Speaking to My Imaginary Audience

Are there areas in your life or performance, where you know you probably should improve? I’m sure there are. In this video, I share a strategy I employed early on to become a better speaker long before I was ever paid to speak professionally. What was it? I spoke to an imaginary audience! I’m not talking about speaking in my bedroom or in front of the mirror. I mean, twenty years ago, I would walk down to the Crystal City Marriott Hotel outside of Washington DC and at midnight I would speak to my imaginary audience. (Watch the video of me telling the story)

My thought was, if I’m ever going to speak professionally, I probably better hone my craft and master my skill. So, three times a week, I would sneak in to an empty ballroom and – practice, practice, practice. That discipline of practicing when I was without has opened many doors and has made all the difference in my life.

The reality is, no matter what your goals or dreams are – committing yourself to constant and never-ending improvement is vital for future success. What can you work on today to be more effective? What added skills will move you closer to your goals like never before?

It’s been said that, “Everyone in the top 20% started off in the bottom 20%.” Ray Kroc, founder of McDonalds as we know it today, said, “When your green you’re growing, when you’re ripe you rot.” Brian Tracy often refers to the, “E.V.E. Ratio”. This means, in the U.S.A, the hours of Entertainment versus Education is 100 to 1. Wow!

Additionally, the cause of low performance in many ailing organizations, according to research, is employees are not trained to the degree they should be. It is true that many organizations train around competencies and skills related to a particular skill or job, but the great organizations provide life training – attitudinal and values training. You know, the “emotional intelligence” type of training. “Soft skills” has a tremendous impact on the bottom-line. This isn’t just the fluffy stuff. While great leaders provide positive training, they also expect people to demand the best from themselves. Unfortunately, “many people are hired because of skills, but fired because of a poor attitude.”

If your organization is seeking to improve performance, improve culture, improve morale, we invite you to contact us: https://www.greatnesswithin.com

Remember, all achievement boils down to three primary categories and they can all be worked on to improve performance. I call it, “The B.S.A. Results Formula”:

1. Belief and Mindset.

2. Skills and Strategies.

3. Action.

For some people they have self-belief, but they don’t take action. For others they have skills and they’re willing to take action, but they don’t have much self-belief and over time they end up taking two steps forward and three steps back because of their limited beliefs. Then, there are those who have a high level of belief and are willing to take action, but they are heading in the opposite direction of their intended goals.

Organizations operate the same way. After all, organizations are people hopefully moving in the same direction with a shared purpose and vision. If you will provide this type of training, your culture will improve, people will become more engaged and performance will sky rocket!

My advice: Go to work on yourself. If you are a leader, provide training and opportunities for growth and development. James Allen, author of, As a Man Thinketh says, “You don’t get in life what you WANT, you get who you are ARE.” Become more!

About TJ Hoisington:

TJ Hoisington is the bestselling author of “If You Think You Can!” and “The Secret of the Slight Edge.” He has authored other books and training programs on peak performance, personal development, and leadership. As a motivation speaker and organizational performance expert, TJ Hoisington has been invited speak to audiences of 10 executives or 15,000 people. TJ's mission is to provide inspiration and tools that empower people and organizations achieve their goals by unleashing the greatness within. TJ Hoisington is the co-founder of Dunn Hoisington Leadership International.