Why Falling on Your Face Can Be a Good Thing

Oh, have I got a story for you! It’s one all about how falling on your face can be a good thing…It just all comes down to getting back up.

Here’s what I mean.

Why Falling on Your Face Can Be a Good Thing
(Hint: It’s All About Getting Back Up!)

Do you remember when I told you about my jump straight into the deep end of public speaking at Women of Faith? It was when I emceed my first event with over 6000 women in Calgary. (If you missed that post, find it here)

Fast forward to my 2nd Women of Faith emcee gig. This time, we were in St Louis with 18,000 women ready to roll on a fabulous weekend. The event had started with the worship team getting the ladies up on their feet, partying, praising and all jazzed up.

Energy was high, and the event was off to a flawless start. I’d survived my 1st emcee weekend. And I was ready to rock this next one with a bit of the edge off my nerves.

As the last song was winding down, I hopped out of my seat and bopped right up those stairs. Unfortunately, my foot didn’t quite clear the top edge. Yep. I fell down. And I mean, I fell all the way down. Should anyone have missed the acrobatics, they’d never have missed the massive BOOM when the mic in my hand made contact with the stage. Oh, yeah. This girl knows how to fall like she means it.

But I also know what counts is getting back up!

I jumped right up, shoved my hair out of my face, and said, “Nothing like starting off a big Women of Faith weekend with a bang!” The audience laughed with me, and we got on with it.

The “Worst” Is Never Really the Worst

I share that story for two reasons.

First of all, I experienced one of the biggies we all worry about when worrying about what could go wrong. And I survived.

It’s possible the audience even extended me more grace as the new girl because of it. Either way, what we imagine to be the worst thing that could happen rarely is. And usually, when something goes wrong, it creates an even stronger connection with the audience because we humans like to connect with other imperfect humans.

The second thing I want to tell you is this. When I saw the replay—and trust me, I saw it A LOT because I had lots of friends in that room who LOVED my little stunt—I looked like it didn’t bother me at all.

Sister, believe me when I say I was dying. I was mortified. My whole insides were shaken and stirred, and I could hardly get my head back to what I was there to share. Getting back up was the last thing I wanted to do. But the girl on the replay video? Unfazed. She looked like she must fall down and bounce back up at least once a week to be that good at it.

(Before you go, don’t skip this post next: Wanna Play A Little Game Of Good News, Bad News?)

The Audience Can’t See Your Nerves—Unless You Tell Them

It was true then, and it’s true most of the time. The audience can’t see your nerves. You may feel shaky and fluttery on the inside. But to the audience in front of you, you look like you know what you’re doing unless you tell them you don’t. Those people in front of you? They’re FOR you. They came on purpose to hear what you have to share, and they want you to do well.

(On the subject of nerves, here’s how mental rehearsal helps you transform them into excitement)

So settle in, lovely. Settle down. Be yourself. Share what only you can share. And if the unexpected happens, just hop right up, push your hair out of your face and get on with it. What you have to share is too important to let a little tumble stand in its way.

If you enjoyed this post, here are three more you might like:

• 3 Reasons Public Speaking Is The Surest Path To Meaning And Impact
• Live Events Are Coming Back–but Virtual Is Here To Stay
• A Simple, 3-point Checklist To Determine If You’re Right For Public Speaking

This post was first published earlier in 2021, but it was recently updated just for you!