Reaching your full potential as a great speaker is an adventure. Much like an interactive fantasy book or video game, the most exciting choices you make along the way are the ones that are the riskiest and most impactful. The journey to confidence can be terrifying, but the rewards are easily worth it. You must learn the ways of the force. Let’s go.
Character Selection
Play to your strengths; be the character you want to be. Visualise being a wonderful speaker and then step into that role. If the audience are strangers then it’s easy. If they know you already then they’ll be impressed by the change. Either way, you will create trust.
Take Risks
Experiment – you only learn by trying new things. The discovery through experience of the unknown is worth the possibility of failure. In fact, that’s what makes it so exciting. Try something new and you will probably stand out while also showing that you want to learn new techniques. Once you’ve tested something and it works, then it becomes part of your arsenal.
Defeat Your Monsters
Fear of failure, fear of looking stupid, fear of appearing vulnerable. Whatever, it is, tackle it head on and it will crumble, because it’s irrational and it’s holding you back. Your demon of fear will lose its power over you if you accept its presence and acknowledge your own ability. The small, simple steps of preparing correctly (writing, distilling and rehearsing) will give you the confidence to tweak the nose of terror and… well, punch fear in the face.
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