Speaking Confidence · Intermediate
Why the Awkward Stage Can Mean You Are Learning
Published
Why the Awkward Stage Can Mean You Are Learning: a practical lesson from Guy Monroe’s book End Public Speaking Panic, with a focused exercise for your next speaking situation.
The Four Stages of Mastery section explains why Stage 2 may feel like failure while growth is underway.
Start with what is happening
Before you change anything, describe the moment in observable terms. What did you do, what happened next, and where did the difficulty appear? Keep that description separate from a broad verdict about your ability. The clearer the moment, the easier it is to choose a practice that fits.
Put it into practice
Choose one skill you are learning. Record what you can do automatically, what you can do only with attention, and what remains unfamiliar. Practise the middle category deliberately.
Keep the first repetition small enough that you can pay attention to the behaviour you are testing. Once it is clear, repeat it in the form you are likely to need: standing if you will stand, with a listener if the task involves another person, or with the relevant passage from your presentation. Change one variable at a time so you can tell what helped.
Watch for this trap
Assuming that increased awareness of mistakes means you have become worse. If you notice yourself doing it, return to the exact action you chose to practise. You do not have to solve every aspect of speaking in one attempt.
Carry the skill into a real situation
Track a single skill over several repetitions rather than judging progress from one uncomfortable attempt. After the attempt, write down what you actually did and what you observed. Use that evidence to decide whether to repeat the same drill, make it slightly harder, or choose a different point to practise.
Why this works
Awareness can rise before a new skill feels natural. The point is to turn an abstract intention into a behaviour you can observe, repeat and refine. A useful practice gives you information for the next attempt, rather than asking you to judge your entire performance at once.
This lesson draws on Guy Monroe’s book End Public Speaking Panic, which develops the Internal Override Method, the Four Threats, their matched remedies, the Four Freedoms, and practical ways to build evidence of progress. The exercise here is a practical application of the book’s teaching, not a substitute for working through the full method.
FROM GUY MONROE’S BOOKS
Go deeper with End Public Speaking Panic
Speak Without Freezing Mid-Sentence
Related to this article: The Four Stages of Mastery section explains why Stage 2 may feel like failure while growth is underway.
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