In this poster, you’ll see two people looking from backstage. They so want to go on stage and speak to the group that’s sitting – waiting for their addresses; but they’re both scared. They’re waiting backstage until they feel confident enough to walk on stage.

Unfortunately, that’s not how confidence occurs. I could go backstage and work with both of them on the preparation – taking them from timid up to where they felt prepared. I could teach them how to open, how to close, and what they might want to say in terms of organizing their thoughts.

But the paradox about confidence is that if they wait to feel confident before they go on stage, they will become old people waiting backstage. My confidence and my ability to speak in front of a group comes only after I’ve spoken in front of a group.

At some point, both people in the poster are going to have to walk through their fear to the center of that stage and address the people. Then when they leave the stage they will have closed the gap between preparation and total confidence.

I respect the person who said, “Courage is doing it scared.” I don’t believe confidence comes any other way. A leader understands this.

Categories: Assertiveness

Tags: assertiveness