Presentation: Fear Of Failure
How to deal with this natural and common anxiety when confronted with the challenge of making presentations!
We run a LOT of presentation skills courses. A LOT. And the number one recurring issue is fear of failure
Indeed, presentation skills are our most popular course and we also run quite a lot of one-to-one work for people preparing for a big event or who would prefer individual tuition rather than working in a group or who can’t take the time out for a whole one, two, or five days.
Over the years, we’ve been contacted by people who have failed at a previous presentation and are now terrified at the prospect of ‘getting back on the horse’.
Fear of Failure
We completely understand where they are coming from; there is nothing worse for someone’s
self-esteem and confidence than to fail. Not only fail but also fail in front of others many of whom may be colleagues.
Crawling out from under the rock of humiliation takes a lot of courage.
Our starting point for any course or one-to-one coaching is empathy. There’s no point trying to push someone into doing something they are terrified of if you don’t reassure them that what they are feeling is normal. Even if they haven’t failed, the Fear of Failure is still there. It is normal to be frightened of standing up in front of others, be it strangers or colleagues, and presenting.
Feeling in Charge
From reassurance, we progress to giving people an insight into what actually physiologically and psychologically happens to most people when they present. The more you understand what happens to you in the presenting ‘arena’ the more in charge you will feel.
Nerves create all sorts of sensations and thoughts that can make you feel out of control. When I’m nervous my knees shake which of course means my legs shake. If I start concentrating on how much my legs shake then I start fearing that my hands will shake my voice will tighten and everyone will be able to see how scared I am.
It’s a vicious circle because all the attention is focused on my nerves and fear of failure rather than on my presentation.
Fear of Failure and Nerves
That’s what happens to a lot of people when they present; their nerves take over.
Now another thing that’s as important as empathy for the fear of failure people are feeling is that you can’t banish nerves by giving yourself a hard time about being nervous. I’ve heard people call themselves pathetic, a wimp; they should buck up; they should get over it. That’s awful. Bashing yourself will only make it worse.
Acknowledging what actually happens to you and accepting that you have nerves doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do about it, but acknowledgment and acceptance help you put things into perspective. What you are feeling is real, it isn’t a sign of weakness or a lack of
professionalism.
Empathy, understanding, acknowledgment. All very positive and humane ways of dealing with a very natural and common anxiety.
Once those are in place, then trainers can help to build your presentation skills so you look forward to presenting.
By Jo Ellen Grzyb, Director, ImpactFactory
Impact Factory runs
Open Presentation Skills Courses
Tailored Presentation Training
Five-Day imtensive Presentation With Impact Workshops
and personalised
One-to-One Presentation Coaching
for anyone who is interested in
Presentation Skills Issues
