Confession time: I’m completely stressing out about creating a worthy keynote to share. All of those fears keep coming circling within my head: everyone already knows this stuff, it’s not inspirational enough, it’s not vulnerable enough, it’s not going to connect with the audience enough, etc.
Now my session is about getting outside of your comfort zone…the irony is not lost on me. I’m practicing what I preach but I never claimed it was easy!
I think the root of this for me is that I don’t set out to be inspirational or motivational in my sessions. I tell stories that share the realities of the journey of learning. I get why this can connect with people and have that impact but I tend to approach my subjects just from a “ohh that’s embarrassing, I should share that”. However, a great keynote does have that expectation. And let’s face it…I want to deliver on that expectation. I guess it’s like telling someone to be funny on command. I can be funny but not with jokes ready at any given moment.
The topic is the right one. I’m extremely passionate and have plenty of stories to share. Finding the right format for a keynote and the right overall story is just not coming together for me easily. Right now, it feels disjointed and in some cases rants then pleas. I want this keynote to be a journey outside of comfort zones in itself.
I know that it will come together, I trust that I will figure it out (the gist of the keynote) but wow, the pressure we can put on ourselves can be so overwhelming. Recognizing and admitting this has always been step one for me in overcoming the situation.
What do you do to manage your fears/stress?
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