20-05-2025
Change Is Possible - If You Work At It Diligently
One of the most frequent observations made about presentations and speeches is that good speakers are born not made. The underlying implication of this view is that change is impossible. Put another way, nature nullifies nurture.
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The latest instance of this belief comes from Jason Gay, the Wall Street Journal's sports columnist who was invited to deliver a commencement address at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gay's immediate reaction was 'I'm not worthy.' He went on to add that some people 'are born to do this. I am not. I'm a bit of an introvert, happiest behind a keyboard. My greatest fear is a room full of strangers. My second greatest fear is another room full of strangers.'
Sound familiar? Gay's plaint is a variation of the good speakers are born belief. But he didn't stop there. 'I buckled down. I prepared,' he said. The result: 'I think it went all right. Feedback's been positive.'
Gay's case demonstrates that change is possible and there is overwhelming evidence to prove it: from the baseball players who go from the minor leagues to the majors, performers who go from understudy to star, or from Off-Broadway to Broadway. They are all tales about the ugly duckling who becomes a beautiful swan, and Cinderella who becomes a Princess.
Of course, there is the classic 'My Fair Lady,' one the most successful Broadway musicals and films ever created. The show tells the story of how a lowly Cockney flower girl is accepted as royalty by improving her manner of speech with the help of a speech teacher. One of the songs in the show is 'Just You Wait,' which includes the passage: 'Next week on the twentieth of May, I proclaim Liza Doolittle Day!'
So, in honor of Eliza Doolittle—and Jason Gay—make this the day you change.
Gay said that he was able to change by reading other commencement speeches, soliciting advice from colleagues, writing multiple drafts, and practicing aloud 'maybe 30 times.'
To demonstrate the power of practice, let me share a personal example. I have been a presentation coach for over three decades and I deliver my coaching sessions without any practice. However, from time to time, I am invited to give a presentation about giving a presentation. Because the material for such a presentation is drawn from my recurring programs, I don't have to go through all the steps Jason Gay did for his unique event. But I do write multiple drafts and I do practice aloud—multiple times.
I broke the practice routine for one of those unique events and paid the price. I was scheduled to deliver a new presentation at a conference in Napa, a two-hour drive from my home base in Silicon Valley. It was a particularly busy time and I couldn't practice as much as usual, but planned to do so during the long drive north. However, another urgent matter arose that required my spending the drive time on the phone. The result: I stumbled frequently during the speech.
Vince Lombardi, the legendary football coach once said, 'Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.'
So change is possible. It just takes time and effort.
Take the advice of Sir Winston Churchill, one of the greatest orators of all time, who said in one of his speeches: 'To improve is to change, so to be perfect is to have changed often.'
