Control Your Fear of Public Speaking – Don't Let Fear Control You
I’m an awards show junkie. The movies. The dresses. The Jennifer Lawrence (who does NOT love her…seriously). And even the speeches.
By most standards the acceptance speeches are pretty awful. Every once in awhile you get a Christoph Waltz or Robert Downey Jr. who makes speaking look effortless and ooze confidence.
Most of those stars who win are just FREAKING OUT.
Their voice quivers.
Hands visibly shake.
They just can’t think. Stumble over their words. It’s like their brains just don’t function. Their mind is in a deep fog.
I'm convinced their sweating bullets in those designer duds.
Does this sound familiar to you?
Does it sound like what happens to you before you speak?
If you ever suffered through the surge of anxiety at the beginning of your presentation, you’ve got something in common with these starlets.
You have a choice. You can control the fear of public speaking or you can let the fear of public speaking control you.
Far too many of my clients admit to passing up speaking opportunities at work or in their business because of the fear and anxiety around presentations overwhelms them.
And they miss out establishing themselves as an expert and shining at work.
What's the difference between speakers who make it look easy and those who are a bundles of nerves?
It’s not that seasoned speakers don’t get nervous. They do! Heck, I’ve punched the time clock of 10,000 hours of speaking ages ago, and I get nervous.
What’s the difference?
Speakers who appear calm, confident, and at ease control their fear. They have a plan in place. They know how anxiety shows up for them and they deal with it.
Those like poor Michael Bay (man, I felt for that guy) don’t have a plan. They let those nerves control them, take over and then they are left with one choice – run off stage.
You need a plan, a strategy, a system for dealing with your jitters.
Nerves are natural. Now, it’s up to you to become friends with your fear and figure out how to party with it instead of deciding to fight it.
How to make public speaking fear your best friend
First, you need to know how anxiety shows up for you. It’s a bit different for everyone. Mine always shows up in my stomach (hello…hours in the bathroom before a big talk).
Once you figure out how fear rears its ugly head now it’s time to put a plan together to cope with the nerves. You can control the fear. You don't have to miss out on opportunities to speak up and have your ideas heard.
Need some guidance on slaying the dragon of public speaking fear?
If you're ready to nix the nerves and tame your pre-presentation anxiety, I invite you to check out my Public Speaking Fear Buster Sessions.
A self-paced course to help you find the BEST strategies for coping with your fear of public speaking. You'll walk away with:
- an understanding of why fears happens to ALL of us (not just you)
- knowing how anxiety shows up in your body, mind and emotions
- a can't miss strategy for coping with your nerves from the time your start preparing through the first 5-minutes of your speech.
- the one thing you need to do immediately after your presentation (hint: it's not thinking about all the things you've could of done better)
- and so much more…
The best part is that you can develop your public speaking fear buster strategy at your own pace from the cozy comfort of your couch.
You’ve lingered long enough outside of the limelight, it’s time to take center stage and the Fear Buster Sessions helps you do just that.
