Fear is good

Your best presentations are the ones where you're taking a risk, says communication coach Jon Torrens.

Risky business

The best things in life involve risk:

  • performing to an audience 
  • starting a business
  • falling in love
  • buying a house
  • having children
  • board games where you take over the world with military force*

The bigger the risk, the bigger the potential reward.

*Well done if you got that (you nerd).

It's exciting

Sometimes people say that doing the very thing they fear makes them "feel alive." The only thing I've done repeatedly that I feared was stand-up comedy, and - when it went well - it definitely made me feel at one with the world. (Even now, thinking about doing stand-up comedy sends a slight shiver down my spine. Yours too probably, but for a slightly different reason I imagine.) 

Here's the thing:

I didn't lose my fear, I just got used to it.

The best mindset a good speaker has isn't "This will go well" but "This will probably go well". They realise that whatever happens, they just have to go with it, but due to their preparation and experience, things are probably going to go according to plan. Probably. 

Jump In, the Powerpoint's Lovely
Giving a presentation for the first time is like jumping into a swimming pool: sure, it's uncomfortable, but after a few minutes you get used to it, and when you get out you feel great. Crucially, it gets easier every time, to the point where you don't really care about the initial discomfort, and the adrenaline you feel becomes a bit of a buzz.

Your fear becomes simply part of the process. 

Related Posts
'Kick Fear in the Teeth'
'Removing Fear'
'Tweak the Nose of Terror'

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