What’s with Stories?

Well, even starting with that question is the beginning of a story. It pulls you in because you are interested or entertained by the observation that importance of storytelling in Public Speaking has become commonplace.

Will I push back against the zeitgeist?

What if I tell you that if out of the blue, you suddenly clapped your hands, it would have a similar effect on people around you? After the surprise they would instantly look for the cause or purpose behind it, and perhaps even wait for more to unfold.

Just as you are waiting now.

And here is your reward:

In this article I will go through steps to take over a period of weeks to prepare for a public speaking presentation. Unlike previous articles there will no specific exercises. Instead this is an example of an holistic process.

Whilst technique underpins the delivery of good communication, a positive and accurate mindset means you can adapt to whatever is thrown at you, never allowing circumstance or the inner critic to define your sense of worth or trouble your presentation.

The combination of hypnosis for mindset and practiced technique is where mastery can be found.

Failure. Errors of judgment. Letting people down. These are the things that are considered by many to be the track record against which one can judge future competence. While patterns may exist, I believe that recognizing these patterns as an opportunity to learn and iterate is the route to mastery. Those who fear public speaking are often their own harshest critics, convinced that their fears and patterns are unchangeable. Hypnosis - aka being in a calm enough state to embrace what you know is true - makes the pattern shifts become automatic and new, more reasonable thoughts become the natural normal.

One key lesson is that regardless of someone’s achievements, they remain your equal. This perspective is essential for public speakers who often face the challenge of perceived hierarchy.

Hierarchy and authority are often constructs of our own minds. A shift in perspective can happen in an instant, transforming our view of others and ourselves. This is particularly relevant for public speakers who might feel intimidated by their audience. Hypnosis has proven time and again to be a successful way of shifting away from mental assumptions and towards what is true and in your control.

Perfection is a tyranny. I know a few perfectionists. They would be the first to admit it's a cruel value to be addicted to. It’s sometimes explained as a drive for the best possible, but if the end result is unattainable then it’s not a “drive”, it’s Sisyphean torture. A drive would suggest a process, a movement towards a goal. Hypnosis can help defeat that tyranny and put in place something more accurate and suited for the real world.

Humans are somewhat defined by having a relatively extraordinary ability to predict cause and effect. This is how we invent, manipulate, create and build. This is how we have populated almost every corner of the world, and built virtual worlds to populate even more. Hypnosis combined with practical steps make us masters of this predictive power - not sufferers of it’s worst imaginings…