Page 57 - How To Sell Yourself

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).