In my late 30's, I had to deliver a speech to 1000 people, in a VERY upscale environment loaded with academics. Back in the pee-in-my-pants terrified days. One per day, in a week-long state tour. And I'd brought this on myself-- what WAS I thinking?!?!?!

At the last stop, I was even more scared-- at advance-prep, setup time I walked in with my boxes of literature to see the most upscale, largest, scariest place of them all. "Well," I thought, "This is either a chance to run like hell or a chance to harvest something GOOD. Cuz either way, it's BIG."

I decided to try for GOOD, and noticed there'd been no welcome-staff all week. My host from the Lieutenant Governor's office readily gave me permission to "be" that "welcoming" "staff"person.

So-- I met each arrival at the hall's door with the brochure off the table they'd otherwise have ignored (mine), and greeted each arrivee warmly and personally, directing them to please take a seat near the front.

(I just pretended I was handing out campaign literature to commuters, which I had done in the past. A smile almost guarantees converting an "ignorer" to a "taker" as you say something nice, or funny, or whatever as you size each person up, and the thing you say cocers your reaching out with the brochure. They take it without realizing they took it. Maybe these folks thought it was a program.)

When most of them were in, I went and sat on the dais with the other planned speakers, last to take my seat.

By the time my speech came (last, as the wrap-up of the whole week's tour), I had sat there looking out at all my new "friends" for about a half an hour and, by the time I got up, it really WAS just a relaxed chat with friends I knew were ready to hear me.


Needless to say it was a lesson learned a tad late-- the preceding talks of the week's tour were HELL. :~) But this one netted me half a dozen big job offers. :~) Same speech, different me.

Try it, it works.

~Susan