There is a common misperception about public speaking. People think that if they feel comfortable, they’re good speakers. In fact, I’ve had people tell me, “That’s great that you coach people to be better speakers, but I always feel comfortable in front of an audience!” What I want to ask them is: “Okay, and how does your audience feel?”
Just to be clear: the work we do in coaching speakers is ultimately on behalf of the audience.
That’s right. We coach speakers to be their best so that audiences can have an elite experience; so they can be inspired, changed, motivated, engaged.
Ideally, the speaker will enjoy engaging the audience, but that’s not the primary goal. If the primary goal were the comfort of the speaker, I’d suggest the speaker write a compelling essay and post it on social media while they sit cozily on their couch.
Great public speaking isn’t easy. When we feel some discomfort along the way, it’s an indicator that we care enough to push our limits.
