Fear can often be crippling. Some amount of nervousness can in fact goad you to do a better job, but when anxiety and doubt creep in, it’s hard to believe you can move past your challenges.
Doubt deters you from taking strategies seriously. Doubt erodes confidence. Doubt makes truth seem like lies. Doubt will feed your fear and give you more speaking nightmares. So the first step to speaking with no fear is, quite plainly, believing you can speak with no fear.
Where you are isnotwhere you have to be. You can turn your speaking nightmares into living your dreams. And if you have faith in the process, in the actions you will have to take, and – most importantly – yourself, you will overcome your fear of public speaking.
Did you see Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark? In one scene, the actor Harrison Ford must cross a deep chasm with a pit below. If he turns around, he will forfeit everything. Compelled by a deeper understanding, he puts one foot over the chasm, believing that somehow he will be able to walk across. As he steps out in belief, his foot lands on an invisible yet solid bridge. His faith allows him to move forward.
My first few experiences of public speaking in middle school and high school had never gone well. I was ridiculed, made fun of, and laughed at for my stage presence. Although I learned how to manage the fear, it was still there, like a persistent itch. Things changed when my college professor invited me to join the debate team. He believed that if I pushed past my insecurities, weaknesses and fears, I could do well. He persisted for months on end, refusing to take ‘no’ for an answer. Finally, I said ‘yes’, and that has made all the difference.
Once I believed I could be great… I became great (and humble).
In my debut book, Speak With No Fear, I outline seven strategies to help you work through your fears. You can learn to enjoy presenting, selling, educating, storytelling, and speaking in public. The same strategies I used in my life, you can use in yours.
These strategies are not miraculous, but they are miracle workers. If you take action and do the assignments, you will results. If you take heart and believe in yourself, you will see how the work you do becomes the miracle you hope to see.
You can buy a copy of Speak With No Fear on Amazon. I would really appreciate if you leave a review after reading it, or share it on social media with your network.
Like Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” So go ahead, take that step. There’s no time like the present.
- Mike Acker
President of ADVANCE
contact@stepstoadvance.com