What is holding you back to present? Fear of success or fear of failing?

Last week, the closed door of resistance, opened for Kate.

At the start of the training Kate seemed unmotivated. She made little eye contact and did not seem to be really present.

This behavior changed, as soon as we started to do exercises. Now, Kate had to become active, as she could no longer hide herself.

And what amazed me, was that she was really good! She seemed to apply the tips, tools and theory effortlessly. Nothing in the way she presented was halfhearted or uninterested.

The whole group was impressed.

Now, her behavior all of a sudden changed into relentless self-criticism.

“I feel like an ape!”, she exclaimed. After having given a brief and excellent presentation.

Again, we were amazed, what do you mean like an ape?

I asked the group if in any way her presentation or behavior was over the top, exaggerated or in any other way not real?

Nobody in the group, felt this was the case.

In the afternoon, the time had come to do the prepared end presentations. The whole group had prepared a presentation, except for Kate. Luckily, I had a nice exercise reserved for such cases.

Again, in a few minutes, she seemed to effortlessly, give a clear and engaging presentation and really executed the exercise in a formidable way. A loud applause followed.

Kate walked back to her chair with a broad smile on her face.

Her resistance now seemed to have broken. She was actually starting to have great fun with it.

At the end of the day, when I was collecting my things and everybody had already left, I heard someone stepping in again. It was Kate. “Thanks for the training”, she said.

“This training was a kind of revelation for me. This training taught me to trust my skill. To be able to embrace, that I do well.”

It made me feel warm inside and I had to think of Marianne Williamson words:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?”

So, my question to you is.

What is holding you back, as a presenter? Fear of success or fear of failing??

Are you just as Kate and do you find it hard to really embrace your talent? Or as another participant once confided in me: “Once I accepted that presenting is, to a certain extent a bit a performance (accept resistance), I really started to improve my skill and started to enjoy myself.”
Or is it in your case, the other way around. (Happens a lot!) Are you afraid, presenting well is something beyond your ability or not in your nature? (Maybe because, you are an introvert?) And is this the reason you keep this door closed?

Ask yourself: can I open my door of resistance? So that

I can start embracing my talent and start enjoying it.
I can open myself to start learning.

Because, everybody can learn to present!

You might be surprised; life and learning may start to flow once opening that door.

Good luck!