Practice Out Loud! from Asking Matters on Vimeo.
The only thing I hate worse than making a mistake, is making a mistake that I spend my days teaching other people to avoid.
That’s why I’m really uncomfortable about some video interviews I shot for Asking Matters, a website community that helps non-profit staff, volunteers and board members ask for what their organizations need. I’m an expert consultant on public speaking for Asking Matters members.
Now, in fairness, my friend and colleague Andrea Kihlstedt, who co-founded Asking Matters with Brian Saber, likes the videos. She thinks they’re clear, engaging, succinct, and focused. To me, they look tight-assed and overly controlled, because I know that, when I made them I was trying way too hard to be clear, engaging, succinct and focused.
This may not bother other people, but it bugs the heck out of me — partly ’cause it’s not real effective, and partly because I tell my clients (over and over and over to over) to “not worry about how you sound, and just think about connecting with people.”
Taking My Own Public Speaking Advice
Have you heard that expression, “Physician, heal thyself”? Obviously, that was the position I was in.
So I made a date with Andrea to reshoot the dreaded videos.
On Thursday, I’ll show you how that went!
