Resist Being A Lousy Somebody Else.

This one is very straightforward. DO NOT try to transform your identity into a person you are not. Simply put, stop imitating others. Who you are is good enough.

I don’t want you to be another “me-too” type of person. Yes, you need universal appeal but you also need a unique brand. And it’s not hard to do.

In my opinion, all beginning speakers try to imitate the veterans. We unconsciously do it. I did it. But fortunately, along the way, I slowly got back to my base—my real self. And that, my friend, made a huge difference.

To this day, I still monitor myself to make sure I’m not crossing the line. The danger about imitating someone for too long is that the longer you do it, the harder it is to break the bad habit.

One of the best benefits of having a great coach is that your coach keeps bringing you back to being yourself. That is if we are smart enough to seek out that kind of coach in the first place.

I never forgot when my friend/mentor Myra pointed out to me that I was being too preachy to the point that I sounded like someone else. That’s precious feedback considering I was just getting started.

You see, sounding like someone you are not is very distracting. It weakens the power of your message.

To this day, I still can detect a voice tone, body movement or certain phrases that are not congruent with some speakers. Don’t do it.