Finding Your Voice: A Guide to Public Speaking

0:00 So when I was in high school, my private- Are we going to actually talk about these awards you won? Ventriloquism? No, I wasn't going to go to ventriloquism. That's another story we'll save for later. Two-time champ. I don't want to get into it. Ah, four-time international. Don't worry about it. For some of us, public speaking is a nightmare. Oh, brother. Not you, babe. You're such a natural. All right. Well, I do love public speaking, but I concede I'm probably in the minority here. Yes, for the rest of us humans on this planet, public speaking feels challenging, awkward, and usually downright scary. But luckily, Chelsea and I have been speaking publicly nearly our whole lives. Today, we're going to share some tips that will turn you into a public speaking champion. I'm nervous. Well, I'm excited. Stay tuned. This is In Good Faith. Today is a guide to public speaking.

1:09 I must admit, our team suggested this topic and I was like, okay, yeah, let's do it. A guide to public speaking. You were like, okay, yeah, let's do it. Oh my gosh, yes, I love it. The first memory I have of public speaking includes you, my love. It was in Portland, Oregon at a youth night at our church. And our youth group was called YO. Youth Overcomers. It's an acronym for Youth Overcomers. That's what we are. We're overcomers. Remember the hot pink font? I had the t-shirt, babe. I did too. You were so cool in YO. I was 13 and we were doing a student night where different students were speaking. and I got included probably because of who my dad was. No, you got included because it was where eighth graders could speak. It was the eighth grade graduation night, but you were in seventh grade, but because you were about to move from Portland to Seattle. That's what it was.

2:01 You got included. I got included. I absolutely remember. So I was asked to speak and I spoke for, I believe, 10 minutes. It was probably five, but you probably took 10, let's be honest. Okay, that is already taking shots here early in the guide to public speaking. It's true. I have been going over my time since the earliest parts of my public speaking career. So I was probably given five minutes. I went 10 because it was so good or so I thought. And I did it on peer pressure. And the metaphor I used was when you're flying in an airplane and you look down in farm fields, you see the different squares and they're so distinct, light green, dark green, light yellow. And I literally said, hey, listen, we all have a square. We all live in a square. We all have a sphere. We all have a space. And how are we going to change the world one square at a time? What's that have to do with peer pressure? Well, because how we relate to each other within our little world, within our little square.

2:55 And are we going to encourage other, lead each other, and not give in to just the mob mentality? Okay, now I'm like wanting to re-preach it. But I was so excited because you were in the audience and I wanted to impress you. I was so nervous. Not because of the content. I have always loved to talk, even from a young age. This was not my first sermon. My first sermon, I believe I was nine because my dad had a seminar. We traveled all over the world and I spoke the last night of the seminar. And I did that from nine to probably 12 years old. Yeah, I think your journey of public speaking is so unique because of who your parents were and your dad's enthusiasm to always include you in everything. He was amazing that way. And so you got to be exposed to it at such a young age that, okay, you were nervous because you wanted to impress me when you were 13, but you spoke so much when you were nine to 11. And then here when you were 13, I think you preached your first week of revival sermons when you were 16 in Alaska, you got invited. And so I feel like you had this incredible opportunity to grow into public speaking, which is amazing because it is most people's greatest fear.

4:04 More than a funeral, right? Isn't that the joke that the old comedians used to make? Like, people would rather die than public speak. Yeah, but what I find amazing about you is that you're so natural at public speaking, but you're also really good at identifying what makes for a good public speaker and what makes not to really help and coach people. I know we had this convention called Can-Am convention because it was Canadian and American schools, and there was public speaking, But get this, women were not allowed to participate in the preaching section. Get out of town. I know, in the 90s, it was so messed up. We could only participate in the persuasive speech. So I actually won, I think two years, I won persuasive speaking. And you have been winning our persuasive conversations ever since. I sure have. So I did that in high school. But then when you and I got married, and all of a sudden, I felt so much more pressure as your wife, or you're so great at public speaking.

