Maria Papacosta

DON’T FIGHT YOUR FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING, EMBRACE IT

We’ve all experienced it – that nervous flutter before speaking in public, whether it’s at a conference stage or just a meeting. Even the most confident public speakers feel fear. As Mark Twain said, “There are only two types of speakers in the world: the nervous and liars.”

Individuals often attempt to manage pre-performance anxiety by trying to use the voice in their head to talk themselves into calmness. Regrettably, this usually backfires, leaving us feeling even more anxious. Now we’re not just grappling with speaking nerves, but also with a sense of inadequacy about our inability to self-soothe.

There is a better approach. By understanding, accepting, and evaluating our fears, we can embrace them as a natural part of the human experience. This empowers us to move beyond our comfort zone, expand our careers, and develop new skills.

FROM WAITING TO ACTING – UNLEASHING YOUR PRESENCE

As Max Weber said, we grow in the iron cage of others’ expectations. This may overlap but is not necessarily what we want. Acting based on what others expect from us is often a burden that prohibits us from dreaming and discovering our purpose.

Knowing who you are, appreciating your needs and desires, and identifying where you want to go are critical in building a strong presence and unleashing your potential. Good things don’t usually come to those who wait, but instead, they come to those who act. The ones who constantly work on self-improvement, learning and relearning, and cultivating a growth mindset are the ones who eventually grow stronger, more confident, and more accomplished.

During this keynote, you’ll embark on a journey to help you strengthen your core which is your presence in life, create a better version of yourself, and understand that opportunities come to those who actively seek them.

BUILDING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

No matter how good you are at whatever it is you’re doing, you need to stand out and be heard, otherwise your audience will most likely never get the chance to meet you.

Personal Branding starts with discovering your true self, your values and qualities, and being held accountable for all your actions. It is not a self-promotion campaign. It’s about putting forward these qualities that define you as an individual and enhancing your overall professional image.

Personal Branding is not about effectively using social media either. It’s about committing to yourself and the values you support and living by them every single day. The personal brand you design must come from the heart and must be supported 100% by everything you do. By defining and managing your personal brand, you need to become a role model and a trusted voice that others want to follow and be inspired by.

It is important to view your personal brand as a trademark that needs protection and continuous shaping and development. This trademark must be developed with the intention of how it can best serve others and not yourself. To build a strong personal brand, you need people to receive clear benefits from being associated with you.

Do you know what your personal brand is?