If you’re like most people, you have a lot to fear about your next presentation. Sweaty armpits. Cellophane wrappers. Note cards. Texters. If you fear presentations at all, you fear every part of them. That includes all the uncontrollables. No wonder people fear public speaking more than death itself.
We’ve always believed that those who are asked to present are those who have received an extraordinary opportunity, and that the more you present the better things are probably working out for you. Presentations are the prerequisite for professional respect. You’ll never be heard if you don’t start speaking.
Yet we all know plenty of people who sit on the sidelines because of a silly thing called fear. No one really fears cellophane wrappers; we fear losing our train of thought in front of important people because of a stupid cellophane wrapper. We don’t hate texters; we hate the way it makes us feel when the audience is gazing down at their smartphone screens. In any context, fear always bends toward the irrational. Fears themselves are even cowardly: they tend to obscure the actual danger or vulnerability with something far more pointless.
This is a reality that attracted us to serving presenters with great presentations in the first place: by nature, presenters view fears as challenges to be overcome. In fact, presenters tend to view just about everything as something to be overcome. Those who willfully present share an understanding that adversity, pain, fear, and struggle are part of a bigger story about their lives. They’ve sold out to visions of greatness for themselves, their ideas, and their companies, so the minor roadblocks and the insecurities don’t immobilize them. Yes, they had sweaty armpits during a presentation at one point or another. But they plowed on and maybe switched deodorants. That’s it.
The greatest thing any of us have to fear with our next presentation is small dreams. When we have small dreams, small things get in the way. What upsets us is always in proportion to our thinking. If you want to overcome your fears of the next presentation, you need to develop a stronger picture of the future and how any and all presentation opportunities fit into that narrative. You’ll be surprised how quickly fear dissipates when you can recall the grand vision and where you’re going right before you hop on stage. The power and context brings courage, and that’s just where you want to be when you present.
Question: What drives you to be the best? How often does your vision of the future impact your day to day?
Laugh in the face of fear. Check out the Ethos3 original comic series Busted: http://ethr.ee/175ln8u
