Why do we train ahead for self defense, but wait till last minute for a high-stakes presentation?

When I was 11, I was enrolled to start Taekwondo. I didn’t choose the sport, it was simply a given.

My parents didn’t care about dancing or basketball: They wanted me to be safe in an unsafe world.

I would need to ALREADY be a master at self-defense by the time I ever needed to use those skills. They couldn’t afford to wait until I were to get attacked to decide to start lessons.

And speaking is the same.

The other week, I had two clients who had only one week’s notice to showcase their BEST communication:

One had progressed to the next stage of interviews to go on a scientific mission to Antarctica.

The other had a last-minute pitch to KPMG for a business partnership.

If both of these clients hadn’t already worked with me for months to reduce filler words, articulate clearly, answer questions confidently or story tell in an engaging way, then what would they have done with only 6 days?

No. They had to spend that time preparing content.

As for their speaking skills? It was fine! Because they were already confident enough in how they could handle speaking under pressure.

And yet, there are so many people who say:

“I don’t like how I sound, but I’ll wait until I have a booked speaking gig until I start coaching”

“I hate sales, but let me wait until I have more clients until I can focus on my sales”

“I don’t really have any important interviews coming up, so I’ll call you when I get one”

By the time you wait until you have an opportunity, it is too late.

You need to already have the skills for WHEN you get the opportunity.

Speaking training is not a box to tick off.

It’s a skill that you develop over a long runway of practising UNTIL it becomes engrained into your automatic way of talking.

That’s the only way you will still sound confident and clear EVEN when you’re under pressure!

Want to revolutionise your speaking for confidence in meetings, interviews and on stages?

You don’t have to do it alone. You don’t have to only follow generic advice. You don’t have to wait.

My semi-private coaching program is where learning meets practice. You’ll learn all the fundamental speaking techniques in the on-demand course, then every week, get to practice your speaking with me! I’ll give you personalised feedback week after week so you can immediately level-up your speaking authority and confidence for your very next interview or presentation!

See more here: https://trangnova.com/voiceforimpact

Thank me when you only have 6 days to prepare for the biggest opportunity of your career 😅

Trang Nova ✨