The gremlin is a powerful force that can completely derail your presentation. You know who he is. He is that terrible voice in your head that is overly harsh and unrealistically critical when you are practicing or delivering your presentation. He says things to you like:“Oh that was awful.”
“You idiot.”
“You sound like a fool.”
“You should just leave the room now.”
“They HATE you.”
The gremlin’s view of things is distorted and often causes chaos in your mind which in turn may impact your ability to effectively and confidently deliver your presentation.
So how do you tame the gremlin?
- See him as a troublemaker
- Weaken his power by not buying in to his rants
- Mentally shush him and refuse to buy into his criticism
- Let your inner cheerleader take over:
“You are doing great.”
“You can do this.”
“You may have stumbled but just get back on board. The audience is not concerned about that.”
“You are getting better at this every time you present.”
5. Prepare fully and allow yourself to be imperfect.