Ever since I was young, quite young in fact, my parents have put my siblings and I in front of audiences. I still remember being around 4 or 5 years old and doing some balancing routine with my dad in the gym at Wood Jr. College in Mississippi in front of a bunch of people. My dad taught Biology and Gymnastics there, and even had a road show.
My mom was more into the musical and theater aspects of performance. My siblings and I did multiple specials for church. We tried out for the school musicals and plays, played instument and sang solos for school competitions. My mom even put together a Vaughan Family Variety Show for my Grandma’s retirement from her position as Church Secretary.
This was all part of normal life for us, and we learned to embrace and even enjoy being on stage. So when I heard that public speaking was feared be many people, even more than death, I was rather shocked. I mean, didn’t everybody perform on stage? Apparently not.
I have since become a Speech and Debate Coach, and help train others in public speaking and debate. In my 15 years of doing this, my club has seen some good success, but more importantly, I have seen a good number of kids go from extreme fear to almost comfortable speaking in front of people. I have also helped pastor a church, taught Sunday School, given seminars, workshops, and have been an MC at awards ceremonies. I am at home on the stage.
There is a little bit of a downside to this though. I think it’s similar to me also being a nurse and watching a movie in which there are nurses. I’m sure it’s the same with any profession. You watch them more critically, and list in your mind all the things they are doing wrong.
I do this now with people speaking in public. I find myself evaluating their speech content, presentation skills, and rhetoric. I think it’s an automatic response at this point. If they are good speakers, I can sit back and really enjoy their talk, and I look for things I might even improve on for myself.
If they aren’t so good, I find it much more difficult. But that’s with pretty much everything in life, especially if you have some extra knowledge on how things work in your field of expertise. You likely find yourself saying, “No one would do that!”
All this to say, if you are called to speak in public on a regular or even a semi-regular basis, and you want your message to be heard and remembered, I can help. I offer private or even group coaching in speech writing and presentation skills. I can also do a short weekend workshop on a Friday evening and Saturday. I teach presentation, speech writing, and the art of persuasion, or rhetoric.
This is for pastors, elders, business people, teachers, students, anyone who finds it part of their life to get up and speak in front of people. There are good methods and practices that will help. Even if you aren’t going to do this full-time, everyone can improve their public speaking skills.
I mean, who knows, you may be called on to give the next sermon at your church, the next talk at the employee meeting, or a speech in a tournament. Want to do this well? Contact me today.
I love speaking. I love being on stage. My dream is to get up in front of 10,000+ people and hear them laugh at something I said, and get the point of an impact I’ve made. To have their lives touched or changed by something I communicated. There is power in the spoken word. I can help you harness that power.
Interested? Shoot me an email at steven@co-inspire.biz. We can set up a free 20 minute call to see if what I have to offer is something you might need. If not, no problem. But if you are in line to speak somewhere, this program could go a long way in getting those butterflies in your stomach flying in formation.