Speaking to groups of people, sharing your ideas, insights and expertise can be a peak experience if you open to be yourself fully in front of others.
I found myself humming the song “I Enjoy Being a Girl” yesterday. Who knows why that song was in my head? As I hummed, I began to think about how much fun it has become for me to speak to groups in the past few years. I enjoy being myself in front of others! What a joy to share my unconventional ideas about speaking, presenting and performing!
I wondered if I could offer a few tips for enjoying being yourself in front of others. I am making this up as I write, so here goes:
1. Feel love for yourself as you speak. Pray or meditate before you present and fill yourself up with love and appreciation for yourself, for all that you know and all that you have experienced in order to learn what you have to share.
2. Let the talk be a dance. Loosen your body with enough warming-up that you feel like you can dance. Let your body express freely as you talk. Don’t worry about what you look like, just move to express your passion.
3. Make real connection with your listeners as you speak. Reach your attention to one person at a time. Enjoy a conversation with each person you speak with. Have fun with each person, reveling in the shared connection.
4. Receive the flow of attention from the group. Take energy in from your listeners. If you pay attention, you will notice that their attention fills you us with energy that is palpable. Let it come into your body and support you.
5. Allow yourself to be an instrument through which Spirit can speak. Allow a higher power to fill you up with energy, love, light, presence. Let what you have to say to flow through you without it having to be perfect. Let yourself be used by Spirit.
I know this all might sound so strange to you! But it is really what you can experience if you allow yourself permission to do so. Just open up to it. Fear will transform into presence if you allow yourself to be yourself fully.
If any of this sounds like what you have been looking to do and be, consider coming to a workshop Transform Stage Fright into Authentic Presence. I love to guide people to speak from this zone of presence!
