Public speaking and mindfulness

• "Commanding, inspiring, motivating.”

  That was the 'mantra' I gave a senior executive I worked with recently. We were preparing a presentation she would soon deliver to her 2500+ workforce. It was a conversation that she wanted to get right. 
  
  

  We spent 70% of the session on the storytelling.

  Hooking the audience, offering compelling anecdotes and evidence, plus a powerful call to action to close.

  The balance of the session we spent on her mindset. 

  We explored how she really felt about public speaking and flushed out old self-doubts, that in the past, had triggered stress. Then we focused on aligning her internal narrative with her intention to be an inspiring leader.

  Essential to her preparation was disciplining her mind not to stray back to the self-doubts that had held her back for too long.

  I was delighted to hear that her presentation was incredibly well received, she kept her stress response at bay and also recognised that she did well. 

Taming the inner critic

Mindfulness is critical to mastering the art of public speaking.  

When most people are planning to speak in public, there are two very different trains of thought occurring. The obvious one is planning the content: what is the story and how best to tell it. It is crucial to get the tactical aspect of the presentation right so that your audience leans into your message. 

While the second thought process is less obvious, it is equally impactful. It takes place in the busy corridors of the mind where the 'inner critic' has a strong opinion on most things, including your public speaking skills. Unfortunately, for most of us, this internal narrative is biased to the negative. If you are quick to say, "I hate public speaking" or "I'm terrible at public speaking,”  or even if you lean out more subtly, there is the evidence of your inner critic at work.

So, let's out the inner critic because this hyper-critical voice can trip you up on stage.

How am I measuring up?

The mutterings of the inner critic are one of the four dominant activities of the wandering mind.

Your mind goes into this 'default mode’, as it is known, when you are ruminating or when you're not thinking about what you are doing. A favourite refrain of this on-board commentator is, "If only…". For example, "If only I could express myself more clearly ", ”If only they wouldn't ask me to present to the board" or "If only they'd ask someone else to speak at the conference...". You get the drift.

If left to run rampant, your inner critic will amplify your perceived deficits, trigger harmful stress and you will become your harshest judge.

When measured through the lens of this self-sabotaging mindset, your best will seldom be good enough. You simply won't measure up. 

Are you in Green Brain or Red Brain?

Let’s briefly lift the lid on the brain’s stress circuitry, using neuropsychologist Rick Hanson’s metaphor of the ‘Green Brain’ and the ‘Red Brain’¹

• The ‘Green’ refers to the ‘responsive’ mode of the brain.

  In this calm state the 'rest and digest' part of the nervous system fuels and repairs the body. Mentally you access the all-important part of the brain responsible for problem solving, planning and connecting with others. 

  We feel positive, connected and calm when the ‘Green Brain’ circuitry is operating. This is the optimal chemistry for speaking confidently.

• The ‘Red Brain’ is when you are in the reactive fight or flight mode.

  Stress is triggered throughout your system the moment the mind decides it does not like what is happening. In terms of public speaking, one self-doubting thought or imagining yourself bungling your presentation is all it takes. 

  When the alarm bell in the brain – the amygdala – sounds, your body is flooded with corrosive stress hormones including cortisol.

• Here’s the rub:
  when the ‘Red Brain’ takes over, the ‘Green Brain’ is bypassed.

  Clarity and rational thinking leaves the room and we get stuck in a vicious cycle of fear, insecurity or agitation.

Staying in the green

Thankfully you can keep tabs on your stress-o-meter.

Using specific breathing practices combined with managing your thoughts you can retrain your brain to react less and stay in the green more often.

Mindfulness offers a range of accessible tools that can help anyone cultivate this valuable skill.

Great public speakers use various mindful techniques that help themselves perform, even when under pressure. Even if you have lugged around a dislike of public speaking for decades, it doesn’t need to stay that way. With the right techniques and practice you can change your mind, so you can be at your best, even when you're on standing on stage. 

Get in the green with our Stress Less practice 

• 

• Calm down quickly and build composure

  This breathing practice is a powerful stress management tool that calms the nervous system very quickly. It will build your ability to stay composed and think clearly, even under the pressure of public speaking.

  Duration: 5:22

^{Source: https://www.rickhanson.net/leave-the-red-zone/}