4:58 I found myself very nervous and very self-conscious and in my own head about public speaking. And you have been so instrumental in my life to helping me public speak. So hence, the guide to public speaking today. What do you think are some of the specific challenges? Why do you think public speaking is so scary to people? Well, because obviously it's what will people think and what will they feel. And private speaking is just speaking. But speaking in front of people is public. And I think that's where the fear comes and that's where the trepidation comes and that's where the insecurity comes. It starts to sneak in and you start to wonder, is this going to land? Is this going to connect? Is this going to translate? Is the audience really going to attach to what I'm trying to say? Does this relate? Does this matter? Do people care about what I'm saying? Gosh, it's like one of the ultimate workshops in the human experience. When another human stands up and says, I'm going to disseminate concepts, ideas, metaphors, and principles, you're thinking if it's three people, 3,000 or 30,000, is this actually helping, serving, connecting, making sense?

6:02 Furthermore, do I look okay? Yeah, okay. Do I look cool? That was so deep and so thoughtful. I think actually the fear is, am I gonna look like an idiot up here? All those other things are great too, but I think the bottom line base fear is am I just going to look like a complete fool standing up here in front of people crumbling with nothing to say? The answer is yes. You're gonna have days, no matter who you are. And if you ever run into a public speaker that doesn't tell you some horror stories, they're lying. We all have them. I have been doing this since I was nine years old. I'm 43. And I still wonder, is there going to be more days like this? And the answer is yes. I want to hear your most recent horror story. Oh man, do I have horror stories. It wasn't that long ago, a few years back, we were all hanging at a friend's house and everyone's like, let's do standup. Judah, to get up there and do standup. And I tried to tell a joke. I realized there were some people in the room and I was like, I don't really know them very well. This might not be funny. And the room was quiet because it was not funny at all. It was dumb. And I was so embarrassed.

7:04 It was so awkward. And it was like seven people, seven of my dearest friends and like two people I'd never met. And I panicked because I was going to like be super silly. And I thought, oh, they won't think it's funny. So then I just bombed. It's so funny that you can speak in front of tens or hundreds of thousands of people and not get nervous. But that room of seven people actually made you nervous. Well, we can also say that. Like, by the way, it's way harder to talk, I think, in front of your seven closest friends than an audience of 7,000, in my opinion, because the feedback is instantaneous. It's all over the faces of your friends. So I don't care what anybody says, a room of seven of your closest friends and you have to stand up and actually give a public speech of some kind. A presentation in a workplace. Are you kidding me? A speech at a wedding or a funeral. Weddings I perform for closest friends, I feel nerves because it matters so much to them. So it matters to me and I want it to be perfect.

7:57 So if somebody is about to do a public speaking presentation for the first time, any of the types of events that we talked about, what would be your first piece of advice that you would give them? You have to fall in love with the moment and you have to fall in love with the people because that's all it's about. It's not about your past. It's not about the potential future. None of that you can control. And none of that really informs the moment. This really is about the people in the room. It could be seven, could be 7,000, could be 7 million, could be people watching on television, could be people listening on a podcast. When communication becomes about the communicator, you're on a very slippery slope to what will probably end very messy. There's very few things that are more annoying in this space than someone who's just talking to themselves and in love with their own content and not connecting. The idea is connection, connection, connection. And that's so counterintuitive because once you get nervous, you start to feel insecure. Then we start to look at ourselves instead of turning that outward and looking at other people and the people that we are trying to communicate to. Once we find ourselves in that cycle, how do we get out of it? Well, you have to recognize nerves for what it is. Nerves is because you care and nerves is because you're excited. And that's the difference. There has to be a shift of perspective. People are always like, I'm so nervous to public speak. Well, you're alive then. You care then. This matters to you. Huge congratulations because if you're not nervous, it's a much deeper investigation to what is wrong. Like this should create some nerves.

