***If You Are Expecting Perfection in Public Speaking, You Will Lose the Battle

If you are an A-type personality, public speaking can be most frustrating for you because of your need to make your delivery perfect. One of the definitions of perfection is to be entirely without fault.

Have you ever seen a theater performance or listened to a concert that was entirely without fault? Were no mistakes made? While you in the audience for the concert or the play may not have been aware of the wrong note from the band or orchestra or the flubbing of a line by one of the actors, mistakes are made.

Does this mean that the play or the game was not a success? On the contrary. One or two mistakes do not ruin the performance. Have you ever heard a broadcaster fumble a word or give the wrong numbers or date and then correct himself/herself? Does that mean the individual was incompetent or less than adept at giving the news? Only a performance or delivery replete with errors is something to be conce
ed about.

One of the greatest pianists of the last century was renowned for making mistakes. Arturo Rubenstein made so many errors in playing, that there are recordings you can buy which are not perfect renditions. Was Rubenstein conce
ed? No. What made this man’s music so sublime was his musicality. With or without mistakes, he made music. By no means was his music perfect; but, his artistry was unquestionable. Rubenstein played from his heart. And, he was the first to admit that he took chances. His chances, however, resulted in making him one of the 5 greatest pianists of the 20th century.

There is risk involved when public speaking. That is one of its challenges. In truth, there is risk involved in acting, playing a sport, or any live performance. The challenge for the performer or the athlete is to be able to accept the occasional mistake and continue on in spite of it. While those on the playing field are more visible to the audience, mistakes on stage often pass unnoticed. Whatever the faux pax, however, great performers, actors, broadcasters, and football players do not let the mistake affect their abilities to move beyond it.

That should be your goal when public speaking. Those in the audience are not sitting there waiting for you to make a mistake. They are there to hear your message. If you have rehearsed your material out loud and are confident in your knowledge of it, then stop worrying about what you might do wrong and start concentrating on what you are doing right.