Attention

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 *attention* so let’s dive in!

“What you pay attention to grows”

I first heard this idea in the book Emergent Strategy by adrianne maree brown and it’s a piece of wisdom that I come back to time and time again in many different aspects of life.

It’s such a simple idea, but when I find myself overwhelmed by the state of the world or seeking some kind of change in my life, I come back to this idea that I get to choose when and what and HOW I pay attention.

The mindsets and the practices and the perspectives that receive my attention are, in fact, the places that will GROW!

So I often ask myself: What am I placing my attention on this week? What am I paying attention to today? This is a decision we all get to make every single day and with intentional application, it can be incredibly empowering.

I think it also is a helpful one to remember when it comes to public speaking. There are lots of varying statistics on how common the fear of public speaking is (some say it impacts up to 75% of the population!) and our attention is very frequently focused on how scary, nervewracking, and stressful public speaking can be for so many of us. The talk and research and attention is on ALL that is negative!

But I will tell you that every single one of us has gifts and natural talents when it comes to public speaking! I truly believe that. And those gifts so frequently go completely unnoticed because we place our attention on overcoming fear and navigating stress.

Overcoming fear and navigating stress are WORTHY endeavors for sure! But if we want to grow in our public speaking comfort and confidence, then we must remember to not only place our attention on fear and stress.

When we uncover the glimmers of talent and ease and we start celebrating those areas, naming and claiming those areas, nurturing those areas, then we will begin to see that talent and confidence and ease will, in fact, grow and grow and grow!

What we pay attention to grows. Find your gift as a public speaker – however small and uncertain it might be. Claim it as your own. Celebrate it, nurture it, and as you pay attention to it, watch those gifts grow and grow.

Ready for more? Click here to book a free exploratory session with me where we can discuss your questions or concerns about public speaking and if I might be able to support you on your speaking journey. Visit my website to learn more about how to become a more confident, authentic public speaker while boosting your personal flourishing along the way!