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Richard sent me the following email, which I feel is an excellent discussion point:

You do not come off as a shy person, as I am, but how do you manage to stay so calm and relaxed when you are presenting your live feed to the community? When I give presentations to my classmates, I have the bad habit of speaking too fast and not enunciating my words clearly. You, however, seem very relaxed, you pace yourself, you are easy to understand, and you speak very eloquently while using mature vocabulary. It also appears that you are able to speak very professionally off the top of your head, assuming that you do not write out what you say beforehand. I just really admire the ways you go about presenting information. I was just wondering if you had any tips at all about pacing yourself, focusing on what you are saying, and just staying relaxed. I think this would be a good thing to bring up with the community, unless you already have, because first impressions are very important.

I’ve pretty much been a ham all my life. I’m someone who always upstaged other people. I really enjoy doing the videos every day, for that very reason. Even though I’m energetic about it, I’ve refined my style over the years. I am a perfectionist when I record. I am known to literally do take after take, to get one I am really happy with. I want to always make sure I’m coming across the best way that I can. I’m always cognizant of the fact that most people who see my videos will see them after the fact, instead of live.

Practice, practice, practice… it really does make perfect. In High School, I tried out for what was called “Speech Squad”. Most of the comments I got were along the lines of “SLOW DOWN!”, because I always tended to speak too fast. Being on radio and tv has helped me to really think about what I do and how I do it. I’ve been able to refine my presentation style over the years.

Heck, no matter how much you practice you’re going to be nervous. That’s normal. Tap into that emotion and passion. Do your best to surface your thoughts in a way that is clear, cohesive and coherent. Connect with your intended audience. Even though I tend to throw in those $10.00 words at times, it’s really about what’s in my heart… not my head. For me, it’s about relaying useful information to the world. My approach has always been honest, genuine and transparent. It’s true… sometimes I am over the top. I get excited, and get increasingly louder as more and more thoughts jump into my head. I fall victim to saying “uh” and “Uhm” as much as anyone.

That’s my biggest tip. You don’t have to fill every second with noise. Take a breath. Take a pause. There’s no ‘undo’ button or delete key if you say the wrong word, but you can still correct yourself. You’re human, after all. Don’t try to be too perfect. People will connect with you more when you come across as human and imperfect. Show your passion, put your heart and soul into what you’re doing.

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