I wanted to take the Speaking Academy course. I knew that I had something inside me that wanted to speak, and I wanted to learn from the best. I’ve seen Eric speak on several occasions, and I’ve also done his WildFit programs online. I just think he has a really good way of teaching and bringing out the best in people, and that's what I wanted to experience.
I know that it’s no problem if someone asks you to just get up and speak a few words, either in a social setting or on stage. That’s what I really learned here. I’ve stepped it up a few notches, so now I have no problem if someone asks me to get on stage to speak. I’ve never done it well before, but now I would like to be a speaker. I’m hoping this course will give me a professional boost up the ladder, and now I have a show reel to show people. I hope that will help with my career.
I was very lucky. The result was that I got a little award at the end, which was really gratifying. That was a surprise, actually, because when I was called up to the final, I didn’t expect it. You don’t always know if you’ll be selected to appear in the final, but I changed my speech completely from the one I had practiced for three days. I felt like I just wanted to make people laugh, so I turned it completely on its head and did something completely different. It just felt really good.
What I experienced was probably the biggest transformation I’ve had in five years. When we started, there were 40 of us, all with different expectations, different levels of ability, and different levels of confidence. But at the end of five days, every single person was able to get up and give a speech they had prepared. In some cases, like mine, I gave an unprepared speech. Everyone had the confidence and conviction to do that. I don’t think any other course, certainly not the ones I’ve experienced, can give you that confidence and those memories.