I'll get right to the point, most people want more confidence on the speaking stage. They want to own the stage, command the audience's attention and get their message across.

Think about what being a confident speaker means to you. What does it look like? Now hold-on tight to that description.

For the next several Wednesdays, we are going to talk about being more confident in your speaking.

Before we do, I need to you ask you a question.

What is holding you back from confident speaking?

Most people have a huge list of what holds them back from being that confident speaker that can include:

• I'm too soft-spoken
• I'm too loud
• I'm short
• I'm too tall
• My accent gets in the way
• My speaking voice puts audiences to sleep
• I'm too old – no one wants to listen to a dinosaur
• I'm too young -no one wants to listen to a kid with no experience

I could go on, but I won't. Here's the big secret to confidence –  STOP VIEWING WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE AS A FLAW.

Most people have a vision of what a speaker should be like. How they should walk on the stage. How they should look or what they should sound like. You don't have to be any of that.  You just have to be you.

Don't fall into the “most people” trap of speaking. I was most people too. I believed that my voice was too annoying, I spoke too fast and was too enthusiastic and happy to be credible.  Then I had an epiphany that my laundry list of weaknesses  was actually what made me unique.

Your uniqueness holds the power of confidence

Embrace what makes you stand out

It's time to reframe your list. It's time to embrace what makes you stand out. Whether that's your diminutive stature, obnoxious voice or funky color hair. Once your start loving what makes you different from most people, your belief in your speaking abilities skyrockets. No matter your size, tone of voice, manner of dress, you'll begin to understand your power on stage.

You're uniqueness is not a flaw. It's the genesis of your confidence. Love what makes you special and own the speaking stage. This is the first step in being a more confident speaker.

Tell me what makes you unique in the comments below.

Next week, we are going to talk about the relationship between focus and confidence.

Nomadic Lass, “Standing Out From the Crowd” September 24, 2011 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.