Your #1 Key to Success

Dec 13

INC Magazine says, that “Public speaking is … your key to success in any field.” While that fact is widely accepted in the business community, many people avoid it with, "Oh I'm not gifted at that. I get stage fright." That’s like saying, “Oh, I tried skating once, but I’m no good at it. I fell down a lot.”

Strangely, we’re perfectly okay with falling repeatedly when we’re learning to skate; but super self-critical when it comes to stage fright. But stage fright is normal. It’s beneficial. That’s what allowed our ancestors to live long enough to produce offspring that resulted in our very existence.

Pack of three wolves — I mean for the vast majority of human history, facing a bunch of stranger’s eyeballs meant you were at risk of becoming dinner. It’s an excellent time for an instantaneous fight or flight response.

What’s different between falling while learning to skate and having stage fright while public speaking is that we think that we should be able to talk ourselves out of stage fright. When that doesn’t work, then we conclude that we have some kind of moral failure or genetic defect.

That’s nonsense, because you can’t talk yourself out of it. Stage fright doesn’t care about logic or reason. It doesn’t even care if everyone in your audience is naked.

Blond child covering her eyes. — So many people give up on speaking right at the start, not because of the stage fright; but because of the self-criticism that tends to go with it.

It’s too bad for the people who sabotage their opportunity to learn. BUT it does provide a huge opportunity for the rest of us. Since the vast majority of people never try to learn public speaking, a little bit of effort on your part will skyrocket you into the Above Average Category within months. I promise that you’ll be astonished at you own progress. The figure skaters of the world can only dream of such rapid improvement. So go out and take advantage of this easy way to excel.