This past Saturday, I was in a Professional Speaking Competition and I had to shrink a program I teach into a 10 minute keynote. Yikes. 100 people in the audience were the judges.I was intimidated by the fact that most of my opponents had been professional speakers much longer than I have. One of them for 15 years more than me and she was talking about the same topic. Double yikes!
I decided that since it was unlikely that I would win one of the 3 prizes, I wanted to have some good video to use in my marketing. I didn’t have video of me with a head mic on a raised platform.
Here’s what happens first.
I start speaking and halfway through the second sentence the mic kicks in. I laugh and say “let me start over”. As I speak, the mic kicks in, then kicks out, then kicks in again. I scan the audience while smiling and when my eyes reach the organizer, he says “we’re going to give you another mic”. I continue smiling and say, “thank you”, signaling the audience to hold tight.
Going back to the stage, I almost trip over my feet. Then here I am, with a hand mic (sigh) thinking the video won’t be as nice. There is a timer for me to keep track because “professional speakers respect the time”.
I glance at the timer and smile at the audience and say “This says my time is up. So thank you” and pretend to leave the stage to everyone’s laughter. Then I decide to just give them what I came here to do.
Here’s an edited down version of my conflict resolution program:
Since Saturday, the other speakers and I have formed a new support group for professional speakers. It is truly amazing! The trophy is a cherished item but the friendships I am developing, these business connections will go beyond that time on the stage.
When we stop holding our breath and become aware of the bigger picture, that is when the miracle become evident!
This is what I truly believe:
What miracles have you seen happen when you just let go? 🙂