Are you comfortable or scared, speaking in front of people?
Quite often,
speaking in front of people
brings out the worst fears inside us
If someone even mentions,
“come here and start speaking”,
our pulse rate goes up,
maybe our palms turn sweaty and
we will want to hide behind the nearest rock
It’s said fear of speaking in front of people is second to fear of death
It may not be that severe but
it is definitely very prevalent
Behind this fear is the dislike
for being judged for one’s performance,
we love what we are and
we don’t like being evaluated or
criticized for who we are
Also, to speak in front of people,
somewhere we feel
we have to be cool and
fluent like a movie star
None of these fears are actually true
First of all, it’s not a “Performance”
Often we are called to share something”
that we know or we have experienced.
That’s all there is to it.
What you have experienced or
know is your personal truth.
Whether people agree with it or not,
it’s your truth.
What you know may be wrong but
it does not make you a wrong person
“It’s not a performance, I am sharing my experience”
This is the first thought
we need to tell ourselves:
Second, most people in the audience
are equally terrified as
you are about speaking and hence,
no one expects a movie star coolness.
So let go of the pressure to be one.
And if none of the above thoughts is helping,
here’s a Third tip:
change the meaning of the event
“My body is telling me I am excited to do this”
Whenever your pulse rate increases, tell yourselves the above
Or
“My body is telling me I am determined to do this”
The above is the only way you will move through your fears
All actions and conclusions that we make depend on the meaning we give to the event
Change the meaning of the event and
your physiology and your actions will change
share in comments
Today,
Identify the events where you are fearful or resisting
And ask yourself
“How can I change the meaning of that event?
What can I say to reframe this event?”