Just the Way You Are

I’m humming the Billy Joel tune as I write. The goal of public speaking and presentation training is not, or should not be, to change who you are. The way you move and speak, the mannerisms that make you a unique individual should be celebrated and enhanced.

We like you just the way you are. Being a clone of someone else or attempting to turn yourself into something foreign to you is no way to live. Your mission and goal ought to be to make the most of your unique personal characteristics.

A quirky facial expression or a slight speech impediment might be the difference that makes a difference in positive audience perception of you. Watch and listen to professional comedians for excellent examples of this. Rather than apologize for their unique differences and often downright peculiarities, they rely on those things to promote their humor. Without those unique differences, their jokes might fall flat. We all have friends who repeat jokes that aren’t as funny as they were when the comedian said them. That’s because our friends don’t have their act down. They don’t have the same complete package that made that joke as outstanding as when the professional comic presented it.

We’re not all cut out to be comedians. But we are all cut out to be the best version of ourselves. Tapping your inherent personality is the key to success. This can mean going through the process of letting go of fears and insecurities that keep us from being real. But what wonderful work to do!

We have one life to live. It’s our duty to ourselves to live it authentically.

All articles in the Shanks For Speaking Blog copyright (c) Patricia Shanks 2025.

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