9:29 Your palms should be clammy. Your heart should start to beat. And I want to demystify public speaking. It's not what people think. It's like reserved for the select few who aren't nervous. Get out of town. People say, do you get nervous? My honest response is no, because I don't like the term nervous. I'm excited. And a lot of people, they put the word nervous, which is a very negative word in our culture. It's got a negative connotation. So I like replacing it with a better word, which is actually more accurate. No, but I am so excited, excited to the point that my heart's pounding. My palms are clammy. I'm wondering if this is going to go well because I'm that excited. And one of my favorite things about some of my favorite athletes, such as Tiger Woods, is that they say Tiger Woods off the first tee, he is not the GOAT. He's not the greatest off the first tee on Thursday. Most golf tournaments are Thursday to Sunday.

10:20 They say his tee shots on Thursday are actually, for his level of talent, one of the worst. Because he's excited. And he still cares. And somebody once told me that the psychological response in our body of adrenaline and nerves and all that between excitement and nervous is actually the same feeling. those feelings of butterflies are actually the same physiological response in our bodies. And so turning it from, I'm so nervous to I'm so excited or a blend of both is so helpful. I have found, cause I get way more nervous than you do at the times when I am the most nervous, it's so helpful for me to just out myself at the beginning of the presentation and just say, Hey, I'm just really nervous right now. And just to take a moment to acknowledge my nervousness instead of trying to cover it up. Because then I've been in this spiral where I'm feeling nervous and I feel short of breath and I feel shaky and I'm wondering, can people tell I'm nervous?

11:16 Do I look nervous? Instead of just acknowledging it and putting myself at ease with my nerves, putting other people at ease and letting that be something that we can all come around together. The Grammys happened recently and they had different tour managers be the presenters for their bosses. I think it was Billie Eilish's tour manager got up and she was so visibly nervous. The microphone was shaking, visibly shaking. She crushed it though. I think the world was endeared to this woman for her nerves instead of belittling her. And I think if we're just honest about feeling nervous, then people become endeared to us. It's not something that we have to hide. I know you don't like being nervous. You like being excited, but for the rest of us who actually do feel nervous. No. And I think you're making a point that is inherently steeped in ancient scripture. And that is when you're weak, then you're strong. And I think it's your weakness that can actually be a huge strength. And if you're willing to admit your nerves, if you're willing to admit your excitement, if you're willing to admit that you're wondering if this is going to go good, everyone in the room will join you there because that's how all of us feel. No matter how good you are at your craft, there's nothing like standing in front of humans trying to share some sort of concept, story, principle or idea wondering, will I say it right and translate it well? And I don't agree with, nor do I believe any public speaker who says they don't experience nerves and or excitement. Again, I will stand by when you really replace that word nervous with excitement. I'm not saying you don't tell everyone I'm so nervous, but in your mind, you're like, but it means I'm excited. And why wouldn't I be excited? What an honor and what a privilege to stand in front of other human beings and share a story or a concept.

13:02 And don't run away from public speaking just because you feel nervous. Don't numb it. Don't avoid it. Don't pretend. You're feeling the weight of the responsibility. You care. You're alive. Yep. And that's a very special thing. We think, well, it's so easy for Judah. So I must not be qualified to speak publicly because this is harder for me, or I'm more nervous. What would you say to people who feel that way? Well, I would say that no matter where you are in life, public speaking is going to have hard moments. So I think we're all in this together. I will always be a promoter of this idea of letting go. And what we got to let go of, this is much bigger than public speaking, is the outcome and the results. And here's what we do. We pretend that we actually can control the outcome or the result of the exercise of public speaking. and that is literally pretending that you can control human beings.

