Are You in Love With Your Speech?

I’m driving home after giving a speech at a big conference. I’m feeling down.

Have you ever felt frustrated, but not known why?

I’m thinking, “I didn’t connect with the audience. They were polite, but something was missing. What was it?

This question played over and over in my head for an hour when it hit me…

“I know why! I wasn’t in love with this speech.”  

I like the stories I told and the message they support. But, I no longer feel the impact they once had.

Five years earlier, they’d given me insights which I needed during a difficult time. But, for my latest version, I had labored over preparation. The previous two weeks wear a struggle to put finishing touches on the speech.

When a presentation becomes laborious, your passion for it can disappear.

BINGO!  I knew why the speech didn’t “hit the mark.”

I wasn’t in love!

How Do You Fall Out Of Love?

There’s a big challenge facing leaders, salespeople, and professional speakers:

Getting bored with your material.

When you present the same topic, over and over and over, there’s a risk this will occur.

The other challenge is the message in your story does not have the same impact as it once did.

This is what happened to me in the situation above.

It’s natural for you to experience these emotions. The risk to the audience is that you’ll not bring energy nor enthusiasm for your topic. They’re cheated out of the benefit they could’ve received.

How Do You Fall Back In Love With Your Material?

Don’t spend time and energy changing your material until you answer this question:

Is this still important to me?

If it isn’t, do yourself and future audiences a favor – ditch it. You have plenty of other material to use.

If you still enjoy the subject, consider the following to re-energize your material:

Evaluate the stories you’re using to support your main message. Are they outdated? Could you use newer, fresher stories to support it?

Review the flow of your presentation. A different type of opening will create more interest and energy.

If you’ve been opening with a question, consider jumping right into a story.

If you’ve been opening with a story, consider opening with a statistic or fact relevant to that story.

Review your stories. Are you delivering them only in narration mode? Where could you include dialogue? (Consider the three types: internal dialogue, dialogue between characters, or projected dialogue)

Review your material and ask yourself, “Where can I include check ins?” These are asides where you step out of your presentation and ask your listeners a question or make a side point.

There are other actions you can take, but these four are an excellent start.

The Benefits Of This Activity

If you give a presentation enough times, you run the risk of falling out of love with your material.

This doesn’t mean you have to abandon it.

Be willing to ask yourself the question above to determine if you still care about this topic.

If you do, use the four tips to change up your material. This will make it fresh for you. You’ll feel more energy and enthusiasm. Your listeners will receive the benefit of a new and fresh message.

Do this, and you might fall back in love with your speeches and stories.

What are other ideas you have to help people fall back in love with their presentations?

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Having trouble reconnecting with your speech story?

If you’re struggling to see your speeches or story in a new light, that’s not unusual. Every person — even coaches — struggle to see the value or potential of their stories and experiences. We’re too close to them.

Even world-class speakers have coaches to help them see the gold in their stories.

If you’d like to talk with Michael and get a fresh perspective on your material, schedule a 20-minute call to determine how he can help you.

Schedule your no-cost & no-obligation ZOOM call: https://calendly.com/speaker017/20-minute-call

How To Fall In Love (Again) With Your Speech Or Story ultima modifica: 2023-01-18T11:00:52-05:00 da Michael Davis