Finding Your Way

Have you ever had that Ah Ha moment?

An experience when you learned something about yourself. Or thought, I'll never make that mistake again! My moment can best be summed up by three words; preparation, passion, and presence.

I feel that these three words are the cornerstone of effective speaking and presenting for me. Now don't get me wrong. There are many wonderful and effective books telling us how to communicate. I have read my share. However, it all came together this week in these three words.

Preparation
I decided to sit down and finally view the audio and visual posts of prior Toastmaster speeches I had given. Many of us, do not like to look at picture of ourselves, that was my first challenge. After I got beyond the initial yuck of it all, I had several take-aways. The speeches done last minute needed more focus, structure and clarity. The key is preparation!

Passion
Did you feel the passion as you watched the Olympics or the Democratic and Republican Convention Speeches? People are looking for inspiration. Everyone was out of their seats watching the records being broken during the swimming competition. Hopes and Dreams were communicated during the Conventions. Passion leads to action and the benefit of being passionate about a cause, your work seems much easier to accomplish.

Presence
Today it is easy to multi-task. Read your emails while watching TV; texting while you carry on a conversation with a loved one; open the mail while talking on the phone - yet we aren't doing any of them 100%. I was fortunate enough to attend a speech given by the actor, Danny Glover. He started out by reading us the history, statistics and even the health benefits of volunteering. However, it wasn't until he began to speak about his mother, that he connected with the audience. We began to hang on his every word, when he passionately looked at us and implored that we become involved in community for the future of our country.

My Ah Ha moment this week reminded me that I must prepare, have passion for my subject matter and be present; not only for my Toastmaster speeches but also in everything that I desire to do well.