Live Your Talk, I Did
As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, 2012 is the year I face my fears. One of those is public speaking. Alongside participating in some panels and presenting for an hour at my agency (traumatic, but not as horrible as expected), I went whole hog and signed up for a public speaking “bootcamp” — we already know my affinity for that word.
In speaking with Jill Foster, the woman behind Live Your Talk, and some friends who share similar fears to mine, we decided to embrace this once and for all. On April 20th Tinu, Nakeva and myself met with Jill at the National Building Museum as part of our speech history excursion before heading to the (most gorgeous) conference room for our workout. Jill armed us with ‘Idea Kits’ and resource guides and the real work began. We took turns to stand in the spotlight — a space none of us were comfortable in — and talk through conversation topics and questions relevant to each of our chosen professions while friends gave welcome feedback. We learned techniques, both mental and physical, identified bad habits, challenged ourselves and faced fear.
It was exhausting yet exhilarating. Forcing myself to do video blogs and short Socialcam clips recently has certainly helped (super advice from Foster) and this bootcamp also led to the realization that my biggest hurdle is getting started. Once I get talking I ain’t all that bad…once I get talking…We all have to start somewhere.
Thanks to Jill for her time and attention, above and beyond as always.
Thanks to Nakeva and Tinu for listening, sharing, and facing fears by my side.
Check out Jill’s recap for more details.
