From Nervous Beginnings…

I gave my first speech in fourth grade in a 4-H Club competition. Held in the basement of a church in rural Kentucky, dozens of overly dressed ten-year-olds sweated through the heat of the day – unsure if the perspiration was from the actual temperature or nerves.

My speech was persuasive—on why Himalayans were the best kind of cat. Don’t ask me why. The source of my inspiration faded long ago.

But I do remember preparing. I painstakingly copied my words onto notecards, practicing in front of the mirror, in front of my parents, and in front of my little brother (who was painfully uncooperative). For days, the anticipation of the competition was my constant soundtrack, and it felt like preparing was the only thing I could do to temper my anxiety.

Then it arrived. The judges, with pens poised to take notes and circle numbers down a rubric from one to five for categories like topic, content, manner, voice, and composition.

I don’t remember a single moment of giving the actual speech. I’m pretty sure I blacked out. But, clearly, I survived. And I got a pink ribbon, which I think is 5th place.

…To Confident Presentations

There is a lot of data out there about people’s attitudes toward public speaking. The most commonly cited number states that 75% of people worldwide fear it. Yet the ability to communicate to groups of people clearly and with confidence is a necessary skill set in today’s workplace.

Thankfully, I’ve come a long way since that hot church basement. Often when I facilitate, I’m asked how I learned to be so at ease in front of large groups of people. It’s been a journey full of varied experiences, but mostly, it's from doing it a lot, then getting feedback and doing it again. And again. And yes, again.

However, when your job isn’t to talk to groups of people frequently, long periods of time between presentations deny you the benefit of repeated revs and immediately actionable feedback.

This presents a challenge. Because the best way to get better at presenting is, well, presenting.

A Learning Program for Unlocking the Art of Compelling Presentations

This August, our team at Experience Institute is running our first-ever open-enrollment program for employees at our partner organizations. The program consists of three highly interactive virtual workshops, progressing from story structure to communicating with authority to engaging and connecting with an audience. Two coaching sessions—one in a small group and one 1:1—will afford participants extra practice and personalized feedback.

The series will culminate with a low-stakes, supportive opportunity to take the stage in front of peers and Ei facilitators.

The last time we ran this series for a client, we were floored by the progress participants made from session 1 to session 5. And we weren't the only ones to notice it:

• 100% of participants said they were impressed by how much their colleagues' pitches improved over the course of the program
• 94% said the series was worth the time they invested in it

Turns out, growth is pretty energizing!

29th Gift: A Chance to Join Us

This month, as we gear up for the back-to-school season, we thought it apropos to open a seat in this program to our Wednesday Words community. If you’re reading this and you want to crawl under your bed from the idea of joining, this series is for you! It’s also for you if you already feel comfortable with public speaking but want to take your skills to the next level.

All you need to do is enter your information here by Monday, July 29th, and we’ll randomly select one person to join us for a comped seat.

I don’t talk a lot about Himalayan cats these days, but that’s only the beginning of what’s different from my first experience presenting to now. Growth takes practice, and whether it’s with us or by seeking out your own opportunities, we hope you embark on a path to learning to speak with greater confidence and a whole lot less anxiety.