Because I always listen to my heart, I feel compelled to share with you a powerful lesson that I learned last year. I hope it inspires you to make a right speaking choice for you.
In the Past:
Since I started my speaking coaching and training business in 2004, I always spend a lot of time interacting with my audiences on a one to one level before and after the live event. Because I love to connect with others, I was totally open to photos, hugs and one to one conversations during my live events. This is part of my nature and it’s something I really love to do, especially during my live events. I believe my ability to connect with my audiences has been a huge part of my success.
Tried on Something New:
It was suggested to me, by someone who I have a tremendous amount of respect for, that I significantly decrease my availability during my live event. Basically, it was recommended that I not talk with my guests during bathroom breaks, to exit quickly at the end of each segment and to keep my distance from the event attendees. The thought process is that if a speaker is “less available” during an event more people would purchase additional programs from them.
To continue being an expert in the speaking industry, I need to know what works and doesn’t work so I have to be willing to do things out of my comfort zone to groups. Even though it didn’t feel right to me and it literally made my heart sad just thinking about it, I decided to try it on and see what happened.
The Powerful Lesson I Learned:
The end result was I felt miserable distancing myself from my audience. Limiting my interaction with my guests isn’t me. It just isn’t part of my personality because I operate so much from my heart. I tried it on for one event and I will never do it again. I knew my audience could feel something wasn’t right too because I wasn’t in alignment with me.
You have to make choices based on what feels right to you! You absolutely want to listen to expert advice, try things on and then decide about what fits you best.
As for me, I will continue doing what feels best for me and ultimately is in the best interest of my audiences. Photos, hugs and high fives with my guests. That’s me! I hope this article inspired you to make educated choices that ultimately feel right to you 🙂
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