Public speaking is one of the toughest things you’ll ever do.
I know.
My first presentation was a disaster.
The experience was so bad that it’s a miracle I ever tried again.
Way back then, a primary key to overcoming my fear of public speaking was to change my thinking.
It’s easy to get carried away with the formality of a presentation…
- Everything needs to be perfect.
- You are responsible for all the talking.
- The audience are there to judge you.
- Questions are tough and are being asked to test you.
At least, that’s what it feels like.
Here’s how I changed my thinking. Here’s how I became a more confident speaker.
I started to think about presentations the same way I did about any other social interaction…
- Mistakes are normal.
- If you talk about only what you want to talk about your audience will stop listening.
- The audience should be the focus.
- Questions demonstrate interest.
Things started to change for me once I stopped focusing on myself.
When I focused on the audience everything became easier. My speaking became more natural. I stopped panicking. I stopped hating public speaking.
Treat a presentation like any other social interaction.
Give it a try next time.
READ: The 10 ingredients of a knockout presentation.
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