Let’s face it. Public speaking for most people is an intimidating, if not terrifying, experience. Fear paralyzes thoughts and often takes all the fun out of publicly expressing our ideas. For most of us, the thought of giving an important presentation ranks right up there with getting teeth pulled. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Approaching presentation materials differently—with flexibility—can make a huge difference.

According to leading psychologists, fear is a direct result of feeling out of control in a particular situation. For example, we may fear being in deep water because of feeling we won’t be able to keep ourselves from sinking.

In the same way, fear of an audience is a complex combination of control issues. We can’t guarantee people will judge our performance favorably, that our message will be understood or liked, or that we won’t run out of time. We might say the wrong things or something might go wrong in our speaking environment. Our presentation outcomes, in many ways, seem potentially out of control.

The Relational Presentation approach gives speakers a whole different perspective. Because relational performances allow total flexibility of message selection, sequencing, and timing, a presenter can adjust outcomes continually. This adjustment, in turn, provides control—and control leads to confidence. It’s such a rewarding experience facing an audience when there is certainty you can instantly and easily adjust to whatever happens. Relational Presentation almost invariably reduces fear of public speaking.

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