Help with Presentation Confidence: by Dublin based hypnotherapist Ailish McGrath

You run even from the idea of talking in public – avoid it like the plague.

If you have to do it – you stress about it for ages in advance.

When there you feel sweaty, clam up, forget details, run on adrenaline and feel judged (by yourself and by others).

Does Performance Success Interest you?

Present with ease

Imagine finding speaking in front of others exciting and enjoyable…
Do you want to look forward to those career opportunities that require speaking in front of others?
Do you want to do your spouse proud on your wedding day?
Interested?…. Read on…

How Presenting feels to those who fear it:

Presenting a business topic, doing a wedding speech, giving a talk in front of others are among the strongest fears people have.

People dread the ‘fight or flight’ feelings (dry mouth, racing /pounding heart, nausea, sweating, blushing, forgetting words) they experience when they perceive themselves as ‘on the spot’ and the center of attention. They feel threatened and exposed.

The physiological/body response can be so strong some faint and others develop a full blown panic attack.

The emotional response is one of feeling powerless, trapped and out of control. Often people will judge themselves as weak, a failure and not good enough.

Understandably then, given how stage fright feels to some, those who experience it avoid situations where they are to talk/perform in front of others like the plague.

Why do some people experience presentation nerves?

Yet, if we look at shows like the ‘X Factor’, or other reality type programmes, or remember that there are those people who’s job it is it be a public speaker, we see thousands of hopefuls who’d do anything to be in the limelight.

So, what’s going on? If one person’s worst nightmare is another persons dream, then it can’t be the attention or the stage itself that’s the cause of the nerves.

The anxiety must be ‘an inside job’!

Clearly, a professional public speaker has very different beliefs, ideas, expectations to someone terrified of a mic.

How to Overcome Presentation Anxiety (using Hypnotherapy)

The first step to overcoming presentation nerves, is to accept that our own mind is frightening us – not the audience. And from this insight we put ourselves back in the driving seat. No longer are we victims of circumstance, we are entertaining stress inducing thoughts and expectations about what it means to be on a stage.

And we CAN change our mind!

That IS within our power and ability and I can show you how.

The ‘meaning’ you give to presenting determines your experience…

HAPPY PERFORMER

My time to shine.
It’s great to show what I can do.
I’m sure they’ll understand, and it’s not that big a deal, if I forget a line.
I’m resourceful enough to handle questions.
My best is enough
They welcome/like me.

FEARFUL PERFORMER

They’re going to see through me.
What if I mess up?
I can’t show myself up – it’s not OK to make a mistake.
What if I don’t have every single angle covered and they find out?
I have to be perfect.
They’re judging me.

Perception creates Projection:

In psychology terms the fear of presenting is a projection into the minds of others what we fear is true about ourselves, that we don’t want anyone else to know/find out/notice.

So any practice / therapy / technique that helps rid your mind of powerless, judgmental, critical and negative thinking / beliefs will help overcome the problem.

Any practice that helps you to experience the sensations and feelings of ‘fear’ in an empowering and liberating way will also help.

Doing both:

1) handling the emotions

2) handling the critical beliefs

handles the problem.

What I do will facilitate this successful outcome and you will go on to enjoy presenting in front of others with ease.