Insight

I have participated, studied, and acted on some programs from Bob Proctor and Sandy Gallagher. One of the many things I learnt that I apply to my public speaking and confidence routine is what they call the ‘Knowing Doing Gap’.

In this context, I define it as the difference between what I know I should do as someone trained in public speaking and what I am actually doing when I speak publicly.

Now you may have already learned through a program or self-taught on the job some public speaking techniques and methods, but how much of them do you actually apply when you do speak in public?

So What?

These skills are not just for a presentation, or a speech either in a professional or personal setting. It is for all everyday moments where you participate in communication. For example:

• A conversation with family or friends.
• Participating in a meeting, even when you are not speaking in it.
• It is how you interact with people when you are out and about, for a walk, or walking around the shops, or commuting on public transport.
• It is how you handle conflict, wins, challenges, and opportunities.

You may be doing all or at least some of the public speaking techniques and methods when presenting or giving a speech, but how much of these are you doing in other public speaking situations?

Tip to Apply

I invite you to take a moment and reflect:

• How much of your public speaking skills are you putting into action?
• How much of this is on auto-pilot versus consciously deciding what to apply and why?

If you have noticed a gap in your everyday public speaking moments between the public speaking skills you know and doing or applying the public speaking skills you know. I can tell you confidently from my own experience, that gap can be bridged. If this is something you would like to bridge, please hit reply and let me know.

All the best, Susan.