Posts Tagged ‘visualize success’

I have had this experience countless times.

I finish delivering a successful talk and I want to give another one right away.  Instead of being glad it’s over, I want to re-experience that wonderful feeling of connecting with an audience.  The smiles, laughs, nodding heads and applause have filled me with confidence and enthusiasm.  Any anxiety I may have felt before the talk is a distant memory.

Unfortunately, opportunities to give an immediate second performance are rare.

So, years ago, I started the practice of visualizing the sights and sounds of success before I deliver a talk.  I take a page from the world of sports and make a point of “seeing” myself doing well before I go to the front of the room.  This mental exercise has the affect of bringing forward some of that extra confidence and enthusiasm I otherwise wouldn’t experience until the end. 

Try it with your next speech or presentation.  If you find it hard at first, mentally reach back to a speaking success you had in the past.  Relive it and re-capture some of that good feeling it gave you.  Then, visualize a similar experience with the audience you are about to face.  The confidence that comes with success will be with you when you need it most—at the beginning.