The Public Speaking Mindset of Winners
What do you think is the most important factor of public speaking?
‘How well you speak, of course!’
Nope, try again.
‘How well you move on stage?’
Nope, try again.
‘You serious? Umm.. how well you make the audience feel involved?’
Nope.
‘Damn! Now you’re just messing with me Armani.’
I am not.
‘Then what’s the most important?’
Mindset.
‘Huh? Mindset… Come on now, that’s the last of my worries.’
No my friend, that is the most of your worries.
You see, it is your mindset that dictates your life.
In the public speaking arena, it is no different.
Your mindset will make or break you.
‘I’ll be honest bro, I have no clue how my mindset should operate.’
Well, no worries, I got you then.
I have 5 years’ worth of Toastmasters experience, have spoken in conferences, keynote speeches & spoke to hundreds of people at weddings for a few best man speeches.
‘Did you learn anything?’
Yes, plenty.
And believe it or not, after giving over dozens & dozens of speeches, I noticed something breathtaking.
‘And what was that?’
Patterns.
‘Patterns?’
Yes.
The beauty about patterns is that those are the core concepts!
The core concepts are what is really needed to master any skillset.
‘So public speaking can be learned?’
Yes.
Read on…
Why the speech anxiety tho??
Before I explain these core concepts, I want you to understand why you have speech anxiety in the first place.
Making sense of the anxiety makes you feel in much more control, melts nerves, disarms judgment & allows you to adopt new beliefs much more easily.
‘Ah I see!’
The reason that you have speech anxiety is because you were rarely taught public speaking growing up.
Think about it, how many classes throughout your life were you given on public speaking?
‘Umm.. I took it as an elective in college.’
See?
That’s barely anything!
And to be honest, many of you didn’t even take that elective growing up! I know I didn’t.
That’s like me giving you a car for the first time ever & saying, okay go figure it out. How would you feel?
‘Terrified!’
Exactly!
So the main reason that you have speech anxiety is because you are underinformed.
Let’s change your mindset now.
Core Concept #1: No they can’t tell
You know what’s funny?
Most of my Toastmasters mentees weren’t scared of the speaking part. They were more scared about looking nervous in front of the crowd.
They thought if they were feeling nervous, then they will look nervous. Looking ugly in the process.
‘Well, was it true?’
Nope!
People can NOT tell that you are nervous from your appearance.
Take some time to research the ‘Illusion of transparency’ after reading this. It’s when you think your internal nerves are leaking out to the external public.
But obviously, be aware of your body language. Fidgeting & squirmy behavior is a different story.
Now, for the quivering voice.
This voice is typically a problem in the first 20-30 seconds of a speech max. But it goes away on its own. Most quit too soon to understand that it melts away.
The audience mainly remembers how you finish!
This core concept should now allow you to feel more comfortable on stage.
Once you internalize this concept, you will feel much more comfortable in your skin.
Core Concept # 2 You are the star
I am not joking when I say this, but you are the big deal.
Too many people come and ask me ‘oh my Armani, what can I do to make the crowd like me??’
And I’m like, who cares if they like you or not?
The question is do YOU like them?
All of the people in the audience have regular days, worries, bills.
You are their gateway into a new world.
They will go on the journey that you take them on with your speech.
This mentality shift melts away the needy behavior & helps you feel much more confident & in control.
And trust me, the audience will love you more for it. They can literally feel your energy.
Which leads me onto core concept #3….
Core Concept #3 Not what you say, but how you say Grasshopper
Your speech needs to have a clear purpose & theme.
But the exact words don’t necessarily matter to the audience.
This is good news for you because now you don’t have to worry every time you say a filler word, stutter, or have a grammar mishap (don’t overdo it of course).
‘What are they placing most of their focus on?’
Your energy.
Write this down:
Public speaking isn’t delivery with your sentences, it’s delivering with your energy.
Get it?
Just show enthusiasm about your topic & you will immediately connect to their primal side! That’s what they want.
A speech with a purpose that is delivered with enthusiasm is your recipe for success.
Core Concept #4 Abundance mentality
You bring speech anxiety upon yourself when you view public speaking with a scarcity mindset.
It’s very daunting to give a speech when you think that this speech will be your ONLY chance to prove yourself.
Ditch that limited way of thinking.
Point being, think big.
There is no shortage of speech opportunities in your lifetime.
Remember, every time you get on stage, it’s a win.
Always.
You being brave already puts you in front of the wimps who watch from the sidelines.
Never forget that.
You are winning EVERYTIME you step foot into the battlefield.
Core Concept # 5 You can always level up
Public speaking is no different than any other skill.
You just keep getting better & better with time.
The journey is the greatest part!
I remember when I gave a speech in front of 500 people, I was like, I gave a speech in front of that many people and I feel unfulfilled. Why?
Because I had a poor mindset back then.
I viewed it like I was done with my journey. Thought of public speaking like a final product.
But it’s not. You can ALWAYS get better!
As I keep on gaining more speaking experience, I want to share my insights with the world to help them as well.
I’m going from learning mode -> learning some more mode & teaching mode.
Always be in level-up mode when you overcome your speech anxiety.
Your speech anxiety will melt away if you show heart.
But the question is, will you keep showing heart AFTER you conquered speech anxiety?
That’s a question that you can only answer.
Mind over Matter
Those are my 5 core principles.
How many times did you see me talk about the fundamentals of building a speech, eye contact, word choice in any of my tips?
‘None.’
Exactly.
That’s because these 5 tips will give you the power that you’ve been wanting all along.
The power to speak in front of others.
Once the mind is right, then the small-level tasks are easy.
You just need to take care of your mind & make sure you keep it in level-up mode at all times.
Utilize these 5 concepts as you are progressing in your public speaking journey.
Get the Full Speaking Wizard Book here!