14:12 And if I have learned anything in 43 years of living, one thing you can't control is the world and human beings. And here's how I let go every time. When I feel like my excitement is very, very high, I have to fall in love with the audience. I have to fall in love with what has brought them to the room, what's brought them to the space, what's brought them to the podcast today. Why are they listening to In Good Faith? Why are they listening to Chelsea and Judah? because they really feel valued here. They feel like they're gonna get something that will help them and assist them. Then I fall in love with that exercise. Ooh, I get to help humans. I get to help my fellow people. Like what an honor and what a privilege. Here's where I think the secret sauce starts to be dispensed in the public speaker. When you forget about yourself. When you forget about yourself, you become the best version of you. Part of what excites me as well is there are people listening right now.

15:08 You never have seen yourself as a public speaker. And what you're going to discover is you have a God-given talent. But what's prudent and what's imperative is you gotta get out of your way. How do you get out of your own way? Don't fall in love with your speech. Don't fall in love with your content. Fall in love with who you're trying to help. Imagine them, think about them. Tell a story about them in your head. And you have a tool that you use specifically to help you do that. I will find someone in the room that I don't know. It could be, you know, they're towards the front, they're towards the back, they're in the middle, someone I met in the lobby. And I will tell myself a story about them that I think is probably likely because they're human just like me. And what must have brought them to this hotel ballroom? What must have brought them to this church auditorium? Why would they pay the registration fee? Why would they be here with their spouse? Why would they have brought their kids? Why would they take time on a Wednesday or a Sunday or a Saturday to listen to my 45 minute, let's be honest, 60 minute speech. They're looking for some value.

16:11 They're looking for some meaning. They're looking for some inspiration. Are they having pain in their marriage, pain in their child raising, pain at their job, pain with family members and friends, pain because the world's in pain. And you know what? I totally forget about my speech, my content, and I fall in love with this person. And what I find is incredible desire to get to the stage and get to helping them. That's really beautiful. You also get to communicate messages that are very helpful in nature. Somebody's communicating a toast at a wedding, a presentation at a job. Is there a similar tool or exercise that somebody with that set of skills can go through? Well, I think there is. And I think we all would agree there are moments where you see people trying to get through the speech. And listen, we've all been there. We're all still gonna go there sometimes. It's like, okay, this person is definitely just trying to get over with this.

17:05 And we're all kind of like hoping they get over with it too because we can feel their tension. And I think if you're giving a toast at a wedding, fall in love with your best friend again as you give the toast. If you are the employee asked by your manager to give a quick speech before the day starts, fall in love with your coworkers again. It's interesting. you and I are so different in our personalities. Obviously, we've said this often for me to have the courage to get up on stage. I need to fall in love with my content. I can see that. I need to think about what I'm going to say is so important to help this person. So it still goes back to a person, but it's a different route for me. And can I just say, well, that's just a different progression and one that I subscribe to as well. And that is before I write the content, you fall in love. I truly believe the most effective communicators, they have a very specific person they're talking to. An individual instead of a crowd. I think I've heard this story from you. Was it Michael Jordan's dad encouraged him when he was middle of his career, middle of a season, just a game that probably didn't matter very much. Home game in Chicago. And his dad reminded him somewhere in this auditorium, somewhere in the stadium is a kid who has never seen you perform live, this is their one opportunity. Go and give it your best.

18:21 They want to see the great Michael Jordan. When it comes to public speaking, there's somebody in that room. This will be the first time they've ever heard you speak. Maybe it's everybody's first time, but it's a sacred thing to be able to verbally connect with fellow human beings. I see public speaking as a very special, sacred thing. And I think treating it as such is just dignifying what is the most valuable thing in the world. And that's human beings. And I also believe that produces an authenticity from you. When you're giving a speech, you're not giving a speech. You're speaking from your heart. You're sharing from your life. But you're also your authentic self. I get to live every day with you and then watch you on stages. And you're the same version of yourself. That's a struggle for me because I get so self-conscious. But I realize when people tap into their authenticity, that's when the most beautiful human connecting content comes out. How are you able to do that?

