ALWAYS START WITH A SMILE

Have you ever been on stage? How did it feel standing there for the very first time? What happened in your head? Were you excited? Were you nervous? Were you even afraid? And most importantly: how do you feel about it today?

How it was for me? Well, let me tell you my story:

It’s spring in Berlin, we write the year 2018 and it’s SMM* time. I was attending my first adidas Summit and I was just transitioning to my new position 2 months before. At the same event, I was already expected to stand on a bigger stage for the very first time. I was so excited to finally be part of the big event. There were so many adidas colleagues from all over Europe, we were in "hip" Berlin and the location itself felt like a huge playground. Everything was overwhelming. At the first day I could fully soak in the energy and get inspired by presentations and notable star guests during the opening.

THE REHEARSAL

At day 2 my official part began at 10:00: Time for stage rehearsal! The presentation itself was split in several parts whereas I was having a slot of 20 minutes. I was diligently practicing my text when I was at home. Even though I got the “unsexy” part about our numbers, it was not too difficult to handle. “Jana, now it’s your turn to practice on stage.” I went up there…and suddenly, I forgot everything I wanted to say. Blackout.

Even though people describe me as entertaining, I’m not the born Rockstar on stage. From one moment to another, I was so overstrained. With the new environment, what to expect from the whole setup of the meeting and with the whole perspective change from normally being a spectator, to the only person on stage. Always having in mind that you will stand in front of a huge audience and everyone is much more experienced than you are. With these thoughts continuously repeating in my head, fear came over me. "How would I ever be able to stand on stage in front of 100 people and this only 4 hours later that day?" I guess 95% of you already had a moment like this where your inner voice simply screamed: “RUN – why did you even apply for this job? Stupid you!” All this tension I had inside me needed an outlet: I started to cry. On stage. During the final rehearsal. In front of my boss… I wasn’t ready yet.

This moment was so embarrassing for me. I wanted to show strength and wanted to be 100% perfect. I didn’t want to be seen as the small girl who isn’t able to run a simple stage presentation. I failed.

"I WASN'T READY YET...I FAILED."

The great thing was that my former boss was a very empathetic and gentle soul. He immediately felt the urge to help me to make the best out of the remaining time. He showed me how to stand there more confidently. Like a strong tree and not like a leaf gone with the wind. He showed me some tricks to gain inner self esteem, like the so called “Superman” pose. And he advised me to continuously practice keeping the red thread of the presentation in my head.

4 hours later. Showtime. You might now wonder: “And? How was it?” - Well, if you now expect that I delivered the best presentation ever, I have to disappoint you. But let’s say it like this: it was my first presentation in front of a big audience, I mostly knew what to say and I didn’t pass out. I guess that’s already a success. The people definitely noticed that I didn’t feel 100% comfortable on stage. But nearly everyone was so kind and congratulated me afterwards for my first presentation which I highly appreciated. Nevertheless, there was definitely room for improvement.

THE SMILE MOMENT 

Later that night at the big party I was meeting a former colleague of mine. I told him the whole situation. That I lost my nerves during rehearsal. That I wanted to emotionalize the crowd, but I felt like a liar when I told people how to do their job who partially are in this position for over 30 years - and I’m there only for less than 2 months. And that I wanted to proof them all that I’m 100% the right person for this job, because I expected them to be especially critical at my first performance. They weren’t at all, but this thought was still present – at least in my mind.

Then my colleague gave me an advice which still sticks to my mind until today: “Jana, the next time you go on stage. Position yourself. Don’t say anything, And always start with a smile. This is your special superpower. This will give you confidence. And at the same time, this will disarm even the last person in this room, as they can’t be critical anymore about a warm and welcoming person like you. Why should they?”

"ALWAYS START WITH A SMILE!"

And he was so right! All the fears and barriers - I just made them up in my head. Nobody actually joined this session with the intention to see me failing (or at least I hope so). It only happened in my imagination. And to break down this wall I actually had to do only one thing: Start with a SMILE. To make it easier for my audience to win their sympathy. But much more to make it easier for myself to feel comfortable on stage.

From this moment onwards I tried to implement this advice into my everyday life. Let it be in daily meetings or in subsequent bigger stage presentations. Even when you negotiate with someone or have a disagreement it’s a useful tool. It’s way harder for someone to turn down your request when you are smiling instead of being very serious, angry or pushy. It suddenly disarms your counterpart.

THE LIFE ASIDE OF STAGE

You can not only apply it to the work environment. Also in private life between friends, partners or even strangers it is a useful superpower. For me it’s quite easy to get along with people, let them be old friends or strangers I just met. I always receive feedback that I’m quite open and give people a feeling of being welcome and a sense of belonging. And this feeling already starts before you even talk to someone. And how do you do this in a non-verbal way? - Of course, in form of a smile.

When you approach people with a smile, people find you likeable right away and open up more easily. So I have one task for you: The next time when you enter a room, just smile. This will let people approach you with open arms. It’s quite a simple first step, don’t you think? And here one call for all the “resting B*#ch faces” out there who want to avoid wrinkles: “Laugh lines are the most beautiful features to honor your body!”

 "LAUGH LINES ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FEATURE TO HONOR YOUR BODY."

There’s one more person next to the business and private contacts you should enchant with your smile. And this is actually the most important one: always start with a smile when you talk to yourself! Don’t always be your own major critic. It’s ok to not be 100% perfect. Let go of the idea. Give yourself a smile and disarm your skepticism. Don’t take life too seriously and include humor as an integral piece into your life. This will release a lot of tension from your shoulders.

THE PROGRESS

Looking back to my past stage presentations, I’m really happy to see a clear progress now. I started with 20 minutes airtime in 2018 and I was struggling with it. Now I’m able to present all by myself on stage for several hours. Of course, my confidence on stage was also boosted by the professional experience and the routine I gained over the years. I knew my audience, I proved that I’m doing a good job and I knew we are one team and we only want the best for each other. This definitely helps to be on stage when 100 people are staring at you. But it took some time to notice: The fear and the stories I initially made up were mostly unfounded and only in my head.

And please don’t get me wrong. It’s not like now I’m free of stage fright – no, it’s still there. But I know better how to handle the situation and get rid of the scenarios in my head. Additionally, I come fully prepared. I know what to say by practicing a lot of times behind closed doors. And I gain more self-esteem by starting the presentation with a smile.

Nobody expects you to be an amazing presenter from the beginning. Only a few people are blessed with this gift. For all the others: You have to jump into the cold water and start swimming. It’s all about gaining experience by practice, practice, practice.

 "PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE."

2.5 YEARS LATER

It’s October 2020, SMM in Herzogenaurach. We’re in the middle of a pandemic which doesn’t allow us to present in front of an audience. Therefore, we rapidly transformed into the role of a TV host. Two giant TV cameras are standing in the middle of a quite huge and empty room. I’m coming back from a quiet corner, where I’m still secretly doing my “Superman” pose which my former boss was showing me back then. This time I’m ready. This time I'm full of confidence. Suddenly the producer is counting down. 5…4…3…2…1. The spotlights go on. I take a deep breath, step in front of the camera…And start to smile. Showtime.

You can do it, too - Keep smiling. Jana.

*For the ones who don’t know SMM: every season / half year the whole European adidas family was meeting at a summit to discuss the upcoming collections & marketing highlights.