Dreaming about Speaking from the Stage

There was a time in my life that if someone had suggested to me that I would be involved in a public speaking career, I would have told them that this would be impossible.  There was no way I was going to speak in  public!

And then it happened! I accepted a position as a nurse to work in what was then called Reproductive Health. After about a month into the job, we were told that we had our first speaking engagement. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest!

You see, I never, ever saw myself as a public speaker and now I was told that this was exactly what I would be doing in my new job and not only that, I would be talking about sexuality!

I had a decision to make! I could stay and push through my comfort zone or I could simple go back to my high stress job in the operating room that included shift work.  There really was no decision at that time.

The one thing I learned is that “ Preparation is Key”. The nurse that worked with me and I did our homework and created a pretty good presentation that we delivered to 60 parents at a local school. They loved what we presented and that first year, I spoke 110 times and 99 the second year. Once I got started speaking there was no stopping.

It was so need satisfying to add value to the people and in turn receive the appreciation from our audience.  I never ever had a dream about speaking from the stage but I guess there was a hidden talent within me that wanted me to speak on stage.

Today, I speak from the heart and I am always focused on delivering the best I can to my audience. I am told over and over that they like the way I speak, using real life stories!  Are you dreaming about public speaking? Have you considered hiring a speaker coach?

www.monctonrealitytherapy.com

mo@maureencraigmcintosh.com

Maureen has been teaching this ideas for over 35 years. She is a Senior Faculty Member with William Glasser International, A Licensed Counselling Therapist and Certified Personal and Executive Coach.