Speaking Anxiety: Stage Fright in Front of the Boss

I recently received a call from a regional sales leader who said that he was unable to express himself to senior management–he diagnosed himself with a case of stage fright.

He speaks effectively to his peers and his direct reports, but said that he has trouble organizing his thoughts when speaking to his boss’s  bosses.

Many of us find it hard to step in front of an unfamiliar audience that we imagine knows more than we do, has more money and education than we do, more power, and in fact, could make or break us (or at least it feels that way.)

So I asked him a bunch of questions and we considered these possibilities.

1. He’s projecting.  He thinks the senior leaders are cold and mean, and they’re not.

2. He knows that some senior leaders are  tough birds and use presentations as a stress test for “separating the men from the boys.”

3. He is comfortable talking about the facts and figures of his accounts, but lacks the confidence or ability to speak in broader terms about long-range strategic issues.

4. He worries about the Q&A.

5. He simply hasn’t spoken to the senior execs often enough to get comfortable in their presence.

6. He’s over-reacting.  Everyone is nervous speaking to senior leadership.  There’s much at stake.

So then we explored what he could do about it.

1. First of all, get a basic check-up on his presentation skills from someone who knows the scene in the board room.

2. Rehearse his presentation with simulated real-world pressure.  This means getting people to sit and listen to him and give him straightforward, helpful feedback.

3. Get some support from his immediate boss.  If the company believes in him, they should help him break through this challenge.

4. Get to know some of the senior leaders.  This could be difficult, but who knows what would happen if he called up one or two of them and asked them for some career guidance on how to make the presentation most useful to them.  They might see it as enterprising and thoughtful.

5. Do some visualizing of the senior leaders as normal, fun-loving folks–people who have his best interests at heart, and who want to see him succeed.

This guy was up-front and honest with me, and I respect him for that.  He’s out there trying to solve his problem–to take his skills to another level.  Actually, this is one of those instances when the word “skill” may not be the right word.  This might be more about personal growth.

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