In the past, I’ve preferred prepared speeches over impromptu ones. I used to go as far as writing out the whole speech and practicing it again and again. This amused some of my friends who just need a few bullet points and off they go.
At one of our recent rapid transformational therapy workshops where we looked into public speaking, I regressed to a scene where I needed to be extremely prepared in order for my talk to be taken seriously. This scene had me believe that all talks had to be doubly and triply prepared for. With this understanding, I was able to see that it’s not necessarily true and an impromptu speech can be just as effective and received well.
Fortunately for me, I had the opportunity to give an impromptu speech at a good friend’s wedding. I didn’t expect to speak but the couple had asked for people to share. The old belief I would have refrained but the new belief me felt a strong urge to speak up. I listed a few bullet points in my head, stood up and spoke from the heart.
Try both sides of the coin to see what works for you.
Footnotes
1) Photo by Jordan Rowland on Unsplash