“Have you ever had a homicide in your church?”
I spoke these words to my pastor to get his attention. With a protective order in hand, I was on the run. A 31-year marriage had gone from bad to worse. No time to procrastinate or deny. Time to take action. When life is in jeopardy, fear becomes your friend.
That’s fear on a personal level.
Fear motivates on a professional level as well.
As a speaking professional, public speaking instructor, and organizational development coach, I can tell you, fear is a motivator. Nothing creates energy like fear. The key is to engage fear in a positive way, not become paralyzed by it.
Face your fear. Look it straight in the eye! Take charge of the emotion. Don’t back away.
If you are asking for a raise, giving a presentation, or speaking out on an important workplace issue, these steps will enable you to take charge of fear.
- Be objective. Take time out to stand back and look at the situation as an outsider. What’s the real issue? How would others see it?
- Be your best friend. All communication begins within. Use positive self-talk to build you up and energizes you for the event.
- Be prepared. Do your homework. Find out the facts. Practice what you plan to say. Check out the location so you are comfortable with your surroundings.
- Be aware. Make the fight or flight syndrome work in your favor. It’s time to stand up for what you believe. Grab that saber tooth tiger by the tail! Analyze your audience and get them involved.
- Be in control. Measure your words and actions carefully. Determine the image you want to project. This is your brand so step up and speak out.
- Be successful. Determine how you will measure success. Success looks different to each of us. One step at a time-that’s the best way. See the bucket half full and then fill the rest of the bucket.
Whether it’s delivering a successful presentation, receiving a raise, or getting out of a bad marriage alive, we can all learn to use fear to drive us to positive results. Trust me. I am the voice of experience on this!