How do you avoid coming across as boastful when speaking about yourself ?
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It's a common concern, but contrary to what some may think, sharing personal experiences during a speech can actually establish a welcome bond with your audience.
In fact, most audiences appreciate getting to know a speaker better.
To do so appropriately, try using starter phrases like :
- "I don't know if you're like me, but I rarely..."
- "Like many people, I..." to introduce personal anecdotes.
- "I was fortunate to... "
- "I sincerely think that ..."
- "I once made the mistake to..."
- "I was recommended to ..."
- "I was proposed to..."
The common thread among these phrases is their storytelling mode, which is the best way to establish a bond with your audience right from the beginning of your speech.
So go ahead and dare to talk about yourself more often - when done appropriately, it does provide a very satisfying human touch to any speech.
This post is part of our "Speaking with Confidence" series.