The one dominant fear that most people seem to have in common more than any other is public speaking. This can range from having to present a work project to your team or to a client or even having to speak as a guest at an event. What a lot of people who suffer from this kind of anxiety never realise, is how truly damaging total submission to stage fright can be for their careers:
You Miss Out On Opportunities
Regardless of where you are speaking or what you are speaking about, the minute you stand in front of an audience, you become the vessel that's expected to bring forth some form of knowledge or new insight. When you have no faith in yourself, your listeners are more likely to connect that low self-esteem as a reflection of your work. You miss out on an opportunity to effectively communicate your message and you weaken the trust of those who might depend on you to enlighten them about what you're about.
You Sabotage A Vital Link To Your Brand
When you shy away from letting your brand shine as bright as it's meant to, you weaken your potential influence. For some people who might have an interest in interacting with your brand, you could be their first contact, and it's always vital that this new connection is untarnished by mumbling and uncertainty. Every time you don't express yourself confidently or with the necessary conviction, then you are doing an injustice to what you stand for.
You Cheat Others Of Your Greatness
Stage fright stems from the fear of what you think about yourself or what you believe others will think of your work. Your words and the way you choose to present your ideas has a great effect on how you are perceived and understood. Your ideas can be the greatest in the world but when their presentation is weakened by your nervousness or low self-esteem, you are actually doing more harm than good. How you detail the intricate parts that go into your hard work, should come from a place that shows passion and inspires interest in who you are. With public speaking, everyone is allowed some level of nervousness but ultimately that shouldn't be the most dominant trait when standing in front of people.
You Undermine Your Hard Work
When you are starting out or newly building your brand, you most probably won't have the luxury of having other people speak for you, so the fear of standing in front of people is not something that should be taken lightly. A little more effort can be put in facing your fear and this can be done by reminding yourself that you are the only person that knows what you're going to say and any rebuttals to your concepts should be accepted as an opportunity to improve yourself. As far as you're concerned, you've contributed your very best and that should be what matters the most. Your work should always be accompanied with a level of self-confidence, you owe it to yourself to trust in your ideas so that others can too.