Presenting In Public

Why is performing and presenting in public so challenging? I think it was the actor Victor Spinetti who said most people would rather die than perform in public. Tom Jones says that most of his family can sing but he would always jump on the table to sing when it was his turn.

When I am coaching performance and presentation skills I find there is an issue around our the inner and the outer relationships. Our inner self is rich complex and vulnerable. Our natural desire to self protect means that ‘exposure’ is dangerous. If we can be comfortable with who we are then there is a chance we can present ourselves to others and not try and put on a performance that we suspect convinces nobody unless we have rehearsed to the point of perfection that would rival a top media star.

I have worked with actors who could be found throwing up in toilets shortly before going on stage and could only do so because once on stage they were acting as a character and not as themselves. Sometimes I meet musicians with infinitely more ability than my own but for whom appearing on a stage feels impossible. Most people tell me that they can just about cope with one to one presentations but larger audiences fill them with dread.

I wonder how many of us go through life with a inner voice telling us that somehow we will be found out as less than competent. You will know from my previous blog that my 'thing' is uniqueness. If I am right about uniqueness we need to acknowledge that there has to be a good reason for uniqueness and we are OK.

The context then is presenting one’s self and then handling groups. Groups are challenging because groups can be powerful. Groups can develop an energy of their own. Groups are often powerful because we cannot read the ‘body language of a group’ or know how to get feedback. What we have to do is to transmit ourselves and pick up on the audience response and this is the stuff of emotional awareness rather than scientific logic.

How do you experience yourself when 'presenting' in public?