Whether you’re speaking in a board meeting, on a stage, for a podcast interview, or on national television, sometimes things don’t go the way you expected.

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Not every performance will be award-winning. Sometimes you’ll get an unsatisfying reaction to your material, your communication will be clunky, and it will be difficult to be as present as you’d hoped.

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Tough gigs are inevitable. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will. But when it happens, remember these four key principles that will help you bounce back with confidence, humility, and purpose.

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#1 Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

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Preparation is the best preventative measure, and the best way to not have regrets if things do go awry. You’ll always fall back to the level of your training; you simply can’t perform any better than your best rehearsal.

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When you put in the work on the front end (in the form of hours and hours of quality rehearsal), you will not bomb. You can’t. You’ll only really, truly bomb if you’re unprepared. When you are prepared, you’ll be able to communicate powerfully, no matter what happens.

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Sure, you might make some mistakes. Some people might not identify with your style. A few might ignore your message and ideas. Some gigs will flow brilliantly and you’ll earn multiple stageside leads. Other gigs will go well enough.

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Regardless, every time you step onstage, you’ll know that your speech works—and that’s what breeds true confidence.

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use a thorough and proven rehearsal process to prepare for each performance. It takes hundreds of hours of rehearsal to craft a referable speech.

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#2 Set a Tangible and Specific Goal

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Rather than simply hoping a gig goes well or trying to be “good“ onstage (both of which are rather amorphous, general, and hard to track), it’s extremely valuable to set a specific goal for each gig you perform.

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For example, before a particular gig, I might set a goal to be as present as possible with my audience and to not let my attention wander (especially not towards self-conscious thoughts). After the gig, I can ask myself: Did I meet my goal? How often did I feel my mind drift? How often did I turn inward?

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If I don't meet the goal, it doesn’t give me permission to beat myself up, but it will serve as a reminder to keep improving in that specific area. And if I did succeed, then I know that that area of the work is clicking and I can focus on improving other areas of the speech.

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Here are a few examples of specific and tangible goals speakers might set before a performance or rehearsal session:

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To be more confident and committed in my blocking and staging choices.
To not be afraid to hold my beats to their fullest extent, creating real moments of connection with the audience.
To try out a new bit I think will help the rest of a section click.
To try to embrace a fuller vocal range.
To remember to breathe during the moments where I start to feel disconnected or rushed.

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As you focus on your goals, you’ll be less worried about whether or not people thought you were good, funny, charming, or talented. (Thoughts like those actually make it less likely your performance will go well.) Instead, you’ll keep your mind focused on your specific goals, remove your ego from the equation, and stay centered on effective communication.

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focus on external goals related to your audience’s experience.

#3 Be Curious and Investigate

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Our job as speakers is to be investigators, to remain curious, and, in some ways, to be inventors.

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When an inventor is creating a new invention, they often test their product or do a trial to see if it will work. When something goes wrong, they don’t give up and throw the whole thing in the trash. Instead, they go back to the drawing board and try again. They keep a cool head, remain curious, tinker with it, and figure out what’s working and what’s not. They iterate, make tiny shifts, and keep experimenting.

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As a speaker, seeing your speech in a similar way can help you maintain a fulfilling, stimulating, and positive relationship with your speech. Crafting a script and an onstage performance becomes an exciting creative endeavor, one that fills you with joy and purpose.

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When something doesn’t go as planned onstage, instead of feeling resentment towards your speech or audience, zoom out and see the bigger picture. Ask yourself:

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What do I love about the speech?
What is working? What is not?
What can I shift?
What needs to change?

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Focus on the facts. Recording your speech can help you later analyze and dissect valuable audience feedback. You’ll be able to evaluate if your jokes are landing, your message is clear, and your audience is benefiting from your performance choices.

Don't

put in the sweat, passion, and time required to craft not only a product you love, but one your audience will benefit from as well.

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#4 Stay Grounded

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Steadiness is one of the qualities the most highly sought-after speakers possess. They’re able to deliver a consistent and repeatable performance and speech regardless of outside circumstances. They remain grounded and focused on their purpose.

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They know that no one gig will make or break them. They also know that their value as human beings is not defined by their onstage successes or failures—even when those peaks and valleys feel magnified by the scale and intensity of the stage.

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Remember: you are not your speech. The speech is the product. Negative feedback or a mediocre performance is not a personal attack or a judgement of your character. It just means you now have more information and data to make your speech even better.

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allow external circumstances to affect your sense of self. Remain focused on the task at hand and your deeper purpose as a speaker.

stay focused on what you’re there for: to serve your audience. Remember your purpose and be a force of steadiness.

We LOVE a Good Comeback

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Everybody loves a good comeback story. It’s why we cheer for the underdogs, invest in startups, and bet on potential rather than proof.

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Remember watching the Red Sox come back from a 0-3 deficit to win eleven games and take home their first World Series title in 86 years?

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What about celebrating with Tiger Woods as he clinched the 2019 Masters Golf Tournament after years without a major win and after multiple injuries, surgeries, and personal setbacks?

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Even fictional stories and cinematic classics like The Karate Kid, Field of Dreams, and The Pursuit of Happyness tug at our heartstrings and give us goosebumps.

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Comebacks like these remind us that our failures don’t define us. They show us that there is tangible hope. They teach us that success is not the absence of failure, but rather, the goal we strive for through the lessons of our failings. If we continue to learn from our experiences, keep iterating, keep caring, keep daring to be the voice that stands out for our communities, we will achieve our mission and see the change in the world that we believe in.

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Your greatest comeback is only just beginning. So take heart. Put in the work. It’s time to flip the script and write your own story.

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#2 Set a Tangible and Specific Goal

‍

Here are a few examples of specific and tangible goals speakers might set before a performance or rehearsal session:

‍

To be more confident and committed in my blocking and staging choices.
To not be afraid to hold my beats to their fullest extent, creating real moments of connection with the audience.
To try out a new bit I think will help the rest of a section click.
To try to embrace a fuller vocal range.
To remember to breathe during the moments where I start to feel disconnected or rushed.

‍

Dont

focus on external goals related to your audience’s experience.

#3 Be Curious and Investigate

‍

Our job as speakers is to be investigators, to remain curious, and, in some ways, to be inventors.

‍

When something doesn’t go as planned onstage, instead of feeling resentment towards your speech or audience, zoom out and see the bigger picture. Ask yourself:

‍

What do I love about the speech?
What is working? What is not?
What can I shift?
What needs to change?

‍

Don't

put in the sweat, passion, and time required to craft not only a product you love, but one your audience will benefit from as well.

#4 Stay Grounded

‍

Don't

allow external circumstances to affect your sense of self. Remain focused on the task at hand and your deeper purpose as a speaker.

stay focused on what you’re there for: to serve your audience. Remember your purpose and be a force of steadiness.

We LOVE a Good Comeback

‍

Everybody loves a good comeback story. It’s why we cheer for the underdogs, invest in startups, and bet on potential rather than proof.

‍

Remember watching the Red Sox come back from a 0-3 deficit to win eleven games and take home their first World Series title in 86 years?

‍

What about celebrating with Tiger Woods as he clinched the 2019 Masters Golf Tournament after years without a major win and after multiple injuries, surgeries, and personal setbacks?

‍

Even fictional stories and cinematic classics like The Karate Kid, Field of Dreams, and The Pursuit of Happyness tug at our heartstrings and give us goosebumps.

‍

Your greatest comeback is only just beginning. So take heart. Put in the work. It’s time to flip the script and write your own story.

Don't