Losing Your Balance—in Presenting, and in Life

I was leading a workshop one day when, suddenly, a large TV fell on my head.

It didn’t just fall out of nowhere. The TV was on a tall stand, which I was moving to the side when the whole thing tipped over.

Not to brag, but usually you have to be about 8 years old to pull off this trick.

The TV knocked me to the floor. The workshop stopped. I dusted myself off and reassured the group I was fine, no big deal, as if huge objects fell on my head every day.

The thing is, losing your balance is routine—in presenting, and in life.

When presenting, some people twist themselves into a pretzel.  That’s not a good look.  Too unstable.

Instead:  stand with your feet shoulder-length apart, and your weight equally balanced. Breathe from your belly.  Also, if possible, avoid head wounds.

But even the pros fall.

Top fashion model, Jessica Stam, tripped while walking down a Paris runway. “I fell and got back up,” she told the Wall Street Journal. “It happens, and it’s no big deal.”

Franklin Roosevelt, paralyzed from the waist down since age 39, fell while being helped to the stage at the 1936 Democratic Convention. The papers of his speech went flying.

“Clean me up,” he told his aides, “and keep your feet off those damned sheets” (from “FDR,” by Jean Edward Smith).

Moments later, Roosevelt was at the podium, telling a live audience of 100,000 that they had “a rendezvous with destiny.”

Most hadn’t noticed his stumble.

Tip:  Life knocks you down. We all know that from last year, and all the years before. The call is to get back up.

Best wishes for 2021—and the challenges, known and unknown, that await.

P.S. Increase your impact the next time you speak. Consider—for you or your team:

1) Virtual workshop—I’ve been leading Dynamic Speaking, a four-session course for small teams. We practice how to get heard, get remembered, and get results.

2) Webinars—Let’s develop a few key skills. Sample webinars: Your Point?; The Power of Presence; Challenging Conversations; Bulletproof Feedback . . .

Click here for all 12 programs.

3) 1-1 Coaching—If you’d like to work privately, and have one or more upcoming messages/presentations, I’ll help you with design (what to say) and/or delivery (how to say it).

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P.P.S. Rather just read a book?

You’ve Got 8 Seconds: Communication Secrets for a Distracted World—named one of the best biz books of the year by an obscure, but obviously brilliant, Canadian newspaper.

Selected by a Fortune 50 company for their book club, translated into five languages, received a 4.4 Amazon rating (227 reviews), it’s available in print, kindle and audio.

To get these fast tips, click here

PAUL HELLMAN consults & speaks internationally on how to make your point—fast, focused, powerful.

Please email info@expresspotential.com or call 508-879-0934, or visit Express Potential for more info.

© Copyright 2021 Paul Hellman.  All rights reserved.