Posts Tagged ‘Perfect Job’

It happens to all of us – we plan the speech of a lifetime only to have something go wrong. Now it feels like the failure of a lifetime. What are we to do?

The first thing to remember is that our perceptions are not as objective as we might think – in fact they are extremely subjective. There have been numerous times when I have made blunders and thought that the audience would never forgive me. After the speech I found out that they completely missed the errors, or didn’t think they were that significant.

The next thought is to remember that the enemy of a ‘good job’ is not a bad job, but an attempt at a perfect job. This is true for every aspect of our lives, not just public speaking.

How often do we make the decision that if we can’t do something perfectly then we’re not going to do it all. I actually think that this is why many people avoid public speaking. They’re afraid that they might make a small mistake in front of a lot of people. Their sub consciousnesses are busy asking how they could possibly deal with that level of scrutiny.

The truth is that none of us are perfect. The worst ones for expecting perfection is ourselves. Remember, our audiences aren’t looking for perfection – they are looking to be informed, moved, or perhaps entertained. Do a good job at that and they will be pleased.
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