| |
| |
|
Public Speaking Information |
|
|
|
Take The Fear Out Of Public Speaking
You're a bright, dynamic executive. You've been scheduled to give a major company presentation. You're sitting in the audience waiting your turn to speak. You hear your name and start walking stiffly to the lectern. Suddenly you're all alone and everyone is looking at you. You're racked with symptoms of tension: Your hands are clammy, your knees feel wobbly, and your heart is pounding. You've developed a strange shortness of breath and your breakfast is staging an uprising. "If I can just get started," you tell yourself, "everything will be fine." So you open your mouth - and out comes a sound that is a cross between a squeaking balloon and a bad cough. Twenty minutes later, you heave a sigh of relief and say weakly "Well, that's it I guess," and stagger back to your seat. It's over. It's all a blank. You have no sense of satisfaction from a job well done. And you tell yourself you'll never go through such a shattering experience again. Take heart, for you have plenty of company. Public speaking can be a terrifying experience, and few have the training and confidence required to overcome the symptoms of fear. I work with managers and executives who want to be better public speakers. For almost everyone a key to their success means redirecting tension and nervousness into useful and productive energy the way actors do. CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE · Don't think about negative speaking experiences from your past. Instead, fantasize success. Imagine yourself speaking well. · Don't worry about how you're coming across, or about whether they'll like you. Know that you have an important message to give. Your audience will pick up on your enthusiasm and will be rooting for you. · Accept that what you are feeling happens to everyone. After the first minute the worst of your symptoms will be over. · Eliminate "all or nothing" thinking. "If I'm not perfect, I've blown it." · Think of public speaking as "enlarged conversation". · Get things in perspective. "What's the worst that can happen?" "Ten years from now who will remember this?" "I deserve to be here. I'm an expert on this subject." · Recognize that people don't listen well anyway. 48 hours from now they'll only remember 25% of what you said. DEVELOP "PUBLIC SOLITUDE" · This is an acting term that means you have rehearsed your talk so well, that nothing can break your concentration. When you know your talk well, you don't have to worry about what you're going to say next. You're on automatic pilot. · Keep concentrating and keep going no matter what. The rule of improvisation means that no one will know you've made an error unless you stop and point it out. BREATHE · Another actor's technique can help you avoid shortness of breath and a shaky voice. Most people when nervous hold their breath, but oxygen is the fuel for your voice. So take four long, slow deep breaths before you speak. · During your talk, pause and take another deep breath whenever you feel shaky. · For an extra long sentence take a quick inhale in the middle. You will end your though without your voice trailing off. WARM UP BEFORE YOU SPEAK · Physical movement releases nervous energy. Take a short walk before your speak. While walking recite the first minute of your speech a few times so that your voice is warmed up as well. · Get in the room early and practice walking up to the lectern. Look out at the room until you own it. · Roll your shoulders and lift them up to your ears · Shake your hands until they tingle, then swing them vigorously Try these tips and turn your fear into the joy of speaking and connecting with an audience. © Roberta Prescott Roberta Prescott heads The Prescott Group, a communication firm specializing in Executive Development. Visit our web site at http://www.theprescottgroup.com for more information on speaking seminars and executive coaching.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
A Quick Tip for Delivering a Great Speech Does speaking in public leave you tongue-tied? Do you stumble over your words? Do you want to learn how to speak more eloquently in front of a crowed?Here's a simple tip for getting started: Talk about something that you're passionate about.Have you ever noticed how people sound more eloquent when they're talking about something that's dear to their heart? They speak more fluidly, and they're less likely to grasp for the right words. Now Appearing: 9 Tips for a Well-Attended Event When I made the decision to do free workshops and book signings for my latest book, Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer, I thought it would be easy to draw an audience. I had, after all, done all the right things to prepare for this big event: I had a successful e-zine, AbsoluteWrite. Getting Results from Your Writing & Speaking When we communicate, we usually want something to happen. We want results. Speakers Learn How to Define Your Niche This is one of the hardest things speakers have to do - defining their niche, and in most cases, it can stop them dead in their tracks. Inexperienced speakers have a tendency to generalize themselves and that won't lead to those successful paid speaking engagements. Getting on the Speakers List How do you get your name on a speakers list?Speaking experience is usually required before you will be placed on the speakers list. Groups often want to know where you have spoken and will want to have a referral from a couple of the groups you already spoke to. How To Get Paid Every Time You Speak - REALLY! For many, speaking or training is a full time business. Yet for other business owners, we use speaking/training as a way to market a business and bring in extra income. What is Public Speaking? When we talk about public speaking, we usually think about some person in front of a large group giving an extended presentation on a difficult or technical subject. That is not usually how it is. How To Dramatically Improve Your Public Speaking Skills This Article Is For Those Who Understand How Persuasive Communication, Public Speaking, And The Ability To Connect With And Influence Others? Deeply Impacts?· Your Career, Your Income, And Your Financial Future· Your Relationships, Your Family, Your Marriage· Your Health, Your Fitness And Your Well-Being· Your Enjoyment of Life And Your Ability To Have Fun· Your Overall Sense Of Self and Your Self-RegardAnd This Article Is For Those Who Want To Learn The Conscious and Unconscious Communication Strategies, Beliefs and Skills Of Legends Like Elvis Presley, Helen Keller, Martin Luther King and Rudy Giullani.Hello,There are defining moments in the history of every nation?and there are defining moments in the course of the life of every human being. Speak With E's Part 2 "Educate, Energize, Entertain, and provide an experience for your audience"1. Use the "Rule of 3. Fear FearOf what am I afraid, you ask. Of myself, I answer. You Too Can Be A Public Speaker Have you ever watched a speaker and said, "Wow, I wish I could speak like that"? or "That person was just so wonderful. I could never do that. Are You Talking the Talk? "More learning occurs through emotion than through intellect" C.S. Public Speaking:10 Simple Steps to Confident Speaking 1.Preparation The most