Most people are more scared of delivering presentations than of dying. Don't take it from me, trust someone way smarter (and better at presenting).
“According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”
― Jerry Seinfeld
Anxiety Free Presentations
What if I told you that I could ensure that you could deliver a presentation without anxiety?
Without worry that you'd say the wrong thing.
Without stress that someone would disagree and correct you in public.
No, I'm not selling anything.
I simply want to share with you an insight I learned a while ago that has helped me tremendously over the last several years.
If you don't know by now, I struggle (like many do) with the impostor syndrome.
So how did I get past it?
I learned to embrace a single idea, a single truth, and it's helped me step on stage ever since.
Ready for my secret?
Now, seriously, you're going to realize, the moment I tell you, that you already know it.
That's because you're smart. So I know I won't shock you.
But it may surprise you that you've skipped past this truth so often as you've been preparing your presentations.
You can't make a mistake when you're sharing your own story.
Instead of trying to deliver a breathtaking and shocking talk filled with incredible insights, simply share your story.
No one can get up and scream at the top of their lungs that you're wrong (a longtime fear of mine). It's your story. They can't invalidate it. No one can.
So if you share a part of your journey, you'll always be right.
And if you're right, and there's no fear that someone can or will correct you, it should remove a majority of the fear we all experience when we walk on stage.
You're not a lawyer, you're a witness
Don't get stuck working from the common misconception that you have to convince your audience of anything.
Don't get stuck feeling like you need to have everything figured out – with a grand strategy.
Instead, think about your story as the kind of testimony that happens when a witness goes up to answer questions.
And no, I'm not talking expert witness.
I'm talking about everyday normal witnesses. They get up there, answer questions, and come back down.
They don't try to convince.
They simply tell their story.
“Here is what I did.”
“Here is what I experienced.”
“Here is how I felt.”
“Here is what I noticed.”
“Here is what happened next.”
All of those statements are different ways of sharing a story to provide content and context.
And anytime you share your story, your unique story, it may not be rocket science, but it can still encourage others. It can still challenge them.
So don't be a lawyer. Don't take that role.
Instead, be a witness. That way, you'll be in a very different place.
And you'll be able to get on and off stage without worrying at all that you might say something incorrect.
