* Here's the audio version of the Blog if you prefer listening to it.
I hate the words "public speaking". 🤢 They're boring.
They've become so loaded over the years. Fraught with fear, they're cloaked in quotation marks that threaten an even worse encounter than the promise of Dementors from Harry Potter. 👻
I wish I could divorce myself from them permanently, because it's still such a scary business for 90% of the world.
But alas, I cannot. They're stuck together, and to us for as long as we're in business. 🤷🏻♀️
Like that little piece of sticky tape that gets stuck to your fingers when you're wrapping pressies. Such a useful thing, but such a pain in the butt when you don't want to use it.
I actually also feel quite sorry for those two words.
I think they're even more misunderstood than a teenager brimming with a cocktail of hormones in the peak of adolescence.
But the thing is, just like sticky tape, they're also the glue to creating meaningful connection between 2 or more things, that when stuck together, can deliver a far more exciting, memorable and intriguingly gratifying experience for the receiver.
Together, those words have the power to inspire revolutions, spread innovation, and forge movements that transform the way we live.
Perhaps that's why they're so scary?
Psychologist Abraham Maslow's the Jonah complex is the fear of success or the fear of being one's best. This fear prevents self-actualization, or the realization of one's own potential.
Perhaps we fear more our own abilities and success than we do our failure?
I love this quote by Dr. Joe Dispenza,
"It’s only when you get beyond the emotion of fear and move into the unknown – despite that fear – that you turn your fear into passion and courage."
I wish I could rebrand "public speaking" with a shiny, new, sparkling name that could attract more people to it!
I've been told I'm a bit sparkly, and that I use sparkly words for quite ordinary things.
Perhaps that's because I see the potential in people and things. I'm wired that way. I see what's possible for those I love, my amazing clients and dare I even say - public speaking!!
Maybe it's time for a rebrand. From "Public Speaking" to
"Speaking Success" or "Communicating Genius".
Hmm... great, BUT - the fact remains, we'd still have to do the same things with that sticky tape if we want to deliver a powerful presso.
In Neuro Semantics we say that,
"meaning drives performance"
so instead of a fancy new brand, we can simply change our internal meanings we've chosen about it, to transform our reaction and experience of it.
That's where I can help. ✨
In my experience, being a great presenter starts with knowing how to
Present, from the inside out.
We're masterful meaning makers, and what I call our "Presenting Matrix" holds the key to transforming our relationship with public speaking.
Just as you wouldn't just throw a roll of sticky tape in the bin, or never use it, because there's the off chance that little piece might get stuck to your finger, let's not destroy the exceptionally valuable role of public speaking in marketing our business, services and sharing our important messages with the world.
You've got a mission in this life that only you can fulfil. You've almost got a responsibility to the world to share YOU and your knowledge with it - using your voice.
Please, don't let the little piece of sticky tape prevent you from the experience of your courage, as you choose to make known the unknown and even unlock your passion when you speak in public.
Isn't it time we strip the Dementor of its power, and instead, imbue those two little squiggles we call "public speaking" with a sparkly meaning that empowers us to be of service with our contribution to life?
If that's something that resonates with you, and you'd like to know more about how you can do that, drop me a line and let's have a chat.
I'm always keen on a good cuppa too, and even if you're a little nervous to tackle this thing for once and for all, I highly recommend, feeling the fear and doing it anyway.
I believe you in you.
"Sure Bonita, you hardly know me." While there might be some truth in that, like I said, I'm wired to see the potential in people, and I know that it's in you too.
You have the potential to fulfil your highest purpose and to serve your family, clients, community, country and beyond in a way that only you can, with your voice.
Your voice is like a fingerprint, only one like it and it's found in what I call, your Voice Code. When unlocked, your Voice Code can transform the way you use your voice.
That is freedom.
But hey, let's start with a simple chat, shall we? 😊 Ready when you are.
Cheers for now,
Bonita
P.s. here are some sparkles, just because. ✨✨✨
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