Getting The Hang Of The Online Stage

Speaking to a live audience on Facebook at The Holly Tree Tales on 12 May 2020

Who would have thought that this would be me? A mere three years ago there was no way you would have found me on any stage or speaking to video. Not scheduled, not scripted, not impromptu.

Back then, I was still painfully shyly trying to look at ease in life, generally, even when in front of people whom I know, let alone in front of strangers – in person, on camera or film.

Well, believe it or not, this seems to be a thing of the past now. Thankfully I have bounded forward with great gusto, finding my confidence again, and am doing a bundle of different things with relative calm, mostly in front of audiences of one form or another. It is quite unreal.

Recently I began to dive onto the worldwide stage, falling over myself in the process of practising this incredibly scary adventure of being in front of complete strangers online and visible … and handling all (most) of the technical things myself as well. There are usually glitches … and that is how we learn.

I have always been self-conscious about having my photo taken and am even more self-conscious in front of moving film … but I have dived in head first with the process of online communication and have not allowed myself to think about the results or the impact on my self-esteem or reputation. I am simply ‘going for it’ now, as there is no more time to waste being shy and introverted.

Years ago, I was the life and soul of the party and felt little inhibition about communicating, but several shocks and traumas added to a whole lot before, took my confidence right out and I retreated into a semblance of hermitage which few knew. My shell came off only long enough for meaningful interaction, or polite conversation at functions that I had to attend, and then I reverted to the tired recluse I had become in the battle of life waves.

Thinking back, this re-emergence from my shy shell started some weeks after I had joined NeuroGym (the noted American brain training company led by life coach John Assaraf), who have all sorts of programmes for wellbeing and mindset empowerment. My aim was to learn how to flex my brain and finish the process of healing the debilitating fears and nervousness that were getting in my way.

Years of still being stuck in the last vestiges of breakdown were finally able to start to shift, as I did my innercising every single day and began to take up challenges to do things I would not normally do or have done.

One of the first ever videos I appeared in, was when I took up a challenge to share a little of my story on film, to give to NeuroGym as part of a contest. Well, that was a less than impressive result, filmed from a place of huge despondency and lack of confidence, trying to put on a brave face for the world through the safe and fairly private community of NeuroGym.

Fast forward to 2020 and I have been ‘going live’ on Facebook for one or another reason almost every week since March. I have also slowly been building a YouTube channel, written about in other blogposts, as well as creating a Podcast.

The video that appears with this post, completely authentic and off the cuff, was my first tentative live appearance on Facebook for The Holly Tree Tales public audience there. I have since made several appearances to speak with the audience on Facebook and am now taking a little break from regularly doing so, due to other commitments that are taking shape as well.

I hope you will enjoy catching up with some of the latest news mentioned in this video, as well as the chat, which includes a mention of the Masterminds that I shall shortly be hosting and/or teaching (online) to a worldwide audience, in my new role as Knowledge Broker.

Do sign up for my Newslettter, to be added to the mailing list at https://thehollytreetales.com/newsletter/ and to be kept in the loop.