What My Son’s Birthday Party Taught Me About Speaking on Stage

Last weekend, we threw a HUGE birthday bash for my son.

We invited every kid in his class—thinking, “There’s no way they’ll all come.”

Spoiler: they did. Every. Single. One.

The sun was shining, the energy was high, and the chaos? Oh, the chaos was real.

The Party That Didn’t Go as Planned

We had prepped like champions: mountains of fairy bread, trays of chocolate-dipped strawberries, and jelly cups that took us three days to perfect.

But here’s what actually happened:

• The fairy bread and strawberries? Never made it out of the eski.
  
  
• The jelly cups? Melted instantly on the table, thanks to the blazing sun.
  
  
• The venue’s party bags? Each had one sticker and one lolly. Yep, just one.
  
  

And yet… I wasn’t stressed.

I almost expected things to go wrong. With that many kids in one place, how could everything possibly go perfectly?

Why Speaking on Stage Is Just Like a Birthday Party

That’s when it hit me: this is exactly what it’s like to speak on stage.

You prepare. You rehearse. You think you’ve covered every detail.

But then:

• The slides stop working.
  
  
• You trip walking onto the stage.
  
  
• You forget what comes next.
  
  

It happens. It’s part of the deal.

What You Can Control—and What You Can’t

When you’re on stage, there are always things you can control—your message, your delivery, your energy.

And there are things you simply can’t.

Instead of chasing the mythical “perfect performance,” here’s a better approach:
🎤 Focus on connecting with your audience, not being flawless
🎤 Laugh when things go sideways (because they will)
🎤 Remember: transformation comes from your presence, not your perfection

The Jelly Cup Reminder

So here’s my nudge to you this week: let go of the jelly cups.

The magic of your message isn’t lost when something flops. In fact, those messy, human moments can make your talk even more powerful.

Because at the end of the day, your audience isn’t looking for perfection. They’re looking for connection.