#fortitude #courage #presentation #skills #difficult #messages #truth #confidence #passion #speaking #speakup #culture #diversity #success
Conquor Public Speaking Fear with Fortitude
You know the cliché. In the list of all time personal fears, fear of death comes in at number 4, and fear of public speaking comes in at number 1. Interpretation – You would rather die than speak in public!
Zone of control
Do you currently see public speaking, piping up in a meeting or giving a talk, as being within your comfort and competence zones, or is it a horrible but necessary duty that must be done to stay on track?
If you are in the latter group, the virtue of fortitude comes into play. This is doing what we do not want to do, solving the problem of how to do it anyway, and all this whilst broadcasting constant outer visuals and tone so as to look even and firm, before, during and after you speak. Wow that is a lot.
Overcoming fear
A trick that works to overcome our dread and fear is open to all of us. Instead of running away from it or curing it, we relabel the physical to reprogramme the mental. Our physical reaction can be dramatic but here we can learn to take a beat, and empower ourselves by making an active and positive labelling choice. I know people who get into the narrow tunnel of dread, and those that run towards this playground and engage in the fun.
Same difference
Weirdly – Our bodies are doing the same thing whichever way we think about it! Flushed skin, dry mouth, shallow breathing, racing heart, sweaty palms, adrenaline surging through the arteries. Can you choose to alter your labelling of your body’s signals? Can you relabel fear as excitement? Yes, you can. This is a start.
Brain and body
Part 2 is to know that the brain and body work with each other. If you label your body’s reactions as positive, then the signals your body broadcasts upwards will encourage the brain, nudging it into a positive cycle of support rather than an escalating cycle of protective betrayal.
Professional persistence
The key to career, relationships, fitness and survival is endurance. What you can endure will dictate the sharpness of the angle of the steps that take you up to where you wish to eventually stand. We all want the view at the top of the mountain, but are you ready to take on the challenging climb that comes first?
Practicing to extend your range, and ride out negative brain signals will lead to physical resilience, increased capacity and an eventual mental strength that today, you can only dream of.
Don’t give in
Many of us are tempted to blo*w ourselves up, as our brains and bodies scream at us to sabotage the mission, give in, give up and destroy the current activity, to get ourselves to just plain STOP.
We need to understand discipline, the ring of fire and that what does not k*ll you today, makes you stronger for facing the challenges of tomorrow, and that, it is our capacity for discomfort that will dictate our level of success.
If you can grind through, and do it properly you will have achieved something to proudly add to the success list, the deal sheet, and your pleased with your progress list. The longest journey starts with the first step. And it continues with plenty more steps until it is done.
Resisting your screaming brain is an exercise worth doing until you best it. The people who give up at the first sign of trouble will never progress. I see them every month in the gym. They come, they have a go. It gets difficult. They go home, never to return. It is a missed opportunity. And it is mental not physical.
Topic on a hill
At the extreme, after you have relabelled your body feedback, conquered your lazy and trouble-making brain, there is a motivator that is scary. Are you ready to continue and discover what it is?
Is there a passion topic that speaks to you? Is there something that you consider worth fighting for? Is this topic a hill worth dying on?
If yes, then all of your pain and discomfort can be suppressed, as you are taken over by the drive to broadcast a truth that must be told (Justice in the last blog).
This can become a driving purpose that helps the most people and one that you feel needs to be urgently addressed.
If this is your driver then good for you. This is your QUEST and you are driven to set out to complete it. And the rewards for vanquishing the foe are bountiful – honour, action and change. And that is what is needed more than ever today in our polar, divided and messed up world?
About the author
Matthew Hill is a Presentation Skills Coach, helping secretly courageous executives to find their hill, conquer their hesitation, ignite their passion, find their voice and make a difference – both to their own success trajectory, but to the organisation they attach themselves to as well. I accompany them / you on their / your journey from fearful mumbling, to excitement and clear, loud and impressive impactful presentation success.
Happy to chat…
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