It’s the Last Thing You Want to Do in Your Public Speaking. Here’s Why You Should Do It

Posted on April 10, 2025

It’s your moment. People are looking at you and only you.

It’s your chance to show how special you are. It’s your chance to show that you’re worth it.

This is your chance to show the world your perfect self.

Hold on, your ideal self doesn't exist. Neither does mine. Neither does the perfect self exist for any of your co-workers (No matter how hard they try to hide it.) Unbelievably, the gorgeous stranger you saw sipping a latte at the coffee shop also lacks the perfect self.

We know that no one is perfect. So why is it that once we stand up to do public speaking, we put crushing, unrealistic pressure on ourselves to be perfect?

Your message should be polished and ready for primetime. But you yourself don’t have to be blemish-free.

In fact, your flaws may be what makes you feel like family to your audience.

When you’re trying to connect with your listening audience, confessing a blunder or even two may make you more human to your audience.

Once I saw a speech where a guy siI once witnessed a speech where the speaker began by stating, "I'm afraid of public speaking, but I'm going to do the best I can."us as his audience, we were all rooting for him.

The other day, I was driving by where I went to middle school. One of the few things I remember from the 7th grade, other than being dumped by a girl named Debbie, was a speech that my friend Blake made when he was running for student council.

The other kids campaigning already seemed like veteran politicians and were rattling off false promises about a new lunch menu, tacking on another twenty minutes to recess, and weekly field trips to the beach.

My friend Oliver got up on that stage, peered out at all his fellow classmates, and yelled, “What can I do about the school lunch menu? Nothing. Unfortunately, I am unable to arrange a beach bus or extend our recess time. But I will see what I can do about starting a chess club.

The fact that Oliver was willing to admit that he didn’t think he could accomplish much if elected bonded him with the entire school, and he was awarded with a deafening applause.

In our daily lives, sharing flaws can create an instant bond. Yesterday, I had pushed it a little too hard in the gym.

After stumbling out of the gym, dazed, confused, and sweaty, I went to buy a cup of coffee. It took me a few attempts to get my card out of my wallet. I shared with the barista that I had just pushed my workout too hard I admitted to the barista that I had pushed my workout too hard and wasn't performing at my best.ng at odds about my slow pace.

Your message to your listening audience needs to be as close to perfect as you can possibly make it.

But trying to be perfect may alienate the audience.

Instead, share your hidden flaw or silly mistake, and your audience will find you more relatable and open to your important message.

looking forward to your content,

Erik Hengstrum