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�Hey Lucas, I want to speak in public and lead a meeting, but I am afraid that I am
going to embarrass myself.� This is the number one question that I get,
and we need to address this because this is what�s holding people back. They are afraid
that they�re going to embarrass themselves in front of their co-workers, their workplace,
the audience, and it really, it drives a lot of fear in them and I get that, but let�s
put that to rest, okay? Because if you embarrass yourself, let�s say that you forget what
you were saying, make a joke about it. When you make a joke about it, the audience is
going to laugh along with you, and it cuts the tension, builds engagement, and the people
in the audience, they are probably going to sit there and think of a time that they messed
up when speaking in public, and you just keep moving forward. Embarrassing yourself is not
the end of the world. I have embarrassed myself thousands of times, and it is absolutely no
problem. These are learning opportunities. But let�s get down to the real core because
people tell me that they�re afraid to embarrass themselves or look like a fool, or have the
audience laugh at them. These are all surface-level fears. While we look at the real fear behind
public speaking, it�s the fear of rejection, of standing up in front of a large group and
completely looking like a fool and being rejected by this audience.
Now, this is what cuts deep, and we are biologically hardwired to avoid the fear of rejection.
You look at where we came from the tribal days, hunters and gatherers, if you said something
that was out of line, this could get you kicked out of the group and being kicked out of the
group meant death. Now, fortunately we�re not in a scenario like that anymore because
saying something that doesn't fit in with mainstream ideas will actually probably get
you a lot of publicity and get you a following of people that are anti-mainstream, so you
know, let�s sit there and just reduce that. But the other thing too is that fear of rejection;
it�s a very simple equation when speaking in public. Your audience has a specific need,
and this is something I feel a lot of presenters do not do and that is respect the audience.
Like you at home right now watching these videos, I truly respect you for spending the
time to watch this and that�s why I am delivering value. So when you�re speaking in public,
the audience has a very specific set of answers that they are looking for. They are looking
for value to be provided. Your job is to deliver it, so before your presentation I would ask
what is it that they are looking for? What specific goods must I include because you
can have your speech written out, you can have your presentation all mapped out, but
then if you�re not addressing the questions that they want, it�s not going to go well
because you don�t matter, the audience�s needs matter, so this is why if you�ve started,
and you�re not sure where you�re standing, you can go and ask them, �Hey, what are
the top three things that you want to get answered today?� and people will raise their
hand, so this is a great engagement opportunity, and two, you are going to find out exactly
what they want. When they tell you, deal with it. Address those questions, or if you don�t
have the answers, say that, �I will find it out later, and I will get back to you.�
It�s very simple, but this shows that you are appreciative, and you respect the audience.
So when you�re sitting there, the surest way to avoid rejection is just to provide
value. Every time you�re standing up, you�re giving a presentation, ask yourself what value
am I providing and focus on their needs because once you�ve satisfied your audience�s
needs, then they will be able to respond to your needs. This will be in the form of income,
sales, gatherings. You will have a following of people that are willing and able to really
promote your message because they will say, �Hey, this person is legit. They took care
of me. They provided this value, and I want others to hear this and experience what you
have to offer.