As a public speaker, have you ever wondered whether you are “spinning your wheels” or actually “making traction?” If you have, you are in the vast majority of public speakers.

“Making traction” can mean different things to different people.

To me, “making traction” means three things: 1) giving others the tools they need to improve their personal and professional lives, (2) increasing the percentage of my speaking business coming from referrals, and (3) receiving increasing revenue so that my family and I can have the lifestyle we want.

Sometimes, it’s hard to stay the course with what you’re doing.

Assuming you have put some time into your “making traction” strategy, you may sometimes find it hard to maintain your motivation.

This article aims to motivate you to stay the course.

Below are three detailed strategies you can use to stay the course when things don’t turn out the way you want, whether it’s a disengaged audience, a cancelled event, or a poor reception from your audience.

Reframe Setbacks as Learning Opportunities

Public speakers can turn disappointments into growth by analyzing what went wrong with curiosity rather than criticism.

Instead of thinking, “The audience didn’t connect with me,” ask, “What part of my delivery or content could I revise for next time?”

When I was in the military and industry, after an important presentation, we would conduct a “hot wash.” A “hot wash” is simply a “no holds barred,” complete, and honest appraisal of the presentation.

You should do the same for your presentations. The “hot wash” may be performed by you and others or only by you. Even by yourself, but it is still very instructive to perform.

You should (1) examine your body language, tone of voice, and what you said when the audience was engaged, (2) examine your body language, tone of voice, and what you said when the audience was NOT engaged, (3) mind storm (brain storm by one person) to decide what things in your presentation you are going to keep, what you are going to discard, and what you are going to improve.

Keeping a post-event reflection journal helps identify patterns and refine future talks. You must do this as soon as possible after your presentation. If you don’t, your recollection will begin to fade. You will lose the lessons learned, good and bad.

There is an old Chinese proverb: “The palest ink is better than the best memory.” As time passes, your presentation experience will fade further and further from your mind until it is lost among your other memories. That’s why it is essential to record your experience in your post-event reflection journal as soon after your presentation as possible.

You can mine feedback, both positive and negative, for insight. Ken Blanchard, famed management expert, says, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” Feedback from yourself and others.

Disengage yourself from the presentation. Evaluate the presentation as if you were viewing a speaker on video.

If possible, viewing your presentations on video is a powerful tool to accelerate the pace of your public speaking improvement.

One way to stay the course in your public speaking is to reframe setbacks as learning opportunities.

Another approach is to remain anchored in purpose, rather than performance.

Remain Anchored in Purpose, Not Performance

When the outcome of your presentation disappoints you, returning to the deeper “why” behind your speaking career can sustain your motivation.

Reflect on the impact you aim to make, not just applause or booking numbers.

Your motivation should be rooted in the purpose of your speech, not in your performance in a specific presentation.

Your performance in a particular presentation is not an evaluation of you as a person. The performance is simply a “yardstick” on how you did for the specific presentation.

Your performance is not who you are as a person. In other words, don’t take feedback personally. Use it to enhance and refine your speaking skills.

Seek ways to maintain and increase your hunger for providing your audiences with ways to improve their public speaking, professional lives, and personal lives.

Visual reminders (e.g., testimonials, thank-you emails, your mission statement) can reignite passion. As Simon Sinek says, it all starts with your “why.” Why are you speaking on your topic?

Some public speakers tend to dismiss compliments from others on their speaking. Embrace these compliments.

Earl Nightingale, one of my mentors, says the only requirement for a speaker is to be entertaining. Entertained audiences learn more and come back to hear you speak. Don’t ignore this aspect of audiences.

Adjust your attitude from “Was I good?” to “Did I serve?” I believe everyone was put on this beautiful planet to serve others. Every human being should serve others first and then consider being compensated.

Zig Ziglar, famed speaker and salesman, once said, “You can get anything you want out of life if you help enough other people get what they want out of life.”

This works in any economy. Try it. You’ll like it.

Two ways to stay the course in your public speaking are to reframe setbacks as learning opportunities and remain anchored in purpose, not performance.

A third way to stay the course in your public speaking is to develop emotional resilience through ritual and support.

Develop Emotional Resilience Through Rituals and Support

Staying the course requires emotional stamina.

Establish pre- and post-speech rituals (e.g., meditation, journaling, walking) that help restore equilibrium.

There is a saying: “All work and no play make John a dull boy.” You love to speak to others. Hopefully, you are having a lot of fun doing it. However, even if you enjoy speaking, you can get burned out if that is all you do. As with all human beings, you need to “recharge your batteries” by engaging in other activities.

Maybe the other activity is reading a good book, playing tennis, or playing a musical instrument. The activity does not matter. It just needs to be something different than speaking.

Self-development expert Brian Tracy says that if we lived to 100 years, we still would not be able to accomplish what we want if we don’t depend on gaining knowledge through others, such as books, blogs, podcasts, and so on. Be a lifelong learner.

Maintain a support network of speaker peers or mentors to debrief and share challenges.

Everyone has blind spots. These are the parts of our life that are not apparent to us but are readily recognizable to others. This is the true reward of sharing your experiences with others. You can ask the opinion of others concerning any area of your life. You will learn something about yourself that had not occurred to you.

There is another saying, “Birds of a feather flock together.” I applied this back in 2017. I was a professional speaker wannabe, but had not achieved that status. Where were professional speakers flocking – the National Speakers Association. I joined and have been rewarded time and time again with advice from seasoned, professional speakers.

Discover where your audience is in associations, online, and offline. You will be enriched, learn, and be rewarded in your speaking.

Embrace uncertainty as part of the journey, not a sign of failure. You can’t control your circumstances, but you can always control how you react to them.

Think solutions, not problems. This mindset opens your mind to possibilities and closes it to roadblocks.

Three ways to stay the course in your public speaking are to reframe setbacks as learning opportunities, remain anchored in purpose rather than performance, and develop emotional resilience through rituals and support.

Human beings are problem solvers.

Become a possibility thinker and solution implementer.

Stay Your Course!

Call to Action

• After each presentation, turn your triumphs and disappointments into growth by analyzing what went wrong with curiosity rather than criticism.

• Sustain your speaking motivation when the outcome disappoints by returning to the deeper “why” behind your speaking career

• Establish pre- and post-speech rituals (e.g., meditation, journaling, walking) that help restore equilibrium.

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References

• Dweck, C. S. (2006). “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.” — Dweck emphasizes the growth mindset, which teaches that failure is not a verdict but an opportunity to improve.

• Sinek, S. (2009). “Start With Why.” — Sinek shows how leaders who stay grounded in their purpose endure longer and more meaningfully, despite setbacks.

Brown, B. (2012). “Daring Greatly.” — Brown discusses vulnerability and resilience, encouraging professionals to show up fully even when outcomes are uncertain.

Being a confident, engaging, and effective technical speaker is a vital personal and professional asset. With more than 40 years of engineering experience and more than 30 years of award-winning public speaking experience, I can help you reduce your presentation preparatory time by 50%, overcome your fear of public speaking and be completely at ease, deliver your presentations effectively, develop your personal presence with your audience; and apply an innovative way to handle audience questions deftly.

Working closely with you, I provide a customized protocol employing the critical skills and tools you need to create, practice, and deliver excellent technical speeches and presentations. Let’s connect and explore how I can help you become the exceptional speaker you were meant to be. Please reach out to me at frank@speakleadandsucceed.com or 703-509-4424 for a complimentary consultation. Schedule a meeting with me at calendly.com/frankdibartolomeospeaks