One of the main things that people say to me about their fear of public speaking, is that they're afraid of making a mistake. So I want to talk to you about mistakes, and why I think mistakes might be a good thing. That's quite a counterintuitive belief to have. But it's one that serves me very well. So why might I think this? Well, my drama school teacher said to me, mistakes are glorious.

And she meant a number of different things in that, first of all, mistakes really teach us something, we're usually able to learn a lot more from what goes wrong than what goes right. We can just see a mistake very easily and we understand what to do differently in future, even if the only thing we conclude is I am never going to do that again. But at least we learn and grow in that moment. Secondly, I believe that often what you say after a mistake is the very best thing. See when you're thrown back on your natural resources, and you have to do something that isn't prepared, then very often, that is a fun thing about yourself or a little reveal or a joke that the audience really like. So trust that when you make a mistake, you'll also be able to put it right.

And that relates to my third point about mistakes, which is, nobody wants to see you be perfect. It's very, very dull. We like it. But people are a little bit flawed. In fact, when clients come to me to be coached and their public speaking, and that too good, I say to them, we're going to have to mess you up a bit. So don't be afraid to show your vulnerability to make a mistake.

Make a joke about it. People will love you all the more. So good luck. I hope you go forth and make loads of mistakes. And tell me all about your stories about how it went wrong. And then how it went right?