I didn’t really have the skills or the tools to be the kind of mom I really wanted to be. So, when Eric asked me, “What’s your why?” the answer that came to me was, “I want to learn to communicate with my son in a way that I wasn’t able to before.”
I’m an entrepreneur at heart. I’m also a marketing and business development consultant and a strategic coach. I’ve done a lot of speaking engagements in the past, and I’ve realized that my passion is really helping people and businesses grow.
Eric is a phenomenal speaker, and I’ve heard so many amazing things about this program. I know he has the ability to take people from being terrified of stepping on stage to speaking confidently in front of an audience in such a short amount of time. Although I wouldn’t say I particularly have stage fright, what I really want to learn is how to create a presentation, keynote speech, or talk without having to rely on slides or notes. That’s been a real struggle for me. Even when I use notes or an iPad, I still miss key points, and I end up feeling like I didn’t deliver the message I truly wanted to convey.
This is why I’m so excited about working with Eric—he’s a master at teaching us how to speak without notes.
When Eric asked us about our “why” and why we want to be speakers, it really got me thinking. I’ve always called myself a speaker, and I’ve spoken many times, but I put a lot of that on hold. When I thought about my “why,” what really came to me was the desire to communicate better with my son. I want him to learn how to communicate with others in a way that I wasn’t able to show him. I had him when I was 19, so I didn’t really have the skills or tools to be the kind of mom I wanted to be.
I’ve had a lot of “aha” moments during this program where I’ve realized some of the things that are holding me back. From a strategic standpoint, understanding how to build a presentation using stories has been a huge learning experience. On the first afternoon, I had a little breakthrough that I’m still processing and exploring. It’s helping me understand why I’ve sometimes chosen to step out of the spotlight. I’m still exploring that, but it was a huge awareness. I realized I sometimes prevent myself from shining.
I remember when I was in grade 3, I was the emcee for my Christmas concert, and I loved it. They pulled the mic away from me because I didn’t want to stop talking. My parents have shared that memory with me, and that theme of “shining too bright” has stayed with me. When I start to have fun speaking with someone, a message from my past creeps in that tells me to stop talking. I love how Eric emphasizes that most of us have experienced this, where we’re told to stop talking or that speaking too much is bad. That’s where we start dimming our light and not using our voices as much as we should.
What really surprised me about the program—though not in terms of its format—was the exercise we did yesterday. Each person had to stand on stage and feel the energy of the audience. We worked on developing our stage presence, and that was really powerful. I actually felt emotional a few times because you could see people just standing there, absorbing the energy of the group. There were a couple of participants who had challenges with this, but with a little bit of Eric’s guidance, their confidence shifted dramatically in just a minute. They were standing taller and more grounded, and it was amazing to see that transformation.
I would recommend this program to anyone. We’re only two days in, and I can already see that it’s much more than just a speaking program. It’s really a program that helps you communicate clearly and effectively. Who couldn’t use a little more skill and guidance in doing that?
