As a professional speaker and trainer, I get to share my message of Entrepreneurship and Balanced Leadership with crowds of all sizes. Often, I am approached by audience members who want to know how I seem to have no fear of public speaking. They are surprised that I look like I actually enjoy it (I do!).
Let’s face it, to get ahead with your career you need to be able to stand in front of a client (or a roomful of strangers) to pitch your idea.
Here is my simple trick
Before I go on stage, I take a moment alone and face a corner of the room and close my eyes. I take a few deep breaths to find a calm inner space. Then, I remind myself that this is not about me. I am here for my audience, I tell myself that every person in the room came to be inspired, entertained, and to learn something.
I acknowledge that am nothing but a vehicle to deliver this information and give them the most important ingredient: HOPE.
Speakers are in the business of selling hope
I remember quite a few powerful stories, quotes, and key points from other speakers. I even remember the very first speaker I ever heard at NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) who sparked my desire to become one myself. She taught me that in order to tell a story, you first have to live through something that is worth talking about.
Professional speakers assume certain responsibilities when we step onto a stage. First and foremost, we have to connect the audience with the materials we are getting paid to talk about. We need to bring an idea or a concept to life and make it impactful and meaningful. We have to honor the audience and their time.
At minimum, we must be respectful of every single person who came to listen to what we have to say. And we need to say our bit in a way so that we are taken seriously. A lot of thought should go into how we present our ideas, capture their interest, and instill them with the WOW factor that they’ll hopefully remember for years to come.
How to lose your fear of public speaking
Follow this principle: Make a conscious shift from worrying about yourself and how you feel in the spotlight, to making a connection with your message and your audience.
When you change your focus from You to Them, you leave no room to be nervous because it’s not about you.
Want to read more? I wrote about public speaking in a previous article that you can read here.
What tips can you share that helped you overcome your fear of public speaking? I’d love to hear about it!
Beate Chelette is The Growth Architect and a results-oriented businesswoman with an entrepreneurial spirit and a proven track record in growing, building and scaling women’s businesses. Once $135,000 in debt and a single mother, she successfully sold her business to a global entertainment media company owned by Bill Gates in a multi-million dollar deal.
Through her online courses, one-on-one training programs and live speaking events, she mentors women entrepreneurs with her 5 Star Success Blueprint, developed with the knowledge gleaned from her growing, scaling and selling her own company. Beate has a deep commitment to supporting women.
She is the creator of The Women’s Code, the fourth step of Growth Architecture that is focused on Supporting Balanced Leadership. Her proprietary methods specifically address women’s obstacles and she leads from experience, having survived in business in a highly competitive male-dominated environment.
She is a respected speaker and mentor and is the author of the book “Happy Woman Happy World How to Go From Overwhelmed to Awesome”, a book that corporate trainer and best-selling author Brian Tracy calls “a handbook for every woman who wants health, success and a fulfilling career.”
