here are 3 key insights I took away from our conversation:
1) People who really care get nervous.
I asked Michael about impostor complex and he replied that people who really care about their ideas, their audiences, and the quality of the work they do get nervous. If you don’t care, you’ll find a way to be completely confident. But, if you are invested in what you’re doing, you’ll always try to make it better and reach deeper.
Always trying to be better and connect more deeply makes you nervous. Don’t be afraid of it, embrace it and work through it.
2) Good performance is about authentic behavior in a manufactured environment.
You practice public speaking and polish your presentation so that you can be more of yourself in a strange situation. When you know your lines, gestures, and stage positions, you have more flexibility–not less.
Similarly, you don’t practice to become something you’re not. Your practice to prepare for the environment. You’re not becoming a character, you’re becoming more of yourself.
3) Our ideas are only as good as our audience’s ability to consume them.
I had to repeat this one when Michael said it. It’s what I work on with clients all the time.
If people can’t connect with what you’re sharing, if they can’t integrate the knowledge you’re offering with their own experience, you might as well not be sharing it in the first place!
To get the full story on these insights and so much more, listen to Michael Port’s episode of Profit. Power. Pursuit. Click here to listen on iTunes.
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