Communication Tip:
Affirming Success
Affirmations work! I have seen their effectiveness from my own
experience as well as from the successes of athletes, performers, and many
others who used this technique.
An affirmation is a positive statement that we make about ourselves. We repeat that statement daily. (What works best is to repeat that statement
several times in the morning and again at night for at least 21 days.) As
we repeat the affirmation, we begin to believe it about ourselves, and we
find ourselves acting in ways that are consistent with that belief.
People have used affirmations to lose weight, find jobs, and improve
their golf swing. You can also use them to improve your public speaking
skills. Here are a few that you can use:
- I feel
perfectly at home in front of an audience. I find public speaking comfortable and fun!
- I speak
eloquently and confidently. The right words flow through me clearly and
audibly.
- I
organize and present my ideas so my listeners can readily understand and
accept them.
- Confidence and enthusiasm radiate through me. I know what I am doing,
and I enjoy what I do!
- I open
myself to others' feedback. I embrace it and use it to improve myself as
a speaker.
Here are some tips to help you write your own affirmations:
- Put
your affirmations in the present tense. When you believe that you have
the skills you seek, you will act as though you have them even if they
are not fully developed at the moment. If you phrase the affirmation in the
future tense, it reinforces that you do not have the skill you seek, and
its accomplishment is in a future that may or may not happen.
- Focus on the positive skills you want, not the problems you
have right now. "I do not stutter" only focuses on and reinforces the problem instead of moving you away from it. By
saying, "I speak eloquently," you offer a trait to replace the behavior
you want to eliminate.
- Be specific.
Describe exactly what you want to
accomplish so that you can sense and experience what it is like to
accomplish what you want.
- Be brief. By keeping your affirmations short, you make
them easy to remember and to reinforce in your mind.
- Focus on you and what you can do. You cannot affirm that
others will agree with every word you say, but you can affirm how you
will handle challenging situations as they arise.
If you consider affirmations too New Age-y, mere mind tricks to pump up
salespeople, or downright simple-minded and silly, keep in mind that we
use affirmations all the time without us being conscious of them.
Unfortunately, they are usually negative. How many times have you caught
yourself saying things like "I'll never speak in public. It's just too
scary!" Or "No one listens to me. I'm just not attractive or assertive
enough." These are affirmations as well because you repeat them to
yourself, which discourages you from speaking (and lots of other things). If you
are going to speak to yourself anyway, why not make the things you say
encouraging and constructive?
If you still do not want to use affirmations because you feel they
do not fit your religious beliefs, look for a prayer or scriptural passage
that fits what you want to affirm. Psalm 23 is excellent for when you need strength
to speak to a hostile audience. Also look at Exodus 4:10–12, which ends
with "Now go [said the Lord to Moses]; I will help you speak and will
teach you what to say." (NIV)
Give affirmations a try. You too will be convinced when you see the
improvements that they make in your life.
Related Topics
Speeches Communication Tips Technical
Writing Tips
Creative Writing Tips
Resources about Affirmations
Affirmation Handbook
Affirmations for
Personal Growth and Self Improvement
The Wealthy Spirit
Links
Toastmasters
International
Founder's
District Toastmasters
Tony Audrieth
More Links |
