Have you thought about how behind every 10 minute TED Conferences Talk are hours of preparation?
Even the most seasoned speakers experience jitters prior to stepping in front of an audience. I was admittedly fumbling my words during rehearsal.
2 hours in advance of a run-through for my Entrepreneurs’ Organization themed TED Talk I was supposed to give, my speech was still unfinished. I was definitely crashing and burning to an extent, but I held out hope that I would settle down for the actual speech.
I then remembered what unique factors make me a capable speaker, like how my journey didn’t lead me to rock bottom, but rather a glass ceiling. How I successfully burst through that ceiling formed the crux of the speech I gave that night.
And most importantly, I was able to share my talk in front of peers that have been part of my journey for the past decade.
Speech prep is important, but it’s the nervousness beforehand that I was able to turn into an opportunity and deliver a talk to an audience that really changed lives.