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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

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Join the discussion 3 Comments

  • Rob Ferre says:

    I loved hearing this story and it’s humbling to know we all have to start somewhere. It’s great to know that you are re-inventing yourself and stretching yourself in ways you didn’t know possible. I hope to follow in your footsteps as I pursue my speaking career. Thank you for sharing!

  • Laura says:

    Thanks for sharing this Alan!! I’m in the process of learning the guitar, never having played before. It’s exhilarating and scary to commit to learning new things as an adult but so far the joy I’ve received from the guitar has been totally worth it! Kudos to you on your accomplishment.

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