You’ve probably experienced it: standing before a group, heart racing, palms sweaty, mind blank. Despite all the preparation, something feels off. The words don’t land, and the connection with your audience just isn’t there. Public speaking can feel overwhelming, especially when fear gets in the way.
Often, that disconnect isn’t about nerves or lack of practice. It’s about something deeper—something many of us overlook.
It’s purpose.
The missing piece
In the early days of giving presentations, I focused on the usual things. Structure, clarity, timing, delivery. I ticked every box. But still, my presentations didn’t quite land. They felt rehearsed. I felt like I was playing a role rather than showing up fully as myself.
What I didn’t realise at the time was that I hadn’t asked myself why I was speaking. I knew what I was saying, and how I wanted to say it—but not why. And when you don’t have that clarity, it shows.
Purpose brings clarity
When you’re clear on your purpose—why this presentation matters to you—everything shifts.
You stop trying to sound impressive and start sounding like yourself. You stop worrying about whether people will like you and start focusing on whether they’ll understand what you’re trying to say.
Your words have direction. You speak with more conviction. You feel more connected to your audience. And that connection starts to reduce the fear.
Because fear thrives when we’re stuck in our own heads. But when you anchor yourself in purpose, you’re no longer only thinking about yourself. You’re thinking about your message. About your audience. About impact.
What purpose looks like in practice
Purpose doesn’t need to be profound. It could be as simple as:
- “I want to help people avoid the mistake I made.”
- “I want to speak up because this idea matters.”
- “I want to show I’m ready for more responsibility.”
What matters is that it feels true. When it does, you’ll notice a shift. Your nerves won’t vanish—but they’ll have less control.
I often describe purpose as a compass. It keeps you steady, especially when anxiety creeps in. You might still stumble over words or feel your heart race—but if you know why you’re standing there, it’s easier to keep going.
Finding your purpose
Start with these questions:
- What do I want the audience to take away from this?
- Why do I care about that?
- What would it mean to me to share this well?
If you find this hard to answer, that’s OK. Many of us haven’t been taught to connect to purpose. We’ve been taught to perform, to impress, to be polished.
But when you make the shift to speaking from purpose, people notice. They remember how they felt listening to you. And you walk away from the presentation with a sense of I did what I came to do.
How purpose helps you overcome the fear of public speaking
Purpose won’t eliminate all fear. But it gives your nerves something to stand on.
It reminds you that you’re not speaking just to tick a box. You’re speaking because you have something to say. And that makes the discomfort worth it.
When you’re nervous about speaking, you need to draw on courage just to open your mouth. And that takes effort. If the topic doesn’t really excite you, it’s much harder to find that courage in the first place. That’s why it helps to find something you care about—something that genuinely matters to you. It doesn’t always have to be about your day job either.
For me, it started with presentations around International Women’s Day. That topic lit a fire in me. I cared about it deeply. And while it didn’t magically make my nerves disappear, it did make it easier to step up. I felt excited about the subject. I knew why it mattered. And that made a huge difference.
I’ve had clients tell me that connecting with purpose was the thing that helped them finally say yes to presenting. Not more practice. Not memorising the script. Just pausing long enough to ask, why does this matter to me?
Once they knew, everything else started to fall into place.
If you’re preparing for a presentation—or even just thinking about putting yourself forward—take five quiet minutes to reflect. Ask yourself: why do I want to speak about this? What part of it do I care about most? The answer doesn’t need to be perfect. But having even a rough sense of your purpose can make it easier to step up, especially when nerves creep in. That clarity might be the push you need to move from hesitation to action.
Want to feel more confident about public speaking?
If you’ve been holding back from speaking up in meetings, presenting your ideas, or saying yes to new opportunities because of nerves, you’re not alone. The fear of public speaking is incredibly common—but it doesn’t have to control your choices.
My online course, Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking, is designed to help you understand what’s really going on when nerves kick in, and give you practical tools to build confidence from the inside out. We explore mindset, purpose, and simple strategies that work in real life—not just in theory.
If you’re ready to feel differently about speaking up, you can find out more here.
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