Page 293 - ConvinceThemFlip

the show must go on
Practice Makes Perfect
When Mario first contacted me he had just turned
forty. He ran a successful sports medicine clinic with
more than twenty employees just outside Kansas City. He
was a single parent of a teenage boy and girl.
“I have to give a speech to a group of three hundred
industry people next year and I’m terrified,” he told me.
“I’ve made up my mind to step out of my comfort zone and
try to be more relaxed when I talk to large groups.”
Some people turn to organizations like Toastmasters
to practice their presenting skills. Others turn on the
video camera and work on their presentations in their
bedrooms or basements. Still others pay fortunes to
coaches to choreograph
their routines. All these
approaches have their mer-
its. But I prefer the simple,
natural approach, starting
small with things that mat-
ter to you.
“I used to love to dance, and I really care about help-
ing people,” Mario said, “but I’ve lost my confidence with
strangers, and the idea of getting up in front of a crowd
panics me.”
I challenged him. “Let’s start with your anxiety around
Here’s a challenge:
Take up a new activity
that involves direct con-
tact with new people.
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