Facing Goliath: Fear of public speaking easily conquerable

Nashville, Tenn. — Fear is greater than a feeling. Fear is a language.

And when you understand what fear says — how it cuts you down and holds you back — you can find the words, ideas and actions to overcome it.

Quiana Kee, Continental Tire the Americas LLC's quality director for the Americas Regions, knows what fear sounds like, what it feels like. Because like all professionals she has felt — and heard it — herself. During her presentation on the first day of the 2022 Women Breaking the Mold Forum, an event hosted jointly by Rubber News and Plastics News, Kee focused on the fears that rise when public speaking is required.

The first step to conquering fear, she said, is knowing how to define it.

"The objective of fear is to limit our ability to accomplish our goals," Kee said. "… Fear means a lot of different things, but what I want you to key in on is that fear has a language. When fear speaks, it says a few different things."

Fears feel like Goliaths — giants that undermine our capabilities and strengths. But like Goliath from the Biblical tale that features David as the hero, fears can be slain when we know how to face them and fight back.

When it comes to presenting a project, an idea or speech, fear manifests in four significant ways.

First, fear reminds us that we may lack confidence in ourselves. It reminds us that we aren't as outgoing as others, are soft-spoken or shy.

Fear says: You don't like being the center of attention.

"This idea of all eyes on me and being in the spotlight, you do not like it. Just the thought of talking about this idea that you have, it just terrifies you," Kee said. "This is what I call the Goliath of Self Esteem."

Fear also has a way of tapping our greatest vulnerabilities. It tells us that we aren't the right person or the right voice to present a project or idea.

Fear says: You are not interesting enough to keep an audience's attention.

"You meet some people, and they are super entertaining, super charismatic, dynamic people and it's like: That's not me. That is not what I do," Kee said. " … This fear is what I call the Goliath of Inadequacy."

Fear also has a way of undermining our greatest strengths. Because fear doesn't focus on what we know, what we've accomplished or what we can do. The voice of fear reminds us of all those things we can't do.

Fear says: You don't know enough to speak to an audience.

"(This fear says) you don't have the degrees, you don't have the letters after your name, you haven't been in this role long enough, you haven't been in this industry long enough," Kee said. "This is the Goliath of Incompetence."

Overcoming your greatest fears around speaking or presenting involves summoning the courage to believe in yourself. It means reaffirming who you are and what you are capable of.

But it also means understanding the tools at your disposal and learning to wield them effectively.

First, Kee encouraged those attending the conference to focus on their "why." What is your motivation? What is the reward driving you to face your fear? It could be a promotion, a successful sale or a spotlight for your team.

And with that prize in mind, think critically about the kind of fear you're facing. Are there ways to change your presentation or adapt what you do to play to your strengths rather than your weaknesses.

Take, for instance, the Goliaths of Low Self Esteem and Inadequacy. There may be ways to tailor the presentation to involve your colleagues. Doing so would help take the spotlight off of you, shine the light on your team's accomplishments and allow your team members to showcase their expertise and strengths.

Tailoring your own message to your audience also could help relieve some of the concern about not effectively communicating what you do know, overcoming that Goliath of Inadequacy.

"There are at least eight different learning styles. And if you get a group together like an executive board and you want to present something, you may have to appeal to a few different learning styles," Kee said. "Some people are going to pick up on everything you said because they are auditory learners. Some people are going to pick up on graphics. Some are going to need you to bring in plastics or a tire to touch because that is how they learn."

Ultimately, Kee said, Goliaths are slain when you learn you can take back their power. When you control what you can control you can build your own comfort zone. And that's a place where you can showcase your confidence.

"Think about what you need so that you can really get comfortable and convey this message and get to what is on the other side of this Goliath," Kee said.