Ed Skurka  DTM

In his famous book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie stresses the power and benefits of, “stretching your comfort zone.”  Taking action on this wisdom is a challenge that many of us are uncomfortable doing.  We may not be happy with the status quo, but we fear taking action that we are unfamiliar with.  “I can’t,” is the number one instant road block to progress and improvement because this thinking stops the mind cold.  We shut out the possibility of trying because we might feel uncomfortable, we might fail, what will people think?  If we never change this attitude, how can we ever improve anything?

For most of us, the skillset of public speaking is one area of our lives where this “I ’can’t” attitude has paralyzed us for years.  Some of us carry this attitude from primary school when we first experienced that ‘fear of public speaking’ feeling.  You know, the infamous butterflies, the anxiety, the nervousness and the dread.  We have all felt it at some point and to some degree.  Too many of us have given into the fear. We never want to feel that way again.  We avoid any public speaking situations, from presentations and reports at work (or school) to giving a toast at a friend’s wedding or a eulogy at a loved one’s funeral.  We want to avoid the situation instead of confidently taking on the opportunity.

So many won’t develop this valuable life changing, career enhancing skillset simply because we say we can’t.  In fact, we can.  Anyone can.  Just like any other skill set, from academic skills, to artistic, sport or business skills, the skillset of public speaking can be learned and developed.  The fear can be changed to confidence.  It simply takes a change of attitude – and action.  We must stretch our comfort zones.

The change of attitude opens the mind to the possibility of, “I can”.  The action starts the process, just like we learn any other skill.  You can not learn to swim without getting wet.  All the books and videos in the world will not make you a good swimmer unless you get in the water and take action.  The skills must be practiced and practiced and practiced.  This applies to every skill we have ever developed.

Each time we take action (practice), we get better and better. We get more proficient.  The better we get, the more comfortable we get.  The more comfortable we get as a result of our experience, the more confident we get.  Think, isn’t this the way we have learned to do everything we feel confident at?  Are you comfortable deciphering sets of letters and punctuation marks?  That’s what reading is.  A first piano lesson presents the same scenario.  By the second lesson, after a lot of practice, one is comfortable playing the scales.  After a few lessons music actually sounds like it should. After a year of lessons we can say, with confidence that, “I can” play the piano.  Do you know how to shoot a foul shot in basketball?  Can you operate your computer?

Are you a confident public speaker?  No?  “I can’t”, you say. “I’m no good at it”, you say.  “I hate it”, you say.  “Why”, I ask?  You have learned the basic skills of swimming, piano playing, basketball or using your computer?   Each bit of knowledge you learned, every action you took to practice these skills, every bit of experience you got increased your confidence.  You stretched your comfort zone.  What once seem impossible (I can’t), is now a comfortable, confident skillset.

Gaining knowledge at any skill and taking action to get experience results in ‘stretching your comfort zone’.  The more you stretch your comfort zone, the more confident you get.  Skills that we one said, ‘I can’t” about are now second nature. The repetition has caused the skill to become ’muscle memory’.  Whether you jump in the water or you fall, you swim.  There is no doubt.  You don’t’ have to think what to do with your arms and legs, you just swim.

This same mastery of the skillset of public speaking can be learned and mastered.  But, like swimming, you have to get into the water and get wet.  Confident public speaking skills are only developed by speaking in front of an audience.  You must learn the basic skills.  And, you must practice them again and again and again, just like any other skill.  Trying it once, stumbling and never trying again will never lead to confidence.

Stretch your comfort zone by trying again and again.  Practice the skills in many venues and continually learn and take action to improve and get more experience. This model will lead to confidence.  But, one might ask,” where do you learn and practice public speaking skills”?  Good question.  You can practice swimming at any lake, pool or the ocean, but where to you practice you public speaking skills.

www.PublicSpeakingAdvocate training ( www.PublicspeakingWorkout.com) is a quick, powerful, easy, practical and cost effective way to learn the basic skills get experience and gain confidence in a very short time.  You will stretch your comfort zone, change your attitude and gain confidence beyond your imagination.  Thousands of others have already experienced this change.  You can too.  Change your life and enhance your career with confident public speaking skills.  You can also join a local Toastmasters club (www.toastmasters.org)

Take this training.  Contact Ed Skurka by email at Ed@PublicWorkout.com

 401-828-1625 or Skype:  Ed.PublicspeakingAdvocate

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