Once upon a time, in the distant past, people did what they were trained to do: dancers danced, authors wrote, lawyers argued, doctors doctored, corporate heads led, and everyone lived happily ever after in their neat little niche. End of story!
But times have changed. Now, it seems, everyone at one time or another will be called upon to speak about their work, about their product, service, idea, or vision.
What was once reserved for the talented few has become commonplace. From homemakers to lawmakers, from leaders to leading ladies, from talking heads to corporate heads, all must face an audience at some point in their lives.
And most dread this prospect. I mean, really dread it. It is an often-quoted fact that public speaking ranks above death in the list of people’s fears. I get it … I know.
I used to be among the ranks of those who would rather dig ditches than get up in front of an audience. You may be wondering what changed in my life to make this fear vanish.
Well, first of all, it did not vanish. It faded away gradually as I was forced to get up in front of groups to share a technique of teaching that was unique, lots of fun, and something I passionately believed in. I forgot my natural reserve. I threw myself into the moment. I set it up so that I wasn’t lecturing, I was conversing with the audience.
Then I understood that directing a conversation felt natural, whereas giving a speech did not. And so I decided that whenever I would get up in public, I would not give a (dreaded) speech, I would simply hold a conversation.
You may think I’m quibbling; you may think the distinction is unimportant; you may think that just being in front of an audience would give most people hives. But I’m here to tell you that performance anxiety does not take place simply because we’re on a stage, or in front of a room. Performance anxiety takes place in our mind! If we perceive our audience as our judges, then we develop knocking knees and sweaty palms.
