Are you scared of speaking in public? Of course you are, you’re a human being. No-one in their right mind enjoys it (well, I enjoy it, but that proves my point).
Think it’s going to be really difficult to become confident? Well, it’s not. Hard work perhaps, but with the right guidance (mine, obviously) it can actually be a lot of fun.
Strangers Together
Last week I ran an afternoon pitching workshop at a three-day games conference in Brighton called Develop. Various games programmers/creators had pitches for new game ideas which we gave feedback on as a group. I made sure the workshop was fun. One attendee called it the highlight of the conference, which I think has boosted my ego the right amount, not in an unhealthy way. You peasant.
Er, sorry about that. Anyway, lots of people collaborated and created pitches for their games which they then and delivered. They varied in quality, but they were all received very positively. I thought that everyone would compete with each other, but they worked together and it was super effective.
We All Have the Same Problems
We all worry about whether we’re performing adequately; when we discover that others have the same problems it’s a huge weight off our shoulders. The fact is that everyone has their insecurities. Steven Furtick said: ‘One reason we struggle with insecurity: we’re comparing our behind the scenes to everyone else’s highlight reel’. Don’t think that those confident speakers have no fear – they’ve just rehearsed their stuff so well that they can keep their fear under control.
Work as a Team
Worried about your next networking event, team meeting or presentation? Feel isolated? Get some help. Talk to someone who’s doing the same thing and discuss how each of you will tackle it. I’ll guess that you’ll disover common issues, which will become significantly easier to deal with because:
- You’ll see you’re not alone.
- You’ll share successful techniques.
- You’ll encourage each other.
- Sharing just makes things easier.
You may have to stand there on your own, but your preparation can be as part of a team, which can be very powerful indeed.
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