“Begin as you plan to go on” when you speak “off the cuff”

Being able to speak “off the cuff” / impromptu / when called upon is a valuable skill.

Some people have it, usually having built it, and some don’t, well … to the extent that the whole idea is paralysingly abhorrent to them.

But for those who can, confidently, fluently and effectively speak whenever they are asked, the rewards are many.

All of the effects that speaking gives are amplified – communicating your credibility, your personality and your message among so many others.

So if you are finding the very idea of speaking impromptu paralysingly abhorrent, or just a bit too challenging, but you understand that valuable chance to communicate your credibility, personality and message, then let’s begin at the beginning when you stand to speak.

Though your mind may be racing and your heart doing the same, you can benefit from making yourself be calm and deliberate.

Stand very deliberately and take time to begin.

Pause.

Smile if it is appropriate.

Take a moment or two to think if you need to, and to ground yourself physically.

Stand up straight to build confidence.

There is always power in pause. It gains attention and can create a bit of intrigue.

Meanwhile it is gaining you the moments you need to gather your thoughts, and remind yourself of your confidence.

Do not apologise.

You will have something to say even if it is about what you don’t know about the subject and why.

Apologising ruins your confidence, deflates the audience’s confidence in you and is generally demoralising.

It is also a waste of the opportunity to create a great attention-getting opening that leads into your ideas.

Open deliberately and positively then, and you set yourself and your audience up for a confident, engaging delivery. It’s a great start to communicating that credibility, personality and message.