Dealing with fear

In our coaching, practice we have seen hundreds of people who are truly afraid of public speaking. First, we ask people: How big is this fear of speaking in public, on a scale of 1-10 ?

Being a bit to moderately afraid of your next presentation is quite normal. It can even boost your performance because fear and excitement are actually good friends! But, if you are anywhere between 6 to 10 on the "fear scale" you definitely need to do something about it! You need to take the "fear monster" by the hand , look it straight in the eye and ask: What is going on? More concretely, here are some questions you should ask yourself to find out what lies beneath your fear of speaking in public:

- Am I more afraid with people I know or with people I don't know? Big or small audiences?

- Have I had a specific bad speaking experience which still haunts me? 

- Is my fear related to a lack of self-confidence? Do I believe what I am saying?

- Is my work environment positive and supportive? If it is not, can my fear be related to that?

- Have I ever been ridiculed as a child? Bullied by friend to even family members? Were my parents/teachers too strict with me? 

These are just some questions to start with. If you identify with any of these issues, then there is  some personal work that you need to do on your own ( and with support from your Public speaking coach). But there is something else you can do- you can immediately start practising your public speaking skills in a safe group environment. So come to our next Group coaching session on May 21st. Inscriptions here. (register before May 14th!)

Have a very good week. Here is a quote to keep you motivated:

"Thinking will not overcome fear but action will." W. Clement Stone