Wait…what??
Yup. Don’t adjust your glasses or put in a new pair of contacts. It’s true. Public speaking anxiety is, in fact, a good thing.
Think about the jitters you feel before a big date. Or a meeting with your boss knowing you’re about to be offered a promotion. Or the feeling you get before a big track meet, or in the case of us elite athletes, a bowling tournament.
It’s a feeling of being alive, of being fully present, of embracing the human experience for everything it has to offer.
And that’s why you’re nervous – because you care.
If you weren’t nervous at all, then you’d have bigger problems. It means your speech, be it a corporate presentation, comedy roast or Maid of Honor, really isn’t that important to you. And if that’s the case, you’re going to deliver a sub-standard, emotionless speech that will leave your crowd disinterested, bored and resentful of you wasting their time.
So the next time you feel the fear, really, really feel it. Embrace it. Don’t hide from it. Don’t pretend it doesn’t exist. Use it to your advantage, and take all that nervous energy and pour your soul into what you’re saying. That fear will become your greatest ally, your best asset. And you’ll leave them in stitches wanting more.
