How to overcome the fear in sharing new ideas

Whenever you propose a new project or plan, you need to win the support of others. But moving your agenda forward will inevitably create anxiety on the part of those whose support you need. Remember, you’re asking them to change and to take risks. You must recognize that, by joining your coalition, they may be entering a place where they feel unsafe or uncomfortable.

That’s why it’s your job to anticipate how people will react to your new ideas and to be prepared to deal with fears they will have. But if you do your homework, you won’t be caught off guard.

Here are 10 tips to overcome arise in the Sharing of new ideas.

1. Know the source of your fear

This tip reminds us that it is necessary, first, to know what we’re afraid of. Most often, fears of selling come in several forms. Either we worry about not being liked, or being perceived as pushy, we (secretly) worry that our product or service might not perform as we say, or we struggle with the idea of rejection. Knowing the source of your fear (sometimes it can be a combination) is an important part of overcoming your fear of selling.

2. Remember that everyone is wrong sometimes

Most of the time, we don’t actually witness other people being wrong about something, so, to ourselves, it seems as though we are wrong more frequently than the people around us. In reality, everyone is wrong now and then.

3. Start small

Very often, people tend to tackle projects much larger than they can comfortably handle. When you want to overcome your fear of selling, start small. Maybe you will share your new business with a few trusted friends first and then gradually find ways to expand your sharing to include a larger circle. The most successful business people are those who interact with others in an authentic, passionate way so find a way that feels comfortable with you and stay with it.

4. Take action to address the source.

In this way, you are taking action to overcome your fear. In some cases, this might mean that you improve your product or service (you can use customer feedback for this), or you can find ways to share your product/service in a way that feels more authentic and natural to you. You can also find ways to “bounce back” after rejection which is easier to do, by the way, if you don’t take “no” personally.

5. Adopt an “abundance mentality.” 

Although it may be a term used largely in business and sales, it applies to education as well: One failure does not mean ultimate failure. There will be many more chances to come.

6. Imagine that you’re speaking to a good friend or family member

If you know someone who wouldn’t judge you for asking a certain question, then ask the question

7. Turn wrong answers into a learning experience for all

This is a great way to avoid singling out a student for being wrong. Involve the rest of the class by asking them what they think of the answer given, and encourage them to analyze it. Sometimes the “wrong” answer can lead to an even more interesting discussion than the “right” one.

8. Have fun with it.

Rather than approaching this from a heavy “have to”, “doesn’t feel good” perspective find a fun, interesting way to share your knowledge or passion. Some of my clients have thrown parties, offered free giveaways, donated products/services to charities – all of these were easy, fun, and income-generating. What would be fun for you?

9. Be motivated by learning

Why should you even attempt to write when it’s so scary? Because if you don’t do the things that you’re afraid of, you never learn anything. The best learning comes when you try something you don’t know how to do, and make mistakes, and then learn how to fix those mistakes. And then repeat. If you want safe, you give up on learning.

10. Strengthen your backbone and, therefore, your confidence in small steps

Get in the habit of asking yourself where you stand on various questions. When you have firm opinions or a strong sense of right or wrong on a given question, savor the feeling. It doesn’t matter what kind of question—it can be how to organize the dishwasher.

The point is to get used to the feeling of having a center and operating from it. Then, produce more consequential ideas from this same place. You’ll still have doubts, of course: “Does it make sense? Will people agree?” That’s normal. But you need to have confidence about the underlying purpose of your undertaking.