I recently had an interesting interchange with Anne in my Mastering Virtual Presentations workshop.  I’ll give you a snippet from our exchange and let you fill in some of the blanks. 

Here we go…

ANNE: “I’ve got a big presentation tomorrow.  I’m going to be really nervous.”

ME: “I see.  Is that your final decision?”

ANNE: “What do you mean??? It’s inevitable!!!”

ME: “Is it?”

ANNE:  Silent.  For quite a while.  Looking off into the distance.  Evaluating the question.

ME:  Also silent.  In no hurry. 

When do you think the act of “being causative” truly begins?  Does it begin the moment the presentation begins?

Can you think of anything you don’t like in your own life that you “know” is going to happen next time to talk to someone?  Anything “inevitable”? 

No one was more surprised than Anne when the next day she very comfortably addressed a difficult audience.  And even more astonished when she was warmly received. 

Her exact words were, “That has NEVER happened before.”

Exactly.

Be the cause!