Is the thing that holds you back from speaking well — or speaking at all — the way it makes you feel? The “presenting feeling” can start long before you actually present, and can cascade to interfere with your ability to think and be natural.
But what if you could change what that “presenting feeling” is? What if you could feel great when you present? In this post, Dean shares a technique to get there in a surprisingly simple way.
A lot of people don’t like presenting.
And it’s not because they don’t know what to say.
It’s because they don’t like how it feels.
That rush. That intensity. That sense of high stakes.
It changes your body. It affects your thinking. Suddenly, things that felt easy all day become difficult.
So people avoid presenting — not because they lack ability, but because they don’t like the feeling.
There’s a simple fix.
The way you feel while presenting is directly tied to the way you’re thinking.
When that anxious, high-stakes feeling kicks in, your attention collapses inward.
You become the focus.
You’re thinking:
In leadership presence coaching and executive presentation coaching, this is one of the most common patterns we see.
You’ve made yourself the main character.
There’s a powerful shift you can make.
Instead of being the main character, become the hero.
The main character is focused on themselves — their performance, their success, their outcome.
The hero is focused on others.
They’re there to help.
They’re there to make a difference.
In business speaking, sales pitch coaching, and AEC presentation skills, this shift changes everything.
When you step into a presentation thinking:
“I need to impress them.”
You create pressure.
But when you step in thinking:
“I’m here to help them.”
The pressure changes into purpose.
You’re not there to win approval.
You’re there to provide value.
In leadership confidence training and interview skills training for professionals, this outward focus is what builds confident presence.
When you’re in the hero mindset, your internal dialogue shifts:
Now your attention is outward.
You’re focused on impact — not performance.
And that opens up your thinking.
That rush you feel before presenting doesn’t disappear.
But it transforms.
Instead of anxiety, it becomes energy.
Instead of pressure, it becomes excitement.
In group presentation coaching and executive presence coaching, we see this shift all the time. When presenters stop focusing on themselves, they regain access to their natural ability to think, speak, and connect.
Here’s the surprising part.
When you adopt the hero mindset, presenting becomes enjoyable.
The energy becomes something you can use.
The moment becomes something you can lean into.
Because you’re not trying to survive it.
You’re there to serve.
If you want to change how presenting feels, flip the script.
Don’t be the main character.
Be the hero.
Focus on helping your audience.
Focus on making a difference.
And watch how quickly your experience changes.
Because when you’re there for them, not for you — presenting doesn’t just get easier.
It gets better.
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