19:18 That is when the magic happens. And the reality is it's not realistic that it's going to happen every time you do a public speaking moment. It's not always going to be, you know, fireworks. It's not always going to be euphoric. It's going to be challenging and difficult. But I do think there are those magic moments that happen. It's almost like the speaker unzips their heart and it's like, whoa, I just saw them. That's maybe the interesting phenomenon of public speaking in our world is it's not the most eloquent, the smoothest, and the most suave. Remember that term? Think about the most connected to public speakers. Think about the most connected to podcasters. It's not always the smooth talking, hey, you're back to Z100. Welcome back to 105.3. That was an era though. But it's changed. And I think it's because we are craving more in our society that honest, unzipped view into people's souls and hearts, which I think, by the way, has provided more room for less polished public speakers. And that's exciting to me.

20:23 Well, it tells me that humanity is looking for connection so much more than information. I was walking in our neighborhood yesterday and a guy had a shirt on that literally made me chuckle out loud. It said, just Google it. And it's so, how many times have we been in a conversation where we're philosophizing over something that we maybe could Google, but the point actually isn't the information. The point is the connection. And so if people were going to hear your speech just to get information, most likely they could get that information from another source. There you go. But they want that information from you. That bride chose you to give a speech at her wedding. Your boss chose you to give that presentation at your job because of the way that you uniquely connect and communicate and deliver the information in a way that isn't just information. It's also connection. Absolutely.

21:14 Sometimes Bishop Jakes, one of my favorite public speakers of all time, will say things that I already know. But out of his soul, out of his mouth, his context, his journey, who he is, when he says it, it can just hit different. It's the connection I feel to him and his humanity and his journey. That's a lot of the magic of public speaking. We all think whoever has the most impressive information or content wins. Not necessarily. I have had to fight this so much because you and I co-pastering a church together. You speak the majority of the time because it's a lot more work for me. But when I speak, I've really had to fight with, oh my gosh, Judah's so much better. People would rather be hearing Judah. but over the years I've realized that because you and I are so different and I have a unique way of presenting information of communicating of saying things I can connect in a way that's different than the way that you can connect in and it's not about the polish of the presentation so much as it is falling in love with the information that I'm going to communicate but then realizing the way it comes out of me is unique and so in a way you do have to enjoy yourself you're a linear sequential communicator. I am a circular metaphorical communicator. And so sure, there are people who are like, dude, I love the metaphors and the circle you take us on. It's like a journey. I mean, that's what I always hope it is where you are more linear, structured, frankly, more often than not clearer. And I think over the 22 years where we've both been public speaking our whole marriage is I have tried to encourage you along those lines that, babe, there are people that will connect to you that are just lost when they listen to me.

23:00 They need you, even if we're saying the same thing. And I think it's so important to know what strengths you bring in your communication. So often we think about our weaknesses, like you're so funny and I'm not naturally that funny. But instead of focusing on weaknesses, on what we're bad at and what we're not good at, really focusing on what strengths do I bring to this presentation. And I know clarity is a strength of mine And I can get excited about that instead of insecure about what I'm not. Yeah. And of course, the old adage is correct. I've played your strengths. And what are your strengths? One of my favorite things to do in small settings is to use people in the room as examples. One of the most nervous, sorry, excited moments I've ever had. I've worked as the chaplain of the Seattle Seahawks for quite some time. And Coach Carroll asked me to dress the whole team before the season started. And I just so love Coach Carroll and wanted to honor him and honor the space and the moment. and I really did feel the nerves.

23:52 And the guys were giving me so much grief as I walked down the aisle, they'll step up there, Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, my dear friends, I love these men. And so I did in that speech acknowledge some of the guys, just trying to connect in the easiest, quickest way, which is just using names, examples, stories, or giving them a hard time because they were giving me a hard time. And that helped. And so I will say I have one goal today and I'm gonna out myself. And that is for anyone who is doing public speaking, considering public speaking or being forced to do public speaking, that you would find the beauty in it. You would find the purpose in it and you would find some joy in it. Yeah. And I think one of the biggest thing that takes away from the joy is a bad experience. And you said you have had horror stories. You have bombed. I have walked off the stage feeling like I did not say anything the way I wanted to say it. People looked bored. I just completely bombed. I never want to do that again. What would you say to people to recover and to find and continue to find the joy and delight in public speaking? First of all, you got to embrace it. You got to embrace what it was.

