Speak Up and Step Out of Your Comfort Zone!

You already have your signature speech down, but sometimes you need to go beyond that. As a public speaker, it’s time to get moving and stretch yourself. It’s time to speak up, stand out and step out of your comfort zone. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone Recently, I received the opportunity to speak on a cruise ship to the Mediterranean for eleven days. I had to create four NEW speeches outside of my normal speaking topic. After reviewing the best-selling books on Amazon, I found two outstanding books on communication to talk about. The other two talks I tweaked from my own toolbox. All four speeches were new for me and out of my comfort zone, especially the two that were on books. I was really stepping out. And it all turned out perfect! Everything you need is within you, whether you’re stepping out to speak or travel—whatever you need to do to get out of your comfort zone is inside of you already! All you have to do is to tap into it. The Fear Trap What is the one thing that keeps us in our comfort zone? It’s fear. You’ve probably heard that FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. Or some people say it’s False Expectations Appearing Real. Fear is a trap. It can immobilize you, paralyze you and keep you from expanding beyond your comfort zone. When you step out as a speaker, out of your normal signature talk, and give that keynote, that motivational talk, and move people to either tears or to joy, it is SO exciting! Be Ready to Grab It Let me provide you with some fundamental ideas that will help you to get ready. First of all, get comfortable with change. When anyone asks, “will you speak?” or “will you speak on this topic?” say—YES! If anyone asks you to speak on a tele-class as a guest, say YES! Say YES! and figure out how later. If you don’t stretch yourself and step out of your comfort zone, you’ll regret it. What you need to do is just be ready. Always be ready for that speaking opportunity and grab it. It doesn’t matter if your hands are shaking and your knees are knocking. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by because it’s outside your comfort zone. Seek Advice Secondly, seek advice! When you start getting uncomfortable or an opportunity comes up that you’re not sure about, seek the advice of a mentor or a coach. Mentors will get you to where you want to go…FAST! Faster than if you’re trying to do it by yourself. When I first started to get into this business seven years ago, I was invited to speak at a breakout session at a large event. The catch was, I had to pay $1250 for it! So I called my mentor, Tom Antion. He said, it’s a small price to pay to get in front of a new audience and sell your products and services. So I did. It brought me into the forefront of people who were influential and who I worked with later on. Visualize the Results Thirdly, visualize the results that you want. When you feel uncomfortable, do it anyway. Visualize the results that could happen to you! Visualize people coming up to you and asking you to speak on the main stage. Most of the time it’s the connections you make, the relationships you build that can take you farther than that one event or that one speech. Celebrate Your Successes After you visualize your success, celebrate! You want to celebrate your victories and wins. Any time you so much as step a toe out of your comfort zone, stop and pat yourself on the back and say “good job.” And remember, if you don’t try to step out of your comfort zone, then the answer that you’re saying to yourself is “I can’t…I won’t…NO.” And if you shut the door often enough, the door will get stuck and the opportunities will dry up. It’s important to tell the universe “I’m ready! I’m ready NOW. My time is now and I’m ready!” This is the year of the speech” It’s the year of your speech. Both your signature speech and your out-of-your-comfort-zone speech.