{"id":7299,"date":"2010-10-18T04:00:08","date_gmt":"2010-10-18T09:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/the-10-psychological-stages-of-public-speaking.html"},"modified":"2010-10-18T04:00:08","modified_gmt":"2010-10-18T09:00:08","slug":"the-10-psychological-stages-of-public-speaking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/the-10-psychological-stages-of-public-speaking\/","title":{"rendered":"The 10 Psychological Stages of Public Speaking"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have spoken publicly<\/a> about a dozen times in the last three weeks. Because this is more than usual, I have begun to notice a pattern in my own psychological state as I go through the speaking cycle.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of \u00a9iStockphoto.com\/Splitcast<\/div>\n

It has been helpful to identify the components of this cycle, so I am not so surprised when they occur. So far, I have identified ten stages<\/em> I go through in preparing to speak. (This assumes that I have never delivered this exact speech before.)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\n

Warning: this post is about my psychological states as I prepare. It may sound self-indulgent. If so, I apologize. I am sharing this in the hope that you won\u2019t feel alone, if you do any public speaking.<\/p>\n

Here are my stages:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Enthusiasm.<\/strong> Someone invites me to speak at their event. I have a phone conversation with the event host to better learn what outcome they want to create. I am honored to be part of the event and get excited about the possibilities.<\/li>\n
  2. Curiosity.<\/strong> I begin preparing. I usually create a rough outline, using OmniOutliner<\/a>. I am not looking for too much detail; just the overall flow. I begin reading books, blogs, and other background material. At this point I don\u2019t feel either positive or negative; I just enjoy learning.<\/li>\n
  3. Creativity.<\/strong> I begin putting it together the speech. I love this part of it. I rearrange the outline (if necessary) and begin fleshing out the detail. If I am going to use a slideshow, I start assembling the visual components, using Apple Keynote<\/a> and iStock Photo.<\/li>\n
  4. Panic.<\/strong> As the deadline looms, I feel rushed. My anxiety level rises. I begin wondering if I will get it done in time. I estimate how much work I still need to accomplish and quickly conclude that I don\u2019t have that much time. I end up tweaking my presentation right up until the minute I leave for the event.<\/li>\n
  5. Despair.<\/strong> As I wait to be introduced, I feel ill-prepared. I go through enormous self-doubt and recrimination. A voice in my head whispers, You should have started preparing sooner.<\/em> Or, You really don\u2019t have anything to contribute.<\/em> Or, This isn\u2019t going to connect with this audience.<\/em> If I could, I would push an ejection button.<\/li>\n
  6. Confidence.<\/strong> As I am introduced, I hear another voice in my head: You can do this. Open your heart wide and play full-out. Don\u2019t withhold anything. There\u2019s more at stake here that you know.<\/em> At that, I feel a renewed sense of confidence and excitement. I am fully present to the moment. I step into it with confidence.<\/li>\n
  7. Flow.<\/strong> As I begin to speak, I look the faces in the audience. I begin to connect. I realize that there is indeed something at stake. I begin to believe that what I have to say is important. I get new ideas, recall stories, and see connections that didn\u2019t occur to me in my preparation. This is where the real creation\u2014the art, if you will\u2014happens.<\/li>\n
  8. Satisfaction.<\/strong> As I sit down, I feel satisfied. Regardless of the outcome, I have given it my all. I am pleased with what I was able to share. I feel gratitude for what just took place and a little silly for (once again) doubting the creative process. Oh, how I would love to eliminate stages 4 and 5!<\/li>\n
  9. Depletion.<\/strong> My mood is usually elevated initially after I speak. But I always try to make myself available after my session to interact with the audience. I think this is important, but, as an introvert, it quickly depletes me. I find it difficult to focus on the person speaking to me. I begin feeling a little claustrophobic and am eager to get to \u201cthe alone zone.\u201d<\/li>\n
  10. Perspective.<\/strong> I always try to improve, so it is natural to begin critiquing my speech. However, I have found that I cannot be objective until I have recharged my spiritual and emotional batteries. It is much healthier if I push the \u201cpause\u201d button and wait for a while. Usually, I do best if I get a good night\u2019s sleep first.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I don\u2019t know if these stages are typical for most speakers or unique to my own personality and temperament. The main thing I have learned is this: when I begin to feel panic or despair, that\u2019s normal. At least for me. And it has nothing whatsoever to do with how I will ultimately perform.<\/p>\n

    Questions: What about you? If you are a public speaker, do you go through similar stages?<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I go through about ten psychological states when I speak publicly. It has been helpful to me to identify these, so I am not surprised when they occur.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":7298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1563,33,1564,627,861,1327],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe 10 Psychological Stages of Public Speaking<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I go through about ten psychological states when I speak publicly. 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