Appreciation

Welcome to Your Weekly Words with Julie Avis Rogers, where public speaking meets personal flourishing. In these posts (the video and the written transcript below), I’ll share one word to enhance your effectiveness as a public speaker while also giving a boost for your soul! This week’s word is *appreciation* so let’s dive in!

What elicits APPRECIATION for you? What causes you to pay attention, to open your eyes wide, nod your head, or simply causes you to smile? Is it easy for you to remember the last time you felt that sense of appreciation?

To be honest, I have often found it difficult to pause long enough to really appreciate the beauty or goodness of what is happening around me. I often have been so lost in my own plans or worries or in my own rigid ideas that the everyday magic around me can very easily go unnoticed. …..

So today, I have some homework for myself– and I hope you might find it useful for yourself as well. As always, it’s something that I think will certainly give a boost for your soul, but will also be a sneaky tool for improving your effectiveness as a public speaker as well.

So here goes!

Next time I am hearing someone speak in front of a group— maybe they are simply introducing themselves at a meeting, delivering a presentation or a sermon or a report– whatever the context may be, I am going to try to find the things that I specifically appreciate about that person and their public speaking style.

Sometimes I know this will be incredibly easy– I’ll feel their warmth and their ability to connect, or I’ll see the clear way that they organized their information.

And sometimes, I’ll need to do a little detective work to find it. Maybe I can appreciate their courage through their apparent nerves. Or maybe I can appreciate the depth of knowledge or the passion that they clearly have for their topic.

So I’d love for you to try this, too. When encountering a public speaker, take a moment and note what specifically you appreciate about them as speakers.

And as you take note of what you are appreciating, ask yourself if there’s anything you want to do with that information. Maybe you want to write down the things you appreciate in other speakers. It can become a toolbox for you of qualities you admire in good public speakers. Maybe you want to share those appreciations with the person who you saw speaking. It will certainly make their day and maybe lead to an enlightening conversation as well. Maybe you want to set a goal for yourself related to some quality or skill in public speaking. Or maybe you simply want to savor that feeling of appreciation. That’s perfect too.

Appreciation. It creates an existence where we see the gifts and the goodness and the magic that surely is right there in front of us. And what a bonus– it helps us grow and stretch into our fullest, most confident, and effective speaking selves.

What have you appreciated in the speakers that you’ve encountered? Feel free to share it in the comments here so we can all bask in that appreciation together.

And most of all, thanks so much for spending this time with me today. I appreciate you so much!

Ready for more? Click here to book a free exploratory session with me where we can discuss public speaking coaching or bringing me in to work with your team, organization, or group. Visit my website to learn more about how to become a more confident, authentic public speaker while boosting your personal flourishing along the way!