You want to speak. You want to build a brand, get booked on big stages, and impact lives. But deep down, there’s a fear you don’t say out loud: What if I share too much? What if people judge me?
The idea of vulnerability on stage makes you uncomfortable. You tell yourself that your audience doesn’t need to know your struggles. That they just need the strategies, the value, the polished version of you.
And that’s exactly what’s holding you back.
Why You’re Afraid to Be Vulnerable
At the core of it, you’re not afraid of sharing your story, you’re afraid of how people will perceive you. You fear that if they see your flaws, they’ll respect you less. You worry that your authority will crumble if you admit your past mistakes.
This is ego talking.
The mind creates a self-image that it wants to protect at all costs. It convinces you that the version of you that gets approval is the one without scars. But here’s the truth: People don’t connect with perfection. They connect with struggle.
The Strategic Power of Vulnerability
Being vulnerable doesn’t mean turning your speech into a therapy session. It means using your struggles as a bridge, one that connects your past to your audience’s present.
The most successful speakers do this effortlessly. They reveal their failures, not to seek sympathy, but to make their audience feel seen.
They craft their story in a way that turns their pain into their audience’s breakthrough.
Think about any powerful speaker you admire. Do they pretend they’ve always had it figured out? No. They tell the story of when they were broke, scared, or stuck. But here’s the key: They don’t stop there. They show how they overcame it, and they make the audience feel like they can too.
How to Use Vulnerability Without Losing Authority
- Share the Lesson, Not Just the Pain.
- People don’t want to hear your sob story. They want to hear what you learned from it and how it applies to their life.
- Control the Narrative.
- You decide what to share and how to frame it. Share past struggles, not open wounds. If you’re still emotional about it, you’re not ready to use it as a teaching tool.
- Make Your Audience the Hero.
- Your story is not about you—it’s about them. You are the guide, not the main character. Use your experience to shine a light on their path.
The Real Risk of Holding Back
If you refuse to show any vulnerability, you become forgettable. You blend in with the thousands of other speakers who share tips but never create a real emotional connection.
The paradox? The more you try to be perfect, the less people trust you. The more you reveal your human side, the more they respect you.
The stage isn’t a place to prove you’re flawless. It’s a place to prove you’ve been where they are—and that you made it through.
Your story isn’t a weakness. It’s your most powerful asset.
Use it.
Need help with connecting with your story? This is what I do. I train politicians, CEOs, entrepreneurs, executives and aspiring speakers to connect with their story, get it out there and become more powerful leaders by showing who they truly are and why are they leaders.
Let’s connect and share your story with the world. You never know who is waiting to hear it!
