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Having a degree of nervousness before a presentation is not only understandable but often useful.  It can make you prepare properly, give you an edge and make you perform at your best.  Even Laurence Olivier confessed he felt physically sick before going on stage, but he was able to face his nerves and perform with the panache that made him one of the most famous actors of his time. 

But if nerves are too strong they can cause people to get into a cycle of procrastination, avoidance and sabotage.  This is when nerves become fear. And fear blocks performance.  As a result of fear, people may put off preparation until the last minute (or not at all).  Or the fear may surface during the presentation either physiologically or psychologically: with dry mouth, sweating, blushing, forgetting words, being unable to focus, think clearly, or respond to questions.

When nerves are this debilitating the temptation to avoid presentations at all costs is high.  When people avoid presentations they get no opportunities to practise and get more comfortable. This vicious circle of avoidance may stop you from progressing in your chosen career.  One solution to this dilemma may be coaching.

Coaching can help you to identify the true cause of the nerves.  Sometimes it’s something more obvious, like fear of forgetting your lines, but it may be something less immediately connected to the fear of public speaking.  One client I worked with had got into such a negative ‘self-talk’ cycle that he was convinced he would fail before he started.  This self-talk had stemmed from having to read out his essays in front of his class at Junior School.  Coaching enabled him to understand how his self-talk was working against him and to find a way to break into it and beat his block.

Figuring out what’s getting in the way of your performance is rarely easy.  It can be be quite challenging personally, but with the right support and encouragement from a coach it can be immensely satisfying to know how to overcome fears and be able to perform effectively. 

It’s rare for someone to start doing presentations without any fear after coaching, but once they know that each presentation is another practice opportunity, and that this opportunity will make them stronger, they can start enjoying the frisson of excitement, without freezing or avoiding the situation.  Once this happens, they can get better and better, until presenting becomes second nature. 

 Colin Jones-Evans is an executive and performance coach with Two Rivers Coaching.  For more information go to www.tworiverscoaching.co.uk

I’m not immune to a bit of procrastination, and neither are my coaching clients, but over the years, experience has shown there are some simple strategies to avoid it.  If you find yourself doing distraction activities like hoovering or reorganising your filing system, here are my tips to getting things done:

1. Make sure your tasks are clear.  Procrastination sometimes happens because we’re unclear about what we need to do.  Most projects need to be broken down into tasks.  If you’re not sure of what the first step is, try planning backwards.  Work back from the final goal – what will you be doing immediately before that to make it happen? And immediately before that? And so on, until you get to the very first step.
2. Have a list. David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, recommends using lists as ways of removing our ‘cognitive load’. Sometimes we don’t do stuff because we forget, or there’s too much in our heads.  Whether you like a written list, or an app, having it written helps us to focus on our priorities.
3. Build up momentum with some easy first steps.  If the first one is a real challenge, no wonder you’re putting it off.  Break it down further into something that’s do-able.  For example, if your first step towards your goal of buying a property is to ask for a pay rise, that’s hard for nearly everyone.  Instead, think of what you need to do to get yourself in a good position.  Add the steps: researching your pay market comparisons; noting down your achievements; rehearsing the conversation with your boss; then having the discussion.
4. Notice how you’re feeling about the job in hand.  Sometimes, procrastination is our subconscious telling us we’re not that committed to the goal.  Give yourself some time to think it through. What would happen if you did nothing?  What’s the best that could happen if you achieved your goal?  What do you worry might happen while trying to get there or if you did get there? Worst case, best case, most likely case?
5. Visualise the end goal and the step/s you’re taking next.  When you visualise, make it positive, colourful, full of joy, excitement, action or whatever you find motivating.  Replay that visualisation as if it was a video, several times.
6. As you complete each task towards getting the job done, reward yourself.  This might be a mental pat on the back, or a more tangible reward.
7. Use your high-energy phases to do the hard stuff.  Many people have times of day when they are most focused, with higher energy.  For me, late morning and late evening are my best times (though not many people like me calling at midnight!), whilst first thing in the morning is a zombie haze.  Notice your best time for productivity or focus.  Save those moments for your challenging tasks and do the easier, routine stuff when you’re lower in energy.
8. Lastly, the only thing worth procrastinating is procrastination.  Cut yourself some slack if you procrastinated yesterday.  Today is a new chance to get something done.  If something’s not done by the end of one day, put it to the top of your list for the next day.

Colin Jones-Evans is an executive and performance coach with Two Rivers Coaching.  For more information go to www.tworiverscoaching.co.uk

January is the time of year when we like to make goals for the year ahead.  And February is the month when many goals are abandoned, as we realise that we’re either further away from them, or have gone off them altogether.  Whether it’s losing weight or world peace, here are some tips about how to make your goals happen.

1. Choose your goals wisely.  What excites you? What moves you forward? Does the goal fit with your wider situation – your identity, finances, lifestyle, partner, family, friends?   If your goal is going to prevent you from meeting friends for six months, can you live with that, or will you quickly lapse?
2. Give yourself a clear and positive goal. Most of us know the acronym of SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound).  When it comes to setting our own goals, many of us forget this, so our goals remain as fuzzy nice-to-haves.  Take “losing weight” as a goal.  How much weight?  By when?  And rather than losing 2 stone, wouldn’t it be better to work towards a positive target?  What’s your goal weight?  Or, is your goal being fitter, leaner, or having a healthier lifestyle (and remember to keep it SMART). 
3. Engage support from (positive) others.  Introverts may tend to hit friends and family with a fully thought out goal and plan, then are surprised when those people push back if it affects them.  The earlier you involve others in formulating your plans the better.  And, if you talk it through with more positive people, not only will you get help in thinking through the plan and making it achievable, but it’s more likely that you’ll get support with your efforts.
4. If your goal is about change, have maintenance as part of of it. Many people lose weight, only to gain it again because their goal was to lose weight, rather than having an on-going goal to remain fit, or eat well.  Losing weight is about changing behaviour.  To maintain our new behaviour, we need to have a plan about how to reinforce it long-term.  Whether your goal is about quitting smoking, not chewing your nails, or listening to your team members better, include reinforcement as part of the plan. 
5. Make your first step a planning session. A plan is the difference between a dream and an (achievable) goal.  Goals are impossibly hard to start unless they’re broken down into steps.  Imagine your goal as a project.  What are the various parts of it?What’s the sequence of events and how long will each step take, realistically?  This enables you to work back from your overall deadline and create a plan.  Next, diarise it, so you have a reminder of what you need to do when. 
6. Review your plan.  Are you on-track?  If not, what actions do you need to get back on track.  If life has got in the way, it may be better to push back your deadline rather than beat yourself up or giving up altogether.

Colin Jones-Evans is an executive and performance coach with Two Rivers Coaching.  For more information go to www.tworiverscoaching.co.uk