Stress felt prior to a public presentation might be due to our concern over making an error or saying something inappropriate for the audience. By rehearsing the key points to our message (preparation) and making efforts to get to know the audience (taking action) before the presentation we can often significantly reduce any feelings of stress.
Stress that is experienced when dealing with difficult employee discussions is often due to the concern for hurting the feelings and/or financial position of another person. By considering how to best frame our message (preparation) and realizing that by not dealing with a difficult discussion we are actually causing more harm to the employee, their team members and the organization, we can reduce the stress and in fact increase the sense of urgency to move forward in our approach (take action).

Here are some questions to help you better understand and minimize the drivers of your stress:

1. Is this stress real or perceived? Why?

2. Do I have evidence of what I’m concerned about having ever happened? Is the source credible?

3. What are the repercussions of not doing this? Do they warrant my action?

4. What are the benefits of following through? Are there any pitfalls and if so, how do they compare to the benefits?

5. Is there something I can do in the short term that would alleviate this stress and make the task or action more comfortable?

Obviously stress is a difficult emotion to address, and of course if you feel stress is impacting your health you should seek professional advice. However for those instances where stress appears infrequently and is short lived ask yourself the questions above to truly understand the origin of your stress and you might find that you are placing undue pressures upon yourself that are simply unfounded.

Shawn Casemore, President, Casemore and Co.
www.casemoreandco.com

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