What if your stage fright has nothing to do with the stage, the audience, or your skills? What if it’s simply this: You don’t believe in the words you’re saying.
Or do you?
I think chances are pretty high that you don’t if you do one (or more) of these:
You’re using Corporate Speak
Words that sound professional and eloquent but that are not yours. They feel foreign because no one speaks like that in real life. No wonder it feels off when you’re supposed to say them out loud on a stage.
You’re disconnected from your audience
Many speakers know surprisingly little about their audience. What made them show up? What truly matters to them? Without a good understanding of your audience, speaking is like shooting arrows in the dark. You never know if it’s a hit or a miss. Not exactly a comforting thought.
You’re the prisoner of your slides
Slides are often the ultimate snooze fest and everyone (including you and me) knows it. Yet, here you are, shuffling through slide after slide. Deep down you know the slides are overloaded and painfully corporate. Doesn’t exactly sound like a confidence booster, does it?
You’re trying to impress
Finally, here’s an unusual suspect: the urge to impress. You craft your words not from the heart, but from what you presume others want to hear. The problem is that your focus shifts from sharing to showcasing. From genuine to performative. Which actually is not even your normal style, is it? You’re not a show-off. But showing up as someone you’re not will only increase the pressure to deliver.
If you saw yourself in one of these areas, then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you. In fact, you’re perfectly normal. Almost everyone does it like that because that’s how they were taught.
But that doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it like that.
Why not use words you truly believe in about the things you deeply care about?
In my experience, that’s the most effective confidence booster on a stage.
Dare to be more you. Dare to speak from the heart.
And keep lighting the path!