I’m a big believer in the present moment. Why not, right? The present moment is all you got.

This week I had a client who seemed very tense when he walked in for a coaching session with me. This is not uncommon; public speaking is one of our greatest fears, it’s perfectly natural to feel keyed up before you speak. But this guy’s energy felt off; he was cutting me off before I could finish my thoughts, staring out vacantly from time to time, and rushing through his presentation. The problem wasn’t his tension, but, rather, his lack of awareness around his tension.

I put the problem to my client; why are you rushing? You feel really “not here”…how do you correct that? He stopped speeding through his presentation, and breathed for a moment. He looked at me directly, with self-awareness, with presence, for the first time in our session together and said, “I guess I am a little tense today”. Yes. And from then on he was fine. Not because he felt perfectly relaxed, nobody feels perfectly relaxed, but because he became conscious of his tension, and that awareness itself was enough to do the trick.

Don’t bother with trying to feel relaxed while presenting. Presenting is nerve wracking. But do try to be conscious, aware of yourself in the moments before, during and while you present. Try doing this with a non-judgmental attitude, simply noticing what comes up, even if it’s tension. If you need a point of focus, follow your breath. You might be happy with the results.

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