The Mask
Last year, I had to give a little talk in front of some people.
The presentation went well…as I knew it was as I was going through it. I was asked later on if I was nervous while speaking.
I thought for a second and said, “Yes, right before I went on I was…but once I was up there I was very comfortable. Because I knew I was just going to be me…baggage and all. I knew that I would ‘let it all hang out’ and that would be appealing and attractive for my audience.”
And I knew it would be comfortable and relaxing for me…being yourself normally is.
Many people mistakenly believe they have to perform, to get it right. They hold back, afraid to reveal their true self. They have an image of what a good presenter should look like, and it’s often something very different from how they truly are.
It’s called wearing a professional mask.
This mask is bad for your career, your income, and your health. This internal pressure to uphold a mask, a false self in front of an audience, is at the core of performance anxiety and nerves. Your goal, when speaking to any audience, is simple. Give as much as you can.
You give when you are well prepared, when you present a clear roadmap, when you make them laugh, when you give relevant examples and choose stories your audience can relate to. When you muster the courage to tell the truth, and even when you are selling your audience something that will benefit their lives. It’s true - selling a great product or service and helping people recognize the benefits is an act of affection, too.
So if you’re a nervous speaker, you’re not nervous because you’re afraid of standing in front of a crowd.
You’re nervous because you are afraid to give.
Think about this for a moment, and then resolve to share. It all gets very easy after that.