Finding Confidence As A Motivational Speaker

Last updated on January 23rd, 2019 at 10:40 am

Finding The Confidence Needed To Be A Motivational Speaker

Putting yourself up there on a stage in front of any group takes a lot of courage, even when you know what you’re doing. Speakers are expected to perform and are evaluated on their performance by an entire audience with a long list of expectations. Public speaking is still one of the top five most popular fears.  Women seem to carry around an extra helping of fear and low self-esteem when it comes to speaking on a stage. Even when you’ve been speaking as long as I have, there are new fears every day. So today I have put together a list of ways to help you build your confidence as a motivational speaker.

1. Know that fear is normal. It’s part of the process. Accept it. Embrace it. Acknowledge that it will always exist.

2. Be prepared. Spend hours and hours preparing and practicing your craft over and over. Confidence builds the more you know what you have to say.

3. Believe that you deserve to be standing in that spotlight. You have as much right to do this as anyone else. If you are called to speak, then you are called to speak.

4. Try not to compare yourself to other speakers. It’s not about being better, or being the best. It’s about giving that audience your best. Focus on that.

5. Remember that you’re only trying to appeal to the majority. There will always be the haters, and the ones you can’t please. Your goal is to please 80% of that group. If you do that, you can ignore the others.

6. Just be you. I know that saying is quite cliché. But it’s true. Don’t get up on that stage and try to be anybody else but you. I want to hear from the you that I would hear from if we were sitting together curled up on your couch in our PJs. I don’t want a brushed up polished fake version of you. I just want you.

7. Remember that your story matters to the one who needs to hear it. Don’t feel like yours isn’t as fancy, or as exciting. There is someone in your audience who is sitting exactly where you have been, waiting for your story because it’s the only one they can relate to.

8. At the end of the day, it was just a speech. That’s all. Just a little speech. Whether you rocked the world or bombed, they will all forget about you by tomorrow and be on to something else. Yes, we can change lives, but when all is said and done, we take our paycheck and go home. We’re not miracle workers, we’re just speakers.

9. And last, but not least, remember that confidence isn’t something you wait to feel. Confidence is a choice. It’s a choice to jump even though you’re scared to death. But that’s the only way you can fly.

(If I can find the courage to get on a stage and make faces like this……….you can too.) I’m happy we’re jumping together.

As with most things in life, courage shows up when you need it. Don’t wait until you feel brave. Just jump. Bravery will follow.