Step one in overcoming this fear is to understand it. For instance, most of the things that are happening inside your body are things that your audience can’t see. For instance you may have butterflies in your stomach. Or your heart may be racing. You may also have a fear of going blank. These symptoms are real. We feel them. But if you think about them one by one, how would the audience know if you feel like throwing up? How would they know if your heart was racing?
The truth is… They wouldn’t.
If we understand this one simple thing, our fear should be greatly reduced. Think about the last time that you spoke and you were scared to death. But when you finished, someone complimented you and said that you didn’t look nervous. You probably wondered who they were really listening to, right? You might think, “Were they were even paying attention to your presentation?”
They were. But, the reality is that people don’t notice our fear of speaking nearly as much as we think they do. So, when you get ready to deliver your next speech or presentation, remember to not be too concerned whether you seem to nervous or not…they can’t tell, for the most part.
Of course, once this group in Detroit saw this in action, they realized that they weren’t alone. Most people feel nervous. Then, as we continued the class, that nervousness began to go away.
If you want your nervousness to go away, we invite you to attend one of our upcoming presentation skill workshops. For a list of presentation classes in Detroit, click here.
