Terrible is not so bad

The CEO felt terrible. He was nervous. He can face the biggest challenges, face the competitors no matter what size or share they come, but he felt terrible at having to face an audience making a speech.

And so he asked one of his assistants to write him a short and sharp 20-minute speech. When the CEO returned from the big event though, he was furious.

“What’s the idea of writing me an hour-long speech?” he demanded to know. “Half the audience walked out before I finished.”

The assistant was baffled. “I wrote you a 20-minute speech,” he replied. “I also gave you the two extra copies you asked for.”

“I am so terrible at this,” says an executive working on his piece. He says, ”Francis, how I wish I could speak like you but I suffer from anxiety attack just knowing that I have to face an audience and speak. I am not good at this, in fact I am terrible at public speaking.”

Do you know how many top executives have consulted me on this?

I processed it and realized that I have something to say about being “Terrible.”

Here is the truth: many people start with “Terrible,” but over time they improve.

Terrible is the place where most people begin. My first speaking bout was one notch below terrible. And I went home feeling so bad asking myself, why did I have to speak?

My son, Bryan, has marked his first professional speaking event last year. I am a professional speaker and I know the difference between a good one and not a very good one.

I may be accused of being partial but the truth is that I sat through Bryan’s piece and I would say that he started with a few notches above terrible. The organizers gave him a few tips for improvements.

I kept quiet and held my peace. This was a turning moment that he had to go through by himself. I laughed but did not let him see me do so. I knew what was to happen. Bryan felt so bad he questioned himself whether speaking is his call.

He could not sleep. He ran through his piece again and again, improving it some more. He still had a few more runs to do and he did not want to fail the client’s expectations.

He is an entrepreneur and his successful restaurant business provides him with more than enough money he needs.

And so his anxieties and “terrible feelings” stemmed not from the fear of losing the client and losing his business opportunities, but from the fact that he did not like his own performance and he knew he must improve.

This is a good thing. Terrible as a starting point is a good thing.

With a lot more practice, he smoothened his rough patches, added more stories and content into his piece. Clients saw his improvements and guess what? Here is a key thing to note. He is having fun. Invitations from all over the place now come his way.

Most people might suspect that I have something to do with it. That is not my style. He has to earn his stripes. That way he would know and determine for himself whether speaking and teaching is his call.

Schools invite him, groups of friends, his former employer as well as other companies too. As of now it all seems that he is on his way to being a professional speaker and trainer. His background in music and his actual entrepreneurial experiences would make him effective at his new endeavor.

This is why “Terrible” is a nice place to start. You get better.

There are young budding speakers I have met and counseled many years ago who started out as “terrible.” Today though, their clients tell me that they have become “terribler.” They have not improved at all.

They add some coarse humor to their piece wanting to make their audience laugh in their attempt to be cute but their material lacks substance and short changes their audiences.

These people evidently have not improved over the years. They get a client and they never get invited back. Now that is the real “TERRIBLE” that one should avoid.

Every expert was once a beginner and every professional was once an amateur. Don’t quit at the initial “Terrible Stage.” Improve. Learn. Invest in learning and keep on growing.

Success is always a process and never an event.

(Tickets almost all sold out for “Stand Out for Outstanding Performance” that will be held on September 9, 2015 at the Metro Tent inside Metro Walk along Ortigas Blvd. Be inspired and learn from speakers Chinkee Tan, Bryan Kong and Karen Davila as they share principles on how to become great achievers. For further inquiries contact Inspire at 09158055910 or call 632-6310912 or 6310660 for details)