Concentrating or worrying?

"Some people think they are concentrating when they're merely worrying."

~ Bobby Jones

I keep coming back to athletics as an analogy for public speaking.

Athletes are performers, as are speakers. There's a strong psychological aspect to preparing for sport competitions as there is in speaking, in terms of positive self-talk, visualization, and relaxation techniques.

1. Are you concentrating on your success as a speaker?

2. Are you visualizing yourself blowing your audience's minds and giving them something of extraordinary value?

3. Are you creating a presentation that takes into account the needs of the audience, their learning styles, and their motivations and barriers to learning?

4. Are you realistically preparing for unforeseen circumstances and making sure your plan B and plan C are in place?

Or are you merely worrying?