Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once said, “According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means, to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”
And Mark Twain said, “There are only two types of speakers in the world. 1. The nervous and 2. Liars.”
I speak a lot in public: mic’d up on large stages, pitching to investors, delivering training, or talking on live TV. I absolutely love it, consider it my calling in life, and feel privileged that I get the chance to do it as much as I do. But my excitement when taking the stage is always accompanied by a faster heartbeat, a dry mouth, sweaty palms, and a generally higher-than-normal body temperature.
But that doesn’t mean I’d prefer the casket.
Thriving as a public speaker does not mean we must find a way to disable our nervous system. Instead, it means we learn to master the skills we need to shine despite our natural human instincts.
Luckily, this is possible. But it requires a very important mindset shift—and that is treating public speaking as a form of art.
Imagine if you’ve never laid your hands on a piano keyboard, never taken a lesson, never known a major scale from a minor, and are told to perform Beethoven on stage. What would happen? Let’s just say you wouldn’t expect a standing ovation. But if you take a few lessons, develop a few skills, and practice, you will feel a lot more confident. You might still be nervous, but you’ll give yourself a meaningful chance of delivering a strong performance.
Music is considered a form of art because it requires the practitioner to develop a set of skills and polish them over time. Once you add some creativity to the mix, you create an original piece. You have art.
Public speaking is the same. It demands that a set of skills be developed and polished over time. And eventually, the public speaker can develop their own style, get creative, and produce a work of art.
My dear reader, you might think learning to play the piano takes time—and yes, it does. But while you can get through life without learning music (although I would argue that music is amazing and everyone should attempt to learn an instrument), going through life without mastering public speaking is a colossal, wasted opportunity.
Oprah Winfrey said, “What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.”
Oprah didn’t say it’s a “nice” tool; she called it “the most powerful tool.” And I agree. Words, when communicated appropriately, have the power to melt hearts, change minds, and alter the course of history.
Moreover, we are all public speakers anyway. Every time we talk to another person, we are speaking publicly. Whether it is making a business pitch to investors, selling an idea to your partner, or communicating with your toddler who has just thrown a tantrum, we become public speakers every time we interact with another person. Why not master it?
Luckily, our daily interactions with others also provide a perfect opportunity to practice and cultivate our skills. So why isn’t everyone a world-class public speaker? It’s because many don’t see public speaking as an art form. Once we make this mindset shift, we become more deliberate in the way we listen, the way we curate stories, the way we structure our narrative, and the way we use the tools at our disposal to become strong communicators.
If you want to know more about what those skills are and how they can be developed, stay tuned to my blog where I will go deep into the many facets of public speaking. Or subscribe to my newsletter to receive each post in your inbox.
Although the pursuit of becoming a world-class public speaker ought to be a lifelong journey, one can achieve important milestones very quickly as long as one is headed in the right direction.
Get excited. By being here, you’ve already begun your journey toward becoming an artist.