Turn ‘I can’t’ into ‘I can’

Photo by Sean Quillen on Unsplash

Public speaking can be stressful. It’s part the reason ¾ of the population have a fear of public speaking. Even when you overcome that fear and you can speak well, you still find it stressful. And sometimes speaking in front of a group of people can feel impossible.

When it comes to many things in life, you feel like you can’t do something that in your heads just seems impossible. It might be imposter syndrome, you might be doing something for the first time, or you may have had a negative experience in the past. The narrative you tell yourself can be your greatest asset, but also your biggest downfall.

You might find in the build up to public speaking you have a negative narrative about the presentation you are about to give.

A story of opportunity

“This is stressful.” “I can’t do it.” “What if I fail?” — it is a story of limitation.

When you hold this narrative, you make it harder for yourself to successfully deliver to the best of your ability. You are being bound by limitations, about what could go wrong. What if instead your story was one of opportunity?

“I can do this.” “This is my opportunity to show what I can do.” “This is a challenge I can overcome.”