Have you had moments in your life where you feel absolutely great and confident with what you have to offer to the world? (and hence in your speech/presentation)
Have you also had moments where you are not too sure about what is it that makes you great? As your doubts rolls into a gigantic ball of fear, you are faced with a situation where you have to “appear” to be super confident and charismatic, like speaking to a group of audience.
As our inner critic continues to chatter, reminding us of all the reasons why we are not good enough, we could experience mental blanks, sweaty palms, avoid eye contact with audience (just in case they can see through us) and speaking at a very fast pace.
Our inner critic is like a small child, it is constantly demanding for attention. The child needs constant re-assurance that you are going to be “alright” and everything’s going to be OK.
As a parent, I know that sometimes even when we are not sure, we want to give our kids hope, faith and a positive picture of what the future holds.
At the end of the day, there’s no guarantee on what’s going to happen tomorrow, next month or next year. But we choose to instill positive thoughts and have confidence that everything will turn out well for the future.
Therefore, it is really important for you to choose to believe in yourself even when you don’t feel like it.
During those moments where you are about to deliver a speech/presentation to a group, think about the most positive outcome that you want to have happen, visualise it, feel the emotions that you will experience as a result of this outcome happening and live in the world of possibilities.
Another important key is after delivering the speech/presentation to acknowledge yourself for taking the actions in the face of uncertainty.
The response you receive from the audience is never guaranteed. It is only through doing that we have an opportunity to learn and improve on our delivery.
It is important to re-assure your inner critic and give the child a good pat on the back for giving it a go.
A simple and effective way to do is through Acknowledgement.
Acknowledgement is a form of positive feedback to help you nurture that self believe and self confidence.
When you choose to believe in yourself, the confidence that you exude when you speak will help you establish rapport with your audience and you will engage them with such ease.
Go on. “Just Believe in Yourself. Even if you don’t, pretend that you do. And at some point, YOU WILL!!” – Venus Williams