| |
| |
|
Public Speaking Information |
|
|
|
Conquer Presentation Anxiety: Olympic Athletes Show Us How
Whether going for the gold or giving a presentation, the beast of performance anxiety rears its ugly head. Your hands are clammy, your knees wobbly and your heart is pounding. You've developed a shortness of breath and your breakfast is staging an uprising. The pressure is on, and you want to succeed and perform at the top of your game. Olympic Athletes do three things to build their confidence and tame the beast. They are mentally tough; they concentrate so deeply that they go "into the zone"; and they visualize success. BE MENTALLY TOUGH It's all in your attitude. Olympic Athletes don't feel helpless. They are proactive and are determined to succeed. Your drive to be mentally tough should include the following: · Accept the tension. It happens to everyone, and you need it so that you can be "up" for your presentation. · Cultivate courage. Courage doesn't mean the absence of fear. It means fighting past it and taking action. Trust yourself - you know more than you think. · Prepare a good game plan. o What's your goal? What do you want from this presentation? o Do your homework. What's expected of you? o Anticipate the moves of the "competition". What "sweat questions" might you have to answer? Practice your answers. TIP Rehearse so that you are performance ready. When you are well rehearsed your mind will be in complete control, you will effortlessly know what you will say next and your movements will be relaxed and flowing. CONCENTRATE Olympic Athletes are inundated with external distractions -- from the roar of the crowd and performances in other parts of the gym, to the pounding of feet and other runners breathing down their neck. You also need to tune out distractions - from servers clearing dishes during an after dinner speech or a too loud presentation in the room next door, to your audience answering e-mails or talking to each other during a small group briefing. How do you get into the "zone" where you are focused so deeply that distractions can't disturb you? · By controlled breathing. Oxygen provides the fuel for your voice, and is the source of your energy. At the same time it calms you down and helps you to concentrate. While waiting your turn to speak take several calming deep slow breaths. · By memorizing the first minute of your presentation so that you are on automatic pilot during the most dangerous time of your presentation. TIP Just before you begin, take a deep breath the way Olympic Athletes do before the gun goes off. VISUALIZE SUCCESS Don't set yourself up for failure by falling prey to negative "what if?" self-talk. · "What if I forget what I want to say?" · "What if I can't answer all the questions?" · "What if I let (myself / my boss / my department) down?" · "What if I make a mistake?" · "What if I don't meet expectations?" Instead visualize your success. Just as a diver can visualize climbing up the ladder, stepping to the edge of the platform, launching into the air, twisting perfectly and entering the water without a splash, you can visualize yourself doing well. · Picture yourself presenting with a clear voice, appropriate gestures and pauses and great eye contact. · Picture yourself speaking fluently and without hesitation, and answering questions precisely. · Picture yourself changing your visuals without looking back at the screen. · Picture yourself using smooth transitions from one page of your handout to the next. · Picture the smiles in your audience after you complete a smooth ending. TIP: Develop an "I'll do well" mantra. e.g., "My breathing is steady and deep. I am confident. I am successful." You have the knowledge and physical skills to give an excellent performance. Use these three points from those who have spent years working toward the gold. As with top athletes, dedication is supplemented by excellent coaching. We at The Prescott Group are professional performance coaches. We can help you find your own rewards, and achieve the accolades you deserve. Contact us at www.theprescottgroup.com. © Roberta Prescott Roberta Prescott heads The Prescott Group, a communication firm specializing in Executive Development. Visit our web site (http://www.theprescottgroup.com) for more information about our seminars -- "Speaking Made Easy", "Speaking To Small Groups","Advanced Presentations", "Communicating For Results" and "Executive Presence"
MORE RESOURCES:
