What are Your Standards?

Our fear of speaking in front of a group is partly based on our own mindset, especially the idea that we are not worthy to be heard.  Do NOT compare yourself to a famous speaker or your favorite speaker.  You are unique.  I am not saying your are perfect the way you are, just that we all have our strengths and you are no exception.  If you try to imitate someone else you may cover up your best traits.  You may also fall prey to the "I could never" type of statements that will create discouragement for no reason.  "I could never be that funny" or "I could never remember a whole speech in front of all those people".

Does this mean that anything you do will be good enough?  Well, there are some things we want to strive for, like good grammar, logical presentation, and an understanding of our audience.  But once those are in place our style should not be judged by the things someone else is doing.  If you aren't convinced yet go to YouTube and compare the comedy styles of the monotone Stephen Wright with the sometimes frantic ravings of Brian Regan.  Neither one of these pros sounds like the other, yet they are both successful at getting laughs.

There is an upside to watching how the best do their jobs.  It is the chance to observe and learn.  We can watch them recover from mistakes, improvise, and adapt to changing situations.  We can get free lessons, but let's not get caught up in the comparison game.  It will only add to our feeling that we're not good enough.

This week's step to overcoming your fear of speaking was mainly about things to avoid.  Next week will be about the best mindset you can adopt to shrink your anxiety.  After that we will get into the nuts and bolts of preparing and practicing.

Be sure and leave a comment below so that I can address any questions or topic requests you have.

In the meantime -  Be Bold. Be Heard.