Ever been asked to make a presentation and you know you’re no good at it – you just can’t do it? You know you can’t, because you’ve proven it, time and time again.
Then you run for powerpoint, something to hide behind – let the slides do the talking. But then the panic sets in – I’m not a good user of powerpoint … I’m scared talking to an audience … what if they ask questions... I’m bound to forget things again…
The first thing to do is to stop panicking! The next thing, start thinking.
What’s the context? That might be a logical place to start. But if you don’t believe you can do it, you won’t have the confidence to pull it off anyway. So let’s take a deeper look – the story of Mary.
Changing the “Can’t Do” Context to Release A “Can Do” Capability
Mary worked as the manager of a team in a large national organisation. She has been part of the establishment for years and was very set in her ways. She was responsible for managing a small group of professional people and as part of her job she had to present the previous month’s activities to her seniors. Mary had a “can’t do” mindset when it came to delivering presentations. She did everything to avoid doing it, and when she had to present it never went well.
The time Mary spent each month trying to avoid reporting the results was damaging to her team and her own health. She lived in a world of constant anxiety.
During a Mind Fit for Teams programme Mary said that she kept a bird of prey which she hunted with. Through a series of questions Mary was asked to tell us more about keeping the bird and working with it. She was highly informed on the subject of falconry and quickly started telling us about the challenges she faced. From initially speaking very quietly from her chair with her hands in her lap, she unconsciously ended standing up, in front of the group giving a confident presentation.
She suddenly realised that she had broken one of her most feared taboos. She was convinced that she was unable to present to an audience as she had proven to everyone time and time again. And yet she could present really well and had the audience completely engaged.
All she needed to do was believe in herself, ensure that she knew that subject matter, rehearse and then present it. She never looked back.
This is just an example of – Working Differently to Generate a “Can Do” Mindset
The differences that build Mind Fitness, that lead to increased or different performance, and what distinguishes it from traditional knowledge learning, are detailed below in these four key points:
- The importance of using the whole brain and not just the cognitive or educated parts.
- The power of using natural (implicit) learning as opposed to educated (explicit) learning.
- A Mind Fit Map® (MFM), constructed from integrating elements of many theories. The MFM helps people to self-assess and make choices. To know where they’re current default position is and where they need to be to deliver personal or business results.
- Identifying existing personal strengths and discovering how to develop new ones and turn them into actions.
To learn more the Mind Fit For Success book is a good place to start.
