I’m a new speaker. That’s a funny way for a Certified Speaking Professional® (CSP)
,
who’s been speaking professionally for years, to start an article. I’ve taken a giant leap backwards in my speaking career. I’m a CSP, but I’m also a beginner. Some of you already know that a little over 3 years ago, I committed to becoming conversationally fluent in Spanish. I was at a conference in Mexico, and I thought that my high school Spanish would allow me to engage in basic conversation. Well, I was wrong. High school was a very long time ago, and I realize now how little Spanish I had actually learned.
When in Rome (or Cancun)
I came to the realization that when a foreigner comes to the US, we expect them to speak English. And when we go to their country, we also expect them to speak English. That’s not right. I wanted to respect the people in the other country by at least trying to have a conversation in their language. Once I started to get better, I was encouraged to keep going.
Everywhere I went I tried to practice speaking Spanish. Whether it was a waiter in a restaurant, a taxi driver, or a conference attendee, if I knew (or sensed) that someone was fluent in Spanish, I would try to at least exchange a few words or sentences. I was able to speak Spanish in many places, including Ireland, Dubai and even India.
You did what?
Then, this past January, I took a leap of faith and committed to give a presentation in Spanish in September. Yes, September of the same year. I was nowhere near ready in January; but it gave me a target date, and 8 months, to get ready. I worked on my Spanish throughout those months, but not specifically the speech. I figured there would be time as I got closer for that. Then in June, a funny thing happened. I was invited to speak in Uruguay in August. Uh oh, there goes a month off of my timeline!
Shhh, it’s a surprise
I was going to present three times, twice in English and once in Spanish (which would be a surprise to the attendees). For the Spanish presentation, I chose one of my more popular topics, The Price Is Right, which is about how to handle the “How much do you charge?” question, and pricing on your website. It’s a subject I know well, which I figured would help. Well, at least I thought it would help. It wasn’t just a new language I was trying to learn; it was also a vocabulary of words that don’t usually come up in casual conversation.
When I learned that I had a long layover in Panama, a friend arranged for me to present to a small group of local wedding pros, which would be my rehearsal for Uruguay. I practiced the speech over, and over. I would record myself and then listen to the recording when I was driving, walking through an airport, and exercising. The words became more familiar, but still not second nature. I reverted back to using my iPad mini for my speaking notes (something I’ve mostly abandoned when presenting in English).
When it came time to present in Panama, I was very nervous. I had the jitters like a beginning speaker. It was partly because I wanted to do well, and partly because it was so different from where I am as a professional speaker (in English). I was mostly reading as I presented, which seemed to bother me and not my audience. They were very appreciative that I had even tried to present in Spanish, and gave me great feedback.
It’s like a whole other country
Two days later I was in Montevideo, Uruguay. But now, instead of a dozen in my audience, it was 140 people. They had told me there would be a translator for me, as I was the only non-native Spanish speaker. The rest were from countries in Central and South America, as well as Mexico. I’ve presented with a translator before, but this time was different. Instead of being a simultaneous translation, where the attendees have wireless earphones to hear the translation, in real time, this conference had a consecutive translation. I would speak a few lines, and then the translator, who was sitting on a chair in front of the audience, would speak the translation into his microphone. While he did a great job keeping the meaning and emotion, It completely ruined the flow and energy for me, and I felt, for the audience.
Time for another leap of faith
The next morning, I was to give another presentation in English, and then my surprise Spanish presentation to close the conference. I decided that it would be better to try to present the second one in Spanish than to use the consecutive translation. So that afternoon, I enlisted the help of two new friends from Chile and Venezuela, to help me translate the speech. It took us a couple of hours to get it right.
And then the next morning, I shook off the nervousness and stood in front of the audience and asked them if it would be OK if I tried to present this one in Spanish. There was a thunderous applause, and off I went, mostly reading (as I hadn’t had time to practice the way I had with The Price is Right). I wasn’t able to ad-lib or go off-script much, if at all. That takes time. That takes practice. That takes a level of comfort with both the material, and the vocabulary. That’s why I’m a beginner, again. It’s a humbling experience, but also quite exciting and liberating. It’s easy to get comfortable, and maybe you can relate, with that comfort can also come a little complacency, or boredom. So, what are you doing that’s new and exciting? What are you trying that makes you feel a little like a beginner? Join me in stepping backward, the first step on taking a giant leap forward.
I hope you have some ideas on how you can breathe new life into your business, or personal life. Need a little help, or maybe a little push? I work with businesses, big and small, on achieving their goals.
Here’s just a couple of them:
“Alan’s advice re: converting website visits into bookings has resulted in a great boom in biz for me 🙂 I plan on booking future “check ups” with him, the Dr. cured an ailing business” -Robert McCloy, Professional Musician, Mason, MI
“Our sales staff has already started to use many of the strategies that you have recommended. I am sure this will turn out to be the least amount of money I have ever spent to bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars of new business in return. Talk about ROI!” -Bob Ryan, Robert Ryan Catering, Phoenixville, PA
Let’s find out how I can help you. Email or call me 732.422.6362, international 001 732 422 6362
