Still Grappling with Confidence to Present at Mid-Career? You're Not Alone!

Are you mid-career and still grappling with the confidence to present effectively? Is this holding you back?  It's not too late to find the right mix of confidence and skill. 

The challenge of confidence is one that many of us face on our path to success. Recently, I had an interesting chat with a mid-career financial advisor who openly shared his struggles with confidence, especially when it comes to public speaking - a skill becoming increasingly critical as his career advances. What's more, he admits to sticking well within his comfort zone, acknowledging that his style might be a bit dull, but the prospect of embracing a new approach seems overwhelming. Sound familiar?

I'm here to reassure you that you don't have to stay trapped in this discomfort, potentially holding yourself and your business back. To encourage you to move forward, let me pose some questions for you to ponder: Do you truly understand your fears? Are you sure  you've uncovered your real strengths? Are you less concerned about failure and more afraid about being a stand out talent? 👏  

If you're still battling confidence in public speaking, you are definitely not alone. Here's some pieces of advice (or words of encouragement) I'd like to share based on my 30 years coaching and training:

Unleash Your Hidden Talent: I hate seeing talent wasted. I find it sad. Let me tell you, based on my experience, most people have more presentation talent than they know about. Find your talent. Summon up the courage to unearth it. Venture outside your comfort zone. You'll never regret it. Staying in your comfort zone keeps your true potential hidden.

Embrace Healthy Anxiety: Nerves and lack of confidence, and all the somatic challenges that accompany them, are not problems in themselves - it's the way we respond to them. They can help bring out your best performance. Productive performance anxiety keeps you sharp. Embrace the motivating benefits of eustress.

Find the Right Balance of Confidence and Skill: This is a fascinating one. Confidence without skill yields unpredictable outcomes - some high highs and low low's. Skill without confidence squanders potential. Work on both aspects. Find your equilibrium. Know your tipping point. 

Do Your Inner and Outer Work: Confidence requires both mind craft and body craft. No shortcuts here, as psychologist Michael Gervais reminds us. The 3 questions I posed earlier relate to this. This is the lynchpin of confidence and competence.

Stop Worrying About Yourself: Develop your own style based around your signature communication strengths. Stop fretting about what others think. Build self-knowledge - know yourself: your values, passions, purpose, strengths, and aspirations.  Align with your higher purpose - and you'll find your tribe.

Technique Matters: Clients frequently say to me: 'Veronica I always thought that all I needed for a good presentation was a good idea.  Now I understand this is just the beginning of mastery.' Bridging the gap between the intention you have (e.g. to be authentic, credible, informative and compelling) and the impact  you make, demands technique -  'wishing it' or 'winging it' won't cut it in the leadership spotlight.

Mastery Is Infinite: There's no endpoint to mastery. Your on a journey to the holy grail!

Technique + Instinct = Magic: Masterful technique alone will leave people cold; combine it with instinct, and magic unfolds. Then, we're in a transformational space.

Make Your Signature Strengths Sizzle: Star performers know their strengths 💪. They work on them. They turn them into a unique signature style. They see the value in taking an original, authentic and daring approach to communicating.

Recognizing our strengths can be a major hurdle for us 👀. Research shows that two-thirds of us are unaware of our strengths. I'd say this is especially true for presenters.  In the realm of communication, you can't always learn about your strengths from taking a survey or reading a book on presentation techniques. Mastery requires stepping into the practical arena - into the heat of attention. This is where you'll be confronted by your strengths and weaknesses which is a good thing.  Armed with this knowledge, you can move on, and forward.

To reach the highest level as a communicator, I believe working with a skilled professional coach is often crucial, akin to evolving from an amateur to an elite athlete. Expert guidance helps us uncover, refine, and develop both known and hidden strengths - and it's truly a unique journey for everyone.

If you are motivated to break free from the realm of 'average' or 'good' as a speaker/presenter you need to take some risks, make a deliberate effort to learn new skills, and show dedication to the practice and refinement of your skills. This might sound like hard work but embarking on the journey towards a new level of confident competence is exhilarating 🎯.

This is a journey everyone deserves to undertake, and it's what the world needs – more authenticity, compelling meaning-making, and captivating communication to keep us informed, engaged, stimulated, and inspired.🔥 Without these qualities in the world, we all miss out.

So, I encourage you to embark on the journey to discover your presentation strengths no matter what your career stage. You'll see your confidence soar. You'll see speaking and presenting less of a chore and more of a privileged opportunity. This change of attitude and ability will help advance your impact and influence🏆.

Stand ready to inspire and to be inspired. Be bold. As Sir Laurence Olivier wisely advised, 'Surprise yourself with your own daring.'  Step into the spotlight of attention. Be confident of success because you've done the work to unleash your unique talents.  When doubt creeps in (and it will), stare it down. It's time to wholeheartedly embrace the possibility of brilliance. In doing so, you'll unlock the wellspring of authentic and enduring confidence.  And remember, as Nelson Mandela advised us, "playing small" doesn't do anyone a favour, least of all yourself.🌟 I hope this helps. 

#PresentationConfidence #Strengths #Communication #PersonalDevelopment#InspiringSpeaker

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