“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” – Charles Dickens

As I write, Christmas is more than two months away, but I thought about my favorite Christmas movie the other day, White Christmas with Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Vera Ellen, and Danny Kaye. If you have not seen the movie, please do. It is a marvelously comedic, heartwarming, and uplifting movie.

In one scene, Bing Crosby sings the song Count Your Blessings to Rosemary Clooney with a fire going in a cozy lodge in Vermont with snow falling outside. Bing was trying to cheer up Rosemary, and he succeeded.

Have you ever taken the time to count your speaking blessings? If you haven’t, you want to start. It is a sure-fire way to get you out of your doldrums.

So, what are your speaking blessings? For one thing, the people in your audience have come to hear what you have to say. So, that’s a speaking blessing.

You have the opportunity to exercise a basic need that all humans share: the need to be heard. That’s a speaking blessing.

Finally, you will be participating in an activity that improves who you are: you will be helping others.

Below are three positive results in counting your speaking blessings:

Your Speaking Will Become More Positive

Counting your speaking blessings will make you a more positive speaker.

Your positive speaking will more deeply engage your audience.

Your positive speaking will make your presentations more attractive to your audience.

Your positive speaking will make the whole experience of speaking enjoyable for you.

By your positive speaking, you will be looking for and presenting solutions to your audience’s challenges in their personal and professional lives. You will give them “concrete” things they can do immediately to solve their dilemmas.

In addition to counting your speaking blessings, making you more positive will increase your confidence when you speak.

You Will Speak More Confidently

Counting your speaking blessings will make you more confident in your presentations and, therefore, more beneficial to your audience.

You will also become more successful as a speaker. The people in your audience will talk about your presentation outside the presentation, eventually making you a sought-after speaker.

The confidence you gain from counting your speaking blessings also motivates you to improve your speaking style, body language, and vocal variety. So you will always be looking for the one or two things you can do better and how to do them better.

Confidence is an inner game. Your confidence can only be bolstered from within you.

So, you now know counting your speaking blessings, making you more positive and increases your confidence when you speak.

You will also become more appealing to your audience.

You Will More Appealing to Your Audience

The main goal of any of your presentations is to engage your audience. You want to have their full attention. You want them to identify with you. You want them to instantly think about how they can use what you present in their personal and professional lives.

So, counting your speaking blessings also makes you more appealing to your audience. “Why?” you may say.

Your audience is attracted to positive and confident speakers.

Your audience wants to hear from someone sure in their ideas.

Your audience wants to hear from someone that appears like they can solve any challenge.

Some sure-fire ways to gauge whether you are appealing to your audience are the number of questions they ask, the smiles, laughter, and bright faces you see in your audience during your presentation, and how many of them want to talk to you after your presentation.

You want your audience to buy the information you are presenting to better their personal and professional lives. Counting your speaking blessings will allow you to accomplish this.

Counting your speaking blessings is a great way to be positive, confident in your presentations, and be more appealing to your audience.

Count your speaking blessings and enjoy the fullest of life’s opportunities!

Call to Action

Count your speaking blessings

• To be more positive in your presentations

To be more confident in your speaking

• To be more appealing to your audience

– Author Unknown

Frank DiBartolomeo is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and award-winning speaker, presentation and interview skills coach, and Professional Member of the National Speakers Association. He was awarded Toastmasters International’s highest individual award, Distinguished Toastmaster, in 2002 because of his outstanding work in public speaking and leadership.

Frank formed DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC (www.speakleadandsucceed.com) in 2007. The mission of DCI is to help technical professionals to inspire, motivate, and influence their colleagues and other technical professionals through improving their presentation skills, communication, and personal presence. Frank can be reached at frank@speakleadandsucceed.com and (703) 509-4424.

Don’t miss Frank DiBartolomeo’s latest book!

“Speak Well and Prosper: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Better Presentations”

Available now at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com