56 How to Sell Yourself
Make nervousness your ally
Nervousness is a perfectly natural and almost universal oc-
currence. Ask any singer, any actor, any performer. You’ll hear
the same thing over and over. “I’m nervous before every perfor-
mance. It (nervousness) energizes my performance. It gives me
the edge I need.” So, don’t confuse nervousness with “stage fright.”
Again, that’s the difference between an energized presentation
and a stressed-out one.
Talk to professional athletes. They’ll tell you their least pro-
ductive games were the ones in which they were unsure of them-
selves, ones in which they lacked confidence.
Think of the tension a State Department spokesperson
struggles with knowing that every word might produce an interna-
tional incident.
Each one of those people must deal with the same kind of
pressure, tension, and stress that’s placed on you as a speaker.
The difference between you and those professionals is probably
the confidence with which they handle their situations.
Confidence can be learned
As a speaker, you’re relating directly to an audience. Any group
needs to believe that you seem comfortable, that you have confi-
dence in yourself. Otherwise, they’ll never be able to have confi-
dence in your message.
Without confidence, you have:- Fear.
- Stress.
- Tension.
- Self-consciousness.
- A rapid heartbeat that you can feel.
- Disorganized thoughts.
- Dryness (in your mouth).
- Wetness (everywhere else).
- Evident signs of discomfort.
With confidence, you have: - Control (of self and audience).