RUNNING SCARED FROM PRESENTING?

Overcoming Fears of Public Speaking

 

Is this your facial expression when someone asks you to do a presentation in front of others?

That response is generally known as “fight or flight”, where the brain is preparing for action (like running away)- but if it becomes overactivated, the brain may also shut down, resulting in a freezing response.

You might recognise this from, for example, presentations where you forget all your words, even though you know the content really well. (Its also worth knowing that some research has shown that, in women, the response can be better described as “tend and befriend”, either tending to offspring or making connections to help stay safe). Coaching can help you both identify and change this response. Identifying that you’re in this state is the first step to helping yourself to get out of it. What response do you experience – does your body respond (sweating? heart pumping?), does your behaviour shift (talking faster? focusing on others?), does your brain respond (e.g. repeated anxious thoughts?)?

Once you’ve identified that pattern for yourself, you will more easily be able to shift how you respond. If you can see the situation coming up (e.g. a presentation), then you can reduce your fear response by exposing yourself to the scary situation repeatedly. This is why practicing presentations in advance can be really helpful, as it lowers the threat response that is experienced when actually come to present. However, you can’t always see it coming. In the situation where you feel that fearful response kicking in, its easy to change it by changing the emotional, physical and behavioural inputs that the brain uses to make a determination as to whether its fearful.

There are three ways to do that:

1. Shift your emotions. Recall a time when you felt a more positive emotion. e.g. that time on holiday when you were completely relaxed and at peace with the world, the time when you felt really confident and bold. Bringing that to front of mind can help move your mind out of that scared state.

2. Shift your body. Changing the way in which you are sitting or standing can make you feel less fearful. For example, pushing your shoulders back, or grounding both feet into the floor.

3. Shift your behaviour. If you know that you’ll respond by talking faster, force yourself to talk more slowly.

The next time you are asked to present, you might not have the chance to get away from it. But you will always have a chance to choose how to respond to it.

If you're interested in moving from anxious to awesome, get in contact via the contact me page.