12 most common worries to stop sweating during presentations
Going outside yourself and doing a real-time self critique not only adds to your angst, it also severs the connection with your audience. Here’s some advice for your next speaking gig.
“Do you want to look good on stage during your next presentation?”
2001 World Champion of Public Speaking Darren LaCroix posed this question at a recent conference. All across the room, hands shot up—including mine. Of course I want to look good on stage. Who doesn’t?
To this Darren shouted: “It’s NOT about you!”
He’s right: Presentations are not about the speaker; they are about the audience. Yet speakers spend a lot of time, energy, and emotion worrying about how they are going to look on stage. Worrying about how you look breaks your connection with your audience.
Here are 12 worries to stop sweating over before your next presentation:
1. Fear of failure
Fear and anxiety are a natural part of speaking. Fear doesn’t mean your presentation is doomed to fail. It just means you care. You want to do well for your audience. Welcome fear as part of the process, but don’t let it get in the way of giving your audience a message they need to hear.
2. Worst-case scenario
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