Public being
A different, simpler approach to public speaking.
Before we do public speaking, we need to learn to BE in public. It's often the missing stage, because we can make public speaking way too complex. And this is especially important if you are anxious about public speaking. But many experienced speakers need these fundamentals too.
Starting with these really simple things.
In front of people, can I allow myself:
to be looked at, and to look?
to breathe?
to slow down?
to pause?
to think?
to take my place?
to be, to be present in the moment?
No need to be impressive, no need to perform. That's how you get your brain back. And then you can speak.
At the moment, you are probably saying no to most of these. Or thinking they sound easy for everyone else, but I can't do them.
Well, simple things ain't always easy to do. So this is where we start on the course. Learning public being takes some new skills. Getting used to being the centre of attention. Rethinking audiences. Not panicking when you pause.
And if you learn these fundamentals, everything else about public speaking gets easier.
Why public being?
After many years of teaching I was looking for a phrase to describe the first steps. There's nothing flashy about the name I found for it. That's the point. Public speaking needs to be simpler.
Public being is about as simple as it gets. But getting there takes lots of little steps.
It's a small name for a powerful way of rethinking where we start with public speaking.
"The theories around public being and audience mentality was like a lightbulb moment."