I love to golf. I spend a lot of my time in the summer out on a golf course. I used to be pretty horrible at it when I first started. It wasn't too common for me to take a 'gentleman's 9' which meant I was done with that hole and was taking a 9 on it. However, after doing quite a bit of practicing, getting some lessons, and more practicing, I have become a fairly decent golfer. I am not great, but I am getting better. If I wanted to do really well, I would probably have to practice a lot more. Unfortunately, I am not a professional golfer and don't have the time to commit myself to becoming that good.
What is amazing about golf - and almost anything really - is that if you practice at it, get some good instructions on how to fix things you are doing wrong - and practice some more - you can get very good at it. Most people say that it takes 10,000 hours or 10 years to become an expert at anything. I haven't quite gotten to that 10,000 hours in golf yet, but I know I have gotten there when it comes to public speaking. That is why I am so confident when I speak - I have practiced and practiced at it.
If you are struggling with public speaking or giving a good speech the lesson here is clear - practice! Do you need to practice your speech for 10,000 hours? No. What you do need to do though is actually practice your speech. Don't just throw something together and expect your speech or presentation to go well. I have seen too many people do much worse in their speeches than they could because they didn't practice at it. Presentations are the worst because a lot of people assume that they can just throw together a presentation quickly and it will be just fine. In fact, I see people mention how they have to throw together a ppt on Twitter and I just want to yell at them! I know they are not going to give as good of a speech as they can.
The thing about practicing golf is that you have to do it at the golf course. Practicing a speech however is much easier. You can practice giving your speech anywhere - even the golf course. Don't fall into the trap of 'good enough' when preparing your speeches and presentations. If you want to succeed and really knock people's socks off, practice your speech. If you are not sure you are doing it right, ask someone with experience (you can call me anytime) to help you out - then practice some more!
Travis
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