Routine

Welcome to Your Weekly Words with Julie Avis Rogers, where public speaking meets personal flourishing.  In these articles, I share one word to enhance your effectiveness as a public speaker while also giving a boost for your soul! This week’s word is *Routine * so let’s dive in!

Today I’m going to begin with a question: What is your routine when preparing for a presentation? 

Your gut response might be “Are you kidding me? I have no routine– I’m just a hot mess!”-- and yes, that might feel true (and that’s something I’d *love* to work with you on!) but even for YOU, what steps – hot mess though they may be!-- do you typically take when preparing for a speech or presentation? 

Maybe your first step is just plain ol’ procrastination— And then just as you’re reaching that last possible minute, you begin taking initial notes, then doing some research, perhaps making an outline or actually writing out your text, maybe if you’re lucky, you do a dress rehearsal. There’s no right or wrong here and today, I’m not here to assess if your process is good or bad–  BUT what I want you to notice is that you DO probably have some kind of routine that you tend to follow. You might not LIKE the routine– it might not be the best routine for you forever-  but I bet you have one.

If you have a minute or two to spare, press pause here in a moment  and actually write down your usual process  for preparing for a  presentation– or even just think about what your process was ONE time that you did a presentation…. Step by step– what did you do? Write it out or take a moment to just think about it. 

Okay– with those steps now broken down, go through each step and think about your relationship to that step– maybe one step is totally easy for you, another step is awful and kind of the worst, another step evokes dread, and another step is maybe kind of juicy and interesting. Likely, some steps are okay, others steps are hard. 

Suddenly, seeing our routine in front of us, we begin to realize that public speaking isn’t ALL stressful or ALL bad or ALL messy. It’s a process filled with distinct moments, some of which we enjoy, some of which we dread. If you are someone who does NOT tend to enjoy public speaking or you want to improve as a public speaker, take a few minutes as you begin your preparations and write down the steps you intend to take– and just as importantly, take note of what you feel about each of those steps. For the steps that you enjoy, let  yourself enjoy them! Relish those steps. Feel pride in those steps. Let those steps seep into your fear and anxiety about public speaking and let them be a reminder that you too have the gifts and talents to do this well. It’s not ALL stressful. It’s not ALL fear inducing. As with so many things in life, there’s some pieces of magic hidden amongst the stress,  if you really take the time to break it down.

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!