Fright to Flight
There are only two types of speakers in the world: 1. The nervous and 2. Liars.
I delivered a speech recently in front of 1,500 people. I’ve done this a few times a year for the past 15 years. My largest audience was 8,000. More typical is 1,000 to 2,000.
It used to terrify me. Now? It’s an unparalleled thrill.
When I first started getting these assignments, I dreaded everything about them—the workload, the pressure, the long stretch of nerves leading up to it. From the moment I knew I’d be on stage, I became a wreck.
But over time, I learned how to navigate the process—and eventually, how to enjoy it. It starts with research, then whittling down all that material to fit the allotted time, prioritizing what will teach best and land with the audience.
It sounds simpler than it is.
The stage fright took longer to outgrow. But after thousands of smaller contributions and several hundred 30-to-45-minute talks, the stage no longer holds power over me.
I used to worry I’d forget my next point and crash and burn. Ironically, that anxiety would often cause the very thing I feared.
These days, I step on stage knowing the 5 to 15 core points I have to teach. I carry a loose mental map of the 3 to 5 supporting ideas. Then, it’s just a matter of talking to the audience—people I often like—about something that genuinely interests me, and trying to make it as engaging and edifying as possible for 15 to 30 minutes.
I still forget things. But like any seasoned speaker, I’ve learned to weave them in later without missing a beat.
Of course, I know. One of this is accomplished on my own power. I may putting in the work, but at the end of the day, it is God’s spirit that is carrying me through.
Public speaking is such a high. I wish everyone could experience the feeling. It reshapes the week—gives it shape, lift, energy. For me, it turns the ordinary into something brimming with momentum.
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Thank you for coming here and walking through the garden of my mind. No day is as brilliant in its moment as it is gilded in memory. Embrace your experience and relish gorgeous recollection.
Into every life a little light will shine. Thank you for being my luminance in whatever capacity you may. Shine on, you brilliant souls!
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