I’m convinced one of the reasons people get so uncomfortable when they imagine public speaking is because of the way they think about it.
Actually, this isn’t just a theory I have, it’s grounded in neuroscience and biology.
The short of it is this: our brain has the primary function of keeping us safe. When it does an inventory check and recognizes we are standing weaponless in front of others, sharing something of value and importance, it decides we’re in grave danger.
What comes next is a series of often extremely uncomfortable and potentially embarrassing responses in our body, which actually infringe on our ability to deliver effectively.
Sweaty palms, trembling legs, shaky hands and urgent washroom visits anyone?
Not to mention loss of words, stuttering, forgetting what you’re an expert on, excessive worrying…..
Thanks brain!
I’m not here to teach you how to turn off your brain when you speak publicly, I’m here to teach you how to work with your brain so that you’re not held back by programming that doesn’t serve you when you speak in front of others.
When we understand the brain is just like an overbearing mother who has watched the 11 o’clock news too much, we can begin to cater to what it needs to feel safe.
We can then succeed in all our wildest endeavours through the power of public speaking! Or at least look forward to the moments when we are called to speak, instead of wishing for meeting cancelations or natural disasters to close the day down.
Let’s begin the process of reconditioning how our brain reacts to public speaking by recognizing that how we label things influences how we perceive them.
Knowing that, we are now empowered with the knowledge that we can renegotiate with our brain how we define something in order that our perception towards it changes. With changed perception, and repetition, comes changed thoughts, feelings and beliefs.
Public speaking is nothing more than speaking publicly. And with high certainty, nearly everyone reading this does this daily. Even the most isolated of people will interact with one or two people a week in order to have their basic needs met.
You are a public speaker.
Not only are you a public speaker but you have survived and likely thrived in many situations where you communicated information to other people outside of yourself.
Start today making a mental or physical list of all the moments in your day where you are speaking to others, and in those moments label what you’ve just achieved as public speaking success.
Of course, there are going to be moments that are easier than others. Talking to someone delivering food to your door is likely more comfortable than delivering a presentation to the management team at your company, but this is the foundation of shifting the way you feel about public speaking.
The more you do it, the more you start to see the similarities in the situations and your confidence grows in all areas of speaking publicly.
The most important takeaway: When you change the way you think about something, in this case public speaking, it in turn changes the way you feel about it.
The result?
You standing calmly and confidently in front of any crowd you are called to speak in front of.
—
Jenna Goodhand
Lead Trainer Canada