Thursday night during the closing session of our Winter Toastmasters Leadership Institute, I was singled out by the 2001 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking Darren LaCroix as someone who wanted to improve. In an instant, everyone in the room knew that I had been working with Darren, Patricia Fripp, and other World Champions to improve my speaking abilities. For better or worse, I was put into the spotlight that night and I felt that while some of the people in the room supported what I was doing, others focused a poisonous vitriol at my appearance.
I am going to make some of you very angry right now.
If you want to be a better speaker, if you want to win the World Championship, or you want to go “pro”…just going to Toastmasters for one week or twenty years is not going to get you there. Standing in front of the same people for twenty years making the same mistakes is not going to get you any closer to your goal. If you really want to get good, then you are going to have to do what I have done and get help.
One of the problems is the common belief that just showing up is half the battle, but just showing up is not going to make you a better speaker. Just showing up is what many of us do at work and at play everyday, but out of the millions of people that do what you do, how many are so good that you would call them an expert?
The answer is very few people are experts at speaking or any other pursuits. So what separates the expert speakers from the rest of us?
The experts do what you won’t do to get good. They practice, they get a coach (or multiple coaches), and most importantly…they follow their coach’s advice. So if your coach tells you to practice giving your speech, videotape your speech, and then watch it…do you do that?
Current research into high performance would say no, most people don’t follow their coach’s advice; they don’t practice correctly or take the steps that improve their abilities in their endeavors.
If you can now admit to yourself that need help to improve you’re speaking, then contact Lisa . If you want to be more competitive or know what it takes to go “pro”, then work with the World Champions.
Because just showing up is not getting you where you want to be.
About the Author: My Toastmasters Blog is written and edited by Chris Elliott, the founder of the young professional coaching site Young Profit Pros. Chris enjoys using his knowledge and experiences during his speaking engagements, workshops, consulting projects, and one-on-one coaching sessions. The result—connecting people and empowering change. If you would like information on how you can bring Chris to speak to your next meeting, please download Chris' one sheet or contact him by clicking here.
Chris, thank you for the plug! And of course, I couldn’t agree with you more. Staying in your comfort zone will never propel you to excellence. Only by pushing yourself through discomfort will you improve and grow as a speaker. Great post!