Public-Speaking - Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Youre Making Me Nervous Almost everybody is nervous when they stand up to speak. There's no shame in being nervous. How to Present Your Proposal at an Executive Meeting What's the worst reaction you've ever gotten when you made an important presentation? Probably, it would come in second to the one I just heard about. A woman-ironically she was interviewing me for an article about "Knockout Presentations"-told me the story of her disaster. Tips For Keeping Your Cool Before Your Presentation Stretch to relax. Rise on your toes and reach for the ceiling, with your head back. Let Your Appearance Speak for You, Not Against You! Every 7 seconds another baby boomer turns 50. What does an aging workforce mean? It means that the average age of your seminar attendee if getting older. How Well Do You Speak? The ability to speak well can enhance your career, clinch a sale, sell a point of view and increase your business productivity.1. Pay Attention To Your Appearance! During the coffee break of one conference I attended, whispers and giggles could be heard within the conversations of small huddles of delegates. Without asking, I knew what they were all talking about because our little group were talking about the same thing. Speech Writing Secrets Of President Bill Clinton Speaking in public can be a powerful way to build a business. It can help raise the profile of your business, generate new leads and create greater profits. 7 Sure Fire Ways To Overcome Stage Fright When Speaking Or Performing Prayer or Meditation: If you're a believer you can pray if you are not at least take time to clear your mind and meditate. (On clearing your mind) A short prayer for God to guide you and give you the right words can't ever hurt. Shortcuts to Eloquence You have probably had the experience of listening to a speaker who, even if you did not agree with that person's message, caused you to think, "this is an outstanding speaker." That speaker was probably using certain rhetorical devices that touched an internal chord, that made him or her sound eloquent. How to Build Respect with Your Audience: Positive Thinking and Outhouse Eyes Do you believe in natural laws? Laws like:? What goes up, must come down? What you sow, you reap? When you look down outhouse holes, you get green eyes (I know this one works - I've got green eyes)Thoughts create reality is another natural law. Positive thoughts create positive results, and negative thoughts create negative results. 13 Publicity Tips for Professional Speakers In a funk because other speakers seem to be snagging all the media attention? It's time to start claiming your share. Here are a baker's dozen of tips that will boost your publicity efforts and help you finally get noticed. Overcoming Your Fears of Public Speaking You're waiting your turn to make a speech, when suddenly you realize that your stomach is doing strange things and your mind is rapidly going blank. How do you handle this critical time period?In all of my speaking classes, students ask me how to handle public speaking nervousness, fears, jitters, anxieties - and the physical symptoms these feelings produce. Get Real Humans are born storytellers, but our education system doesn't help us develop these natural talents that we all have. Instead, society increasingly homogenizes us, covering up the things that make us unique. Make The Most of Examples and Stories Examples and stories can bring your presentations alive. They can transform a dull, dry subject into something which is interesting and alive. Trust in Training: Societys Effect on an Audience It is important to be continually aware that a person usually will not be consciously aware of how and why they are reacting, yet even if they knew, they wouldn't tell you. Society conditions people to hide their true inner drives and motives especially from those close to them (or even to themselves). How to Use your Inner Circle Who do you know that knows that you speak?There is a famous saying "It is not who you know but who knows you!" This is so true. Take a look at who you know and also at others at your place of business, or clients that you have worked with or contacted in the past. The Little-Known Speechwriting Secrets That Won George W Bush The US Election He's been accused of "mangling the language, destroying its meaning by avoiding the use of verbs, twisting nouns into verbs, and endlessly repeating phrases until they become zombified" (Source:'Bush and Blair accused of mangling English' by Kate Kelland, Reuters.com. The Top 5 Public Speaking Questions Answered There are a number of questions that we consistently get asked in relation to public speaking and presentations. Here are a few of the most common questions, along with our answers:1. Knowing Your Boundaries While delivering a speech, it is clear that we will be judged and perceived in a certain way based on our ideas, words, and body language. Taking a risk and really thinking out of the box can be quite rewarding and at the same time, it can be a disaster. Speaker Partnership Offers Trade Show Value Want to gain added exposure at a trade show? Consider sponsoring a professional speaker at the attendees meeting. But don't just settle for a banner on the stage with your company name.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2007 |
