Saying the Wrong Thing

https://youtu.be/4KrUxLBHVu8

It happens to everyone. At some point, every one of us will make a gaffe, blunder, mispronounce a word or use one completely incorrectly. I adore this clip of Nigella Lawson above and her hilarious pronunciation of microwave (please click on above link now before reading further) because (a) it's amazing to hear a common, everyday word pronounced so incredibly differently than its actual pronunciation and (b) this is NIGELLA LAWSON: world famous chef, food writer and TV personality. I am certain she uses a microwave at least as much as I do everyday - and no doubt with better results. I might just start changing the way I pronounce the word, come to think of it!

If anything, this humerous clip reminds us that everyone makes mistakes, and even the most expert people in their fields are sometimes guilty of mispronouncing a word now and again. Which should be a great comfort to all of us who find ourselves in front of an audience, poised to wax poetic on the subject of the day. If public speaking is one of life's greatest fears, I think much of that fear comes from the worry that we will mess it up. We will stumble, stutter or misspeak and that blunder will lead to less success in delivering our message. And, while a polished and practiced speech will always go better than one that has been given very little forethought, sometimes you just have to lean into the stumble and carry on. I'm thinking that is what happened with Nigella. And look, she's still an incredible food personality, with much success and many loyal fans. And, she's human! Doesn't that just make you love her more?

As you prepare for your next speaking opportunity, keep this clip in mind so that you remember to worry a little less about how perfect you sound, and focus more on the quality of your content. If you are knowledgeable and excited about the topic you are addressing, that will resonate with your audience and any missteps or stumbles in your delivery will be easily forgiven; they can actually help make you more relatable and in a way help to make your message more authentic.

Here are three things you can do to iron out the wrinkles and ensure your presentation will go as smoothly as possible.

1) Record yourself. I don't know very many people (toddlers and pre-schoolers excepted) that love to see themselves on video, but this is a very useful tool for catching things in your delivery before someone else does.

2) Practice in front of someone - anyone will do, but this is a good time for me to point out that a speech coach (shameless plug) can be very helpful in just one or two sessions.

3) Slow down your breathing before you speak your first word. Adrenaline is a great tool for getting us psyched up to perform, but it also tends to make us speak faster, and sometimes that can cause a word to come out jumbled or incorrect altogether. Deep breaths.

There's a lot of pressure for professionals to present them selves as a highly polished version of themselves, social media ready, and flawless. The truth of the matter is that the imperfections and quirks that make us human (awkward pronounciations and all) are ultimately what make us relatable and handled with poise and practice can make us both likable and memorable. Excuse me now, while I reheat my coffee in the micro-wauve- ay.