Imagine having to speak in public. Just a work group. You don’t like speaking to a group but are obliged to. Maybe a sales presentation to a unfriendly client. Your body goes into resist mode.
Now the job gets much harder. I am assuming the option to refuse is not available. You now decide what you are going to say whilst part of you is resisting. You are driving with the handbrake on.
The sooner you slip into accept mode, the easier the job will become. I am not sure where the switch is but breathing will help. Also letting the thought ,’I don’t want to do this!’ ,drift on by. It is merely a thought but can grow into strong feelings if ruminated over.
If you prepare while in resist mode, you will exhaust yourself and will have difficulty being creative. So hard job and poor job.
Try practising acceptance in other situations. Acceptance doesn’t mean that you don’t take action. It simply means that your action comes from acceptance not resistance. I remember spilling water on my laptop and having ten minutes to getting it ready for a presentation. I could have wasted this ten minutes getting cranky or saying dumb things like ‘This shouldn’t have happened at this time’. I breathed in and remembered that there was a dyson hand blower in the toilet nearby. The laptop fitted exactly. The laptop dried in seconds and started working. It kept working all day but died overnight.
I learnt this from Chesley Sullenberg, the pilot who landed his ‘plane in the Hudson river. He accepted that his ‘plane wouldn’t make it to the nearest airport. He accepted that the Hudson river was the next best option. He stayed calm. He did what he could and accepted that luck needs to play its part.
Try thinking like this ‘OK…so I have been asked to speak to a group. I can’t get out of it. Just get on with preparing. Who can help me?’
One of the people who can help you is me. Contact me. Paddy Spruce. 9808 8990.
Confident Public Speaking
paddy@paddyspruce.com.au
