Are You an Imposter?

“Everyone who got where they are had to begin where they were.” – Richard Paul Evans, American author best known for writing The Christmas Box

As a speaker, you may often experience imposter syndrome, a psychological phenomenon in which you doubt your abilities and fear being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of your competence.

Below are three key reasons why you may feel like an imposter and what you can do to overcome these feelings, supported by references (at the end of this article) from psychological research and communication studies.

Fear of Judgment and Perceived Incompetence

You may feel like an imposter because you fear negative evaluations from your audience.

You may believe you must be perfect, and any mistake will expose you as unqualified.

This fear is amplified by social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954), where individuals evaluate their abilities based on others. They may feel inadequate if they perceive other speakers as more knowledgeable or charismatic.

Below are three methods you can use to overcome fear of judgment and perceived incompetence

• Reframe Mistakes as Growth Opportunities: Emphasize a growth mindset (Dweck, 2006), viewing mistakes as part of learning. A growth mindset (Dweck, 2006) is the belief that abilities and skills can be developed with effort and knowledge. Instead of seeing mistakes as signs of incompetence, you can view them as necessary for improvement.

• Focus on Audience Value: Shift the focus from self-perception to delivering value. Your role is to share knowledge and insight, not to be perfect. Treat your speech like a conversation, not a performance. Use eye contact, storytelling, and questions to engage your audience. Instead of worrying about what people think of you, be present and listen to their reactions—adjust accordingly.

• Desensitize Yourself to Judgment: Practice in low-stakes environments, such as Toastmasters or small group settings, to build confidence. The desensitization principle in psychology suggests that repeated exposure to a feared experience reduces anxiety. You can become more comfortable with imperfection by practicing in environments where mistakes are expected.

So, fear of judgment and perceived incompetence can cause you to feel like an imposter.

Another thing that can cause you to feel like an imposter is overvaluing your expertise and underestimating your experience.

Overvaluing Expertise and Underestimating Experience

You may feel unqualified because they compare themselves to experts or believe they need absolute mastery before speaking publicly.

This aligns with the Dunning-Kruger effect (Kruger & Dunning, 1999), where beginners overestimate their abilities, but those with some knowledge underestimate themselves because they realize how much they don’t know.

Below are three methods to overcome overvaluing your expertise and underestimating your experience.

• Acknowledge Your Unique Perspective: You can acknowledge your unique perspective by recognizing your personal experiences, insights, and authenticity as strengths rather than weaknesses. You don’t need to be the best expert—your lived experiences and insights are valuable. Recognize that no one has your unique perspective.

• Remind Yourself That Expertise is Relative: You can remind yourself that expertise is relative by shifting your mindset from absolute mastery to providing value. Even leading experts continue learning. You have something valuable to share if you know more than your audience.

• Teach What You Know: You can teach what you know by simplifying complex ideas, making the information engaging and actionable, and focusing on your audience’s learning experience. Teaching reinforces confidence. As the Feynman Technique suggests, you understand it well if you can explain it simply.

So, fear of judgment and perceived incompetence, overvaluing your expertise, and underestimating your experience can cause you to feel like an imposter.

Another thing that can cause you to feel like an imposter is internalizing past criticism or self-doubt.

Internalizing Past Criticism or Self-Doubt

Public speakers who have received negative feedback may internalize it as a sign that they are not good enough.

According to self-verification theory (Swann, 1983), people seek confirmation of their self-beliefs, so if they doubt themselves, they may magnify negative comments while dismissing praise.

Below are three methods you can use to overcome

• Reframe Negative Feedback: You can reframe negative feedback by shifting your mindset from personal criticism to constructive growth. Instead of seeing feedback as a judgment of your ability, you can view it as a tool for improvement. Not all criticism reflects your ability—some is about audience preference or constructive improvement.

• Keep a Success Journal: A Success Journal helps you build confidence, track progress, and stay motivated by documenting your wins, improvements, and positive feedback. Write down past wins, compliments, and positive experiences to counterbalance doubts.

• Adopt Self-Compassion: As a speaker, you often deal with self-doubt, fear of mistakes, and imposter syndrome. Adopting self-compassion helps you speak with confidence, resilience, and authenticity. Use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) strategies to challenge irrational thoughts about your worth as a speaker.

Public speakers who feel like imposters should recognize their value, challenge self-doubt, and embrace growth.

Shifting your focus from fear of judgment to audience impact can help you overcome imposter syndrome and deliver powerful speeches.

Use the strategies in this article to overcome imposter syndrome

Call to Action

• Instead of seeing mistakes as signs of incompetence, use them as necessary for improvement.

• Recognize that no one has your unique perspective. You don’t need to be the best expert—your lived experiences and insights are valuable.

• Reframe negative feedback by shifting your mindset from personal criticism to constructive growth.

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky, Canadian-American former professional ice hockey player

References

• Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117-140.

• Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.

• Kruger, J., & Dunning, D. (1999). Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing one’s own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(6), 1121.

• Swann, W. B. (1983). Self-verification: Bringing social reality into harmony with the self. Psychological Perspectives on the Self, 2, 33-66.

Being a confident, engaging, and effective technical speaker is a vital personal and professional asset. With more than 40 years of engineering experience and more than 30 years of award-winning public speaking experience, I can help you reduce your presentation preparatory time by 50%, overcome your fear of public speaking and be completely at ease, deliver your presentations effectively, develop your personal presence with your audience; and apply an innovative way to handle audience questions deftly.

Working closely with you, I provide a customized protocol employing the critical skills and tools you need to create, practice, and deliver excellent technical speeches and presentations. Let’s connect and explore how I can help you become the exceptional speaker you were meant to be. Please reach out to me at frank@speakleadandsucceed.com or 703-509-4424 for a complimentary consultation. Schedule a meeting with me at calendly.com/frankdibartolomeospeaks