3 Reasons Why Presenting Is The Fastest Road to Confidence

I was in this bleak office room, with off-white walls and thin, industrial carpet beneath my feet.

I was introducing myself at my first Toastmaster meeting, these new faces staring back at me – some smiling, some blank. The room was so… very… quiet.

“Hey, my name is Rebecca and here are some interesting facts about me that nobody else knows…” I started, trying hard to grab their attention.

I remember my heart was pounding. I wasn’t sure what to do with my hands. Should I hold them, gesture with them or put them to my side?

My stomach was churning and that inner voice was urging me not to slip up, which just made me stutter and forget what I wanted to say.

It was a nerve wracking experience… but it was like a gym session… despite the pain of being in the experience, it felt surprisingly good when it was over.

Why?

Because stepping out of your comfort zone – where you leave a place of certainty, comfort and security – builds pride… you get that sense of, “I DID IT!”

And pride builds confidence.

And that is why, when clients talk to me about lacking confidence, regularly presenting in front of a room of people is often one of the things I suggest they try.

It doesn’t have to be a full out conference you present at, with 500 delegates who are all experts in their fields as your audience…

You can absolutely start small…

You could present to a colleague a few times at first and then to your team…

After you’ve got more confidence doing that, you can put your hand up to speak at your weekly status meeting…

How about offering to run an in-house training on a topic you are passionate about?

Or later, offering to present at a virtual industry conference?

Presenting is a great way of building confidence… think about it:

#1:

Firstly, you are forcing yourself out of your comfort zone rather rapidly and each time you do that, you prove to yourself that YOU CAN.

Your body rewards you with an almighty slug of dopamine (the success hormone).

It feels good and you want that feeling again… so you instinctively start seeking out more opportunities to speak and so your confidence grows. See what I mean?

#2:

Secondly, by presenting – even if it is for a relatively short space of time – you are reminding yourself that you, your opinions and your expertise matter.

And when you build self-worth, confidence always follows.

#3:

Thirdly, the more you put your hand up to present, the more you are perceived by your colleagues, clients and decision makers to be an expert in your field… and there’s nothing better for confidence than being sought out by others for your opinion.

And as for me…

I’ve come a long way on my own speaking-confidence journey. I now love presenting and sharing my ideas to an audience.

I get a real kick from the interaction my presentations create and I know that a lot of that success comes from practice…

And with greater practice, comes greater confidence.

What about you? How could you use presenting as a tool to help you build confidence?

Rebecca x

BIO: Rebecca Allen is a Career Success Coach and has coached hundreds of female managers and early leaders over the last decade to help them own their value, get promoted and get paid their worth.