24:58 Recently, we were in New York. I was going to speak. There's about 75 people, 100 people in a studio and I was speaking and I went 22 minutes too long. I made jokes. I needed some Tylenol during the speech. And so I was making drug jokes, which were frankly insensitive and it just wasn't effective. There was parts that I really enjoyed and thought were really good, but parts that I thought weren't. And I was frustrated. And we went out to eat afterwards. I never brought up the speech. That's not the time or the place. But the next morning, I started sending some voice memos to the team and people that I work with and said, hey, this wasn't good. This wasn't good. Just started wrapping my arms around the reality of the situation. And that kind of keeps it from lingering towards the next time, which for me is usually pretty quickly. Well, in owning and identifying your mistakes or your weaknesses or your shortcomings is the most empowering way to actually be able to change them. If we just don't even let ourselves dwell there and we just sit in this fog of feeling horrible, that's not empowering to actually change it. Another thing that you're so good at is consistently watching yourself. Yeah, I critique myself nearly every single week. I admit recently it's been like I'll watch 5, 10, 15 minutes. And maybe that's because I kind of know the parts that I want to see really quickly and I can learn from it. And sometimes I just need to get a quick little update. Okay. How did I do this? How did I get my body posture, my timing? That wasn't funny. All right. And then I move on, but there's pretty much not a week that I can remember in 22 years of marriage with you that I haven't checked out myself in some sort of public speaking to learn. You know, I mean, is that realistic for everyone who's doing like toast at a wedding? Probably not, but if you want to get better, you're going to have to watch yourself.

26:38 And people ask me all the time, like, do you hate your voice? Like I hear my voice and it's like, ugh. And I'm like, I really like my voice. Let me ask you. Okay. I recently played at a really famous golf course, and the member who was hosting me was like, listen, whatever you do, do not practice a ton before you come here. Don't change your swing. Just come with the swing you have, right? It's that old statement, like dance with the partner you brought to the floor. You know what I mean? And my point is, if you were sitting down with a public speaker, like, listen, I got to do this in like, you know, an hour. And they're like, how do I become Denzel Washington? Well, you don't.

27:31 And you won't. Is there like a quick fix? Is there a quick little cue, an idea, a thought that you would give a public speaker? I ask this only because probably the vast majority of people listening to this episode are not professional public speakers. Yeah, I think your golf analogy, when the guy's like, don't practice too much, don't change your swing, actually speaks to me of bringing your authentic self. So I think whatever public environment you speak in, bring your authentic self. Don't apologize to be who you are, because who you are, for whatever reason, is who people are wanting to give the speech. For me, I have found a lot of peace and preparation, especially in early years. I mean, you're such a feeler. You feel things right away automatically. It takes me a while to get things from my head into my heart so they can come out of me in an authentic place. And so I would say whatever you do, don't say something that you don't mean.

28:27 If you're giving a toast at a wedding, don't say that my dad was the greatest dad ever when he wasn't. You can say, I'm so grateful that my dad gave birth to me, you know, whatever. Whatever is true and authentic are going to be the things that can come out of your authentic self. If you're giving a presentation of something that you don't believe in, man, that's tough. I mean, if it's a job and you just have to do it, find something. You can believe in the people's jobs who are going to benefit from the sales based on your presentation. I don't know what it is. But I think just authenticity is such a big deal and not saying things that you don't authentically mean. I don't know how, but as people who are listening, we know the difference when somebody is being authentic or not. I couldn't agree more, frankly. We all want to be Tiger Woods when we show up. Sorry for all the golf metaphors, ladies and gentlemen. It's where my mind's at. But we all want to show up with the swing of Tiger Woods, but we probably never will. In fact, we won't. So the swing we do have is the swing we have. And owning that and embracing that, taking it lightly and being a little self-deprecating, never hurt nobody. Just being like, all right, guys, This is a little awkward for me.

