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How Spontaneity Can Improve Your Life and Elevate Your Communication

Spontaneity is a powerful tool that I’ve used throughout my life and career (mostly without realizing it).

In general, I’ve always been a person that has said ‘yes’ to things. From starting multiple businesses (one of which was a cheesecake operation out of my home) to moving across the country for various jobs, to traveling Europe at age 18 – I’ve always been what someone would call a spontaneous person.

When I’ve told these stories of spontaneity to my friends or clients, their reactions were typically, ‘Wow, you did that?’ To which I responded, ‘Of course! Wouldn’t you?’

It wasn’t until I had these conversations with others that I realized not everyone is as quick to say ‘yes’ to things. Personally, I don’t believe there’s a right or wrong way to live your life since everyone’s feelings and circumstances are different. That said, I’ve noticed some major payoffs when it comes to spontaneity in my life, my business, and in my communication. 

The ability to be spontaneous has helped me connect with others more deeply and give some of my most powerful speeches to date.

In this blog post, you’ll learn all about the benefits of spontaneity, how to actually implement spontaneity in your own life and how to combine structure with spontaneity to deliver successful presentations.

The Benefits of Spontaneity

The first thing to know about spontaneity is that the benefits are truly endless – for your life, your career, your creativity, your relationships, and even your public speaking or presentations.

From personal experience, I’ve found that spontaneity’s main benefit is happiness. Allowing myself the space to say ‘yes’ to whatever comes up without judgment or hesitation has had a profound impact on my growth as a person and as an entrepreneur. If you’re interested, you can learn more about my story here.

Another benefit? Creativity! Being spontaneous is without a doubt a huge element of my ability to be creative on a regular basis. We published a blog post a few weeks back all about some ways to boost your creativity skills or get out of a creative rut. Be sure to check that out here if you’re looking for new and fun ideas.

Finally, being spontaneous means you’re more adaptable to inevitable changes in your life (1). There’s a quote by Heraclitus that says, “The only constant in life is change”. And it’s so true. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow – and if we remain adaptable to the ebbs and flows of life, we’ll be more equipped to handle whatever comes our way. 

How to Be More Spontaneous

Now that we’ve covered some of the many benefits of spontaneity, let’s get into how to actually be more spontaneous if this skill doesn’t come as naturally as we’d like.

The first thing I’d recommend is to practice getting out of your comfort zone by doing things that scare you. Something to note is that what scares you might look different from what scares someone else. For example, if you aren’t someone who typically speaks up at a company meeting, do that. 

You can start small and increase these activities as quickly or slowly as you see fit (2). The important thing is that you’re always moving forward and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. This will train your body and mind to be more adaptable to new things and get into the habit of saying yes when a new situation presents itself. 

Secondly, don’t overthink your life away. If you get a unique opportunity at work or in your life, say yes. We often run into trouble when we hymn and haw and doubt ourselves to the point that nothing ever gets done. This can lead to our lives becoming stagnant, and to be frank – boring.

Rather than constantly second-guessing yourself, make it a point to accept new challenges. Don’t procrastinate or overthink the ‘yes’ part of it (3). The most exciting things that have ever happened to me were events I didn’t feel fully ready for. Things like starting my own business, traveling the world, or having kids were all things that I embraced even when I was scared.

And if you're someone that this doesn't come easily to, you can start extra small. Try making something new for dinner, try a new sport (lawn bowling anyone?), or plan a trip without booking every single hotel you'll stay in for the entire time.

I can promise you that there’s way more good than bad on the other side of ‘yes’.

Incorporating Spontaneity into Your Communication

What if I told you that spontaneity was equally important and beneficial to your communication?

This is because spontaneity allows you to easily adapt to any interruptions or questions that come up and be more connected to your audience in the process. It allows you to get out of your own head and focus on whoever you’re speaking to.

And being spontaneous doesn’t mean that you don’t have to prepare. Quite the opposite. Although it might sound counter-intuitive, when you prepare for an important presentation or communication, it gives you the freedom to be more spontaneous and creative. 

Think about it: when you’ve sufficiently prepared by mapping out your entire presentation and practicing multiple times through, your brain won’t be constantly screaming, ‘What am I going to say next?’ or ‘What am I supposed to do next?’ as you’re presenting. 

I like to use the metaphor of a pro-athlete. Pro-athletes practice, run drills, and study plays. They do these activities so that when they’re competing, they don't have to think about what they're doing – they just know. This gives them the freedom to be responsive to the needs of the moment. 

The same thing goes for public speaking. When you prepare for your communication, you allow yourself that freedom to be creative on the spot and connected with your audience rather than figuring it out as you go. 

The way to prepare will look different for everyone. I always recommend the strategy of remembering rather than memorizing so that your presentation isn’t “scripted”.

That means having structure and transition cues so you avoid sounding robotic, and creating key points to use as a skeleton of your presentation which will help you minimize what you need to remember. If you incorporate stories into your presentations, run through those a few times so the first time you say them isn’t in front of an audience (4).

Bottom line – I’m a big believer that the more you prepare and “structure” your presentation, the more you can actually let go, be spontaneous, and have fun (5).

Spontaneity is a big aspect of what we teach in our Encore Communication Coaching Workshop. Encore is a program that walks you through the process of creating a successful piece of communication that drives results. 

After completing this 6-session workshop held over three weeks, you’ll have all of the tools, knowledge, and confidence to create and deliver any presentation. You’ll learn the exact formula used by the world’s top presenters, know exactly how to prepare and structure your presentation while being spontaneous and authentic, AND get one-on-one coaching and feedback – an invaluable part of everyone’s public speaking journey.

If you’re interested in learning more about Encore and finally feeling confident speaking in front of an audience, head to this link for all of the details.

And be sure to follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook so you never miss a communication tip or insight!

 

Sources:

  1. 5 Reasons Being Spontaneous Is Such A Great Thing
  2. How to Be More Spontaneous

  3. 11 (Practical) Ways To Be More Spontaneous

  4. 3 strategies for suberb spontaneous speaking

  5. Be Better at Spontaneous Speaking

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