"Yvonne must learn to accept authority without questioning every decision"

.. a comment from a school teacher, can you guess the subject?

P.E! Can you believe it? Grade: C.
“Yvonne must learn to accept authority without questioning every decision.”

I was never a fan of Physical Education. I did whatever it took to get sent to the sick bay to get out of it. Which is strange compared to now, where I live a very active life including yoga, lifting weights and tons of hilly walking.

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Another year, another Grade C in P.E. and another teacher comment:
“Yvonne must try to reduce her queries, complaints and worries and concentrate on the task at hand”.

What’s the difference between then and now?

Being TOLD to do it (chore), Vs CHOOSING to do it (elation).

Take a peek at the ones which mention speaking though…

“Bold speaker who enjoys an audience” (I was 10)

And later that year: “Excellent, clear speaker with well prepared ideas…. and for writing: “Narrates personal experiences very well indeed”

How about this one:

“Fine, clear speech. Confident approach in front of class”. I was 9. Check out the extra special note from the principal at the bottom of that one:

“Has a tendency to get involved in petty class disagreements. She’s too nice a person to spoil her reputation in this way”.

* I WAS NINE *

Looking at the other comments across the school reports, the common theme was ‘too talkative’. It’s clear (and no surprise) I was the class chatterbox. I was so curious. Always asking questions, checking with the teacher and others around me for their views - seeing every topic as ‘open for discussion’ rather than ‘be seen and not heard’.

Of course we have evolved when it comes to education and allowing kids to be more curious and teachers do open the floor for discussion much more.. It reminds me of Ken Robinson’s Ted Talk “Do schools kill creativity”.

Uncovering these school reports got me thinking about what these teachers would say about my career now. I’m a Professional Speaker. I have built a career out of literally: TALKING.

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Everyone has a topic they feel is a chore, and another they are elated to do. Even if you’re TOLD to do something - if you love that thing, you’ll jump into it, like I did with the speaking challenges at school.

Almost every single time someone hears I’m a public speaker, the response is terror. So many people cannot think of anything worse than getting up on stage and speaking.

At work, you’re sometimes TOLD you’ve got to do a presentation and what happens? You cringe, you freeze, the anxiety builds.

What if your boss asked you to create a written report about that topic instead.. how would you feel then? RELIEF probably.

Sometimes you don’t have a choice to do it your way. The information must be presented in the form of a presentation and you’re the one for the job. Here are a few ways to get you there:

1. Team up with a colleague and turn the presentation into a ‘fireside chat’. You’re both on stage, but this time you’re sitting in chairs, with the presentation in the background (if you’re using one) and you’re asking each other questions which draw out the next part of the presentation.
   If that’s not an option, ask your boss to be the one asking the questions.
2. Bring together 3-4 people who are involved in the topic, and create a panel discussion where you are the facilitator. Asking pertinent questions to draw out the expertise on that panel.
3. If all else fails and you’ve got to get up and present on your own, remember: you’re drawing a picture on the air with your words (imagine that written report we talked about earlier.. you’re just projecting it into the air). You are a vehicle for this message and you’ve earned the right to be there. Serve that knowledge to the audience.

You’ve got this! (And if you’d like a helping hand, let’s have a no-obligation chat about Speaker coaching.)

I’d love to hear if your school reports held a hint of your future self like mine did?