29:32 I remember one time I was at a hotel ballroom doing a leadership thing, and I had the awesome responsibility to speak right after Bishop Jakes. Here was my dilemma. Are you going to walk up there and act like that didn't just happen? Are you going to actually walk up there and pretend like a once-in-a-generation talent who, by the way, it became very apparent to all like 1,000 of us in that San Antonio ballroom that Bishop Jakes had not prepared a specific speech. He had simply collected his thoughts in his hotel room, taken the elevator downstairs to the ballroom, walked on stage, and shared his heart. And it devastated the room in the best possible way. I can't even imagine. It was eloquent. It was gorgeous. It was stunning. It was beautiful.

30:23 It was authentic. It was meaningful. It was a master with a baritone voice that soothes your soul. And then three minutes later, they're like, and now welcome Judah Smith. Hi, guys. So I literally just said, can you imagine being me right now? And the place erupted with laughter because they knew exactly what I meant. Like, bro, to be you right now in this ballroom would be the worst. And you know what we did? We laughed and connected like only we could. because everyone in the room knew what had just happened and what it must be like to be me. That's just an easy example when looking for kind of a shortcut, just embrace the moment, put everybody at ease. You see it, they see it, we see it. Now let's enjoy what's in front of us. I think that's also powerful. If you're in a room, if you're at a wedding, there is something that you can easily all connect around a single shared experience.

31:16 Obviously the smaller the room, the easier that is to do, but it can be really powerful to creating that connection as opposed to just giving information. So as we conclude, wanting to give a toolkit, as we always do, we've talked about so many highlights and pointers and just really thoughts around public speaking that hopefully are enabling people to actually enjoy public speaking and not rather die. In at least a little way. In a little way. I would say the most significant tool to take away is figure out what you're good at, what you uniquely bring as the person who is speaking and really just fall in love with that and enjoy that about yourself. And that will communicate enjoyment to the people who are listening. Absolutely. And I think we all have a strength. I would say three things though, as a toolkit, and this is all pre-speech. And that is identify your strength, then identify your weakness, and then identify your purpose.

32:11 And you can do that very quickly while you sit at your table with your wine glass right before you give the best man speech or the matron of honor speech. You can do it right there. Okay, what's my strength? Okay, I'm funny. Play to the strength. Okay, what's my weakness? I'm not clear. Keep it short. And what's my purpose? To make the bride feel like she's a princess. Boom, go. You're going to do great. And again, public speaking can't be about the public speaker because that never works. You know, you're the person in the conversation who's just thinking about what you're going to say next. You're not even listening to your friend. It's annoying. What's your purpose? What are you actually doing this for? Because I think the default purpose for public speakers, we're selfish beings. It turns into just us. So true. And that's not the goal of public speaking. And lastly, join my communication locker room. I'm kidding.

33:03 Come on, but not really. I will say, provided a space to help people with their public speaking and communication. We call it the communicator's locker room. And you can go to Faith. What's the website again? Faithful.place. Faithful.place. Thank you for remembering. Yeah. You can sign up for it. And we've got a lot of people in there. And there's one level of mentorship, which I'll be doing today. I listen and watch people's public speech and give them some feedback. It's really, really amazing. I have one other practical toolkit that is extremely practical. Because I feel like the biggest mistake people make is not planning their exit and their ending. Genuinely planning out your conclusion, your ending, your walk off, making that really, really sharp. Yeah, it's the plain analogy. where you take off and where you land is pretty important. Now, the exact route you take from those places, a lot of variables, but where you take off and where you land is the two most important things about the journey.