How to overcome NEGATIVE THOUGHTS BEFORE A PUBLIC speech?
- Ivan Vrdoljak
- Feb 5
- 3 min read
"Why would anyone listen to your public speaking? What do you even know about the subject? You'll embarrass yourself! You'll forget what you're supposed to say! You'll make mistakes!"
Do these lines sound familiar to you? Of course they do. The problem is that in most cases, before a public performance, they are not spoken by anyone else, but by ourselves. Not out loud, but in the "loud silence" of our own minds. These are some of the most common intrusive thoughts before a performance in front of a camera, an auditorium, or a room full of people. They are spoken by a suspicious little voice in our heads. Some call it the Inner Judge. We will call it the Evil Little Voice. You are not crazy for hearing it – we all hear that voice.
How to overcome negative thoughts before a speaking in public?
In the early stages of my television career, when I was still a young TV reporter on national television, I would hear it before almost every live broadcast.
Even though I knew very well the topic I would be speaking about in front of a camera and hundreds of thousands of people on TV – I often thought I wouldn't be good enough. In the end, I usually did much better than I expected. However, my performance would have been even more successful and less stressful if I had known then what I know now .
Today, in our trainings, I successfully teach my clients how to defeat the Evil Little Voice. Negative thoughts that echo through our mind are a common segment in a series of psychophysical manifestations of stage fright or fear of public speaking. If we play with Sigmund Freud for a moment and remember his personality structure consisting of Id, Ego and Superego - that evil little voice is the third in that series.
DON'T BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF
Here is what is behind the action of the Superego, in the context of bad thoughts before a public performance:
1. Perfectionism: We think we have to perform perfectly, without a single mistake.
2. Expectations of others: We are afraid that our performance will disappoint the people around us, and they are counting on us.
3. Excessive self-criticism. We analyze every spoken sentence of the performance. We never consider the performance good enough and think we could have done much better. We do not acknowledge our successes, and we overthink even the smallest mistake.
4. Imposter syndrome: As paradoxical as it sounds, it is most common among established people and experts who are prone to perfectionism.
According to a survey by Korn Ferry Consulting, 71% of CEOs and 65% of company directors have felt at least once in their lives that they are not competent enough. And you know what? If you are a thoughtful and normal person with a deep sense of responsibility to your company, employees or audience - it is completely normal to feel this kind of doubt before a public appearance. But it is important not to let it control you.
TAKE CONTROL: SILENCE THE EVIL LITTLE VOICE
Here's how you take control of your performance: accept that evil little voice as something completely normal, but know that it's NOT REAL. Let it come, say its thing, and go. Let it go along with the bad emotion that accompanies it. Ignore it. Don't listen to it. Defeat it by allowing it to come into your head, do its "act," and disappear.
His "point" is one of the natural psychophysical reactions of our brain before a public performance, and also one of the manifestations of stage fright. It is part of a complex survival mechanism (fight-or-flight) by which the brain "protects" us from possible embarrassment. Know that intrusive or catastrophic thoughts are not realistic scenarios, but theoretical possibilities that in most cases will not come true.
Don't sabotage yourself in public speaking. Instead, think positively and objectively:
You are prepared and will bring value to the audience
Focus on the content, think less about yourself
If you make a mistake, just keep going.
Use your authenticity and strengths, worry less about weaknesses
The audience wants you to succeed because they came to learn something from you.
Every next performance will be better.
THOUGHTS SHAPE REALITY
There is a well-known saying, “Your thoughts are your life.” The same goes for public speaking. If you think you’re going to be terrible, you’re probably going to push yourself to perform worse. Prepare yourself , be positive, be present at every moment of your performance, ignore any mistakes, don’t be too hard on yourself, and…go for it!
John
