The inner voice or the parrot on your shoulder can be incredibly destructive. On the other side of the coin, it can be incredibly powerful and lead to great success. Which would you prefer to choose?
A number of people create their own self doubt when it comes to communicating in public and presenting. Anxiety plays a big part here too. It can lead to us judging ourselves harshly and not having a real view of the actual speaking situation.
The negative self talk begins and we can no longer have constructive thoughts and feelings about speaking. It can undermine our achievements and stop us from seeing our speaking engagements as successful.
How would it be if we were able to have positive self talk and build ourselves up rather than knocking ourselves down? By changing the unhealthy and negative thoughts into constructive thinking, you will be able to have a much more realistic view of your progress and ultimately your success.
The process is simple. It means going from a negative mindset to a positive one where public speaking is concerned. You will be changing your role from being your own worst enemy to becoming your own best friend as a speaker.
We worry what others think of us, and so the anxiety around being judged when we are standing in front of an audience escalates. Most audience members are not there to pick apart your speaking skills, instead they’re looking to learn something positive and feel that their time has been well spent.
In this sense, audiences actually have little interest in you personally. They are more concerned about the message and information you are delivering. You are not under the scrutinising spotlight you may think you are!
If you have a dislike of speaking publically you may find yourself caught up with thinking about your poor performance, or what you consider to be poor. You may be doing well, but by creating a negative inner voice and sense of reality you don’t allow yourself the success you are entitled to. The key is to commit to using positive thinking and constructive thoughts to move towards your goals.
So in short, use positive thinking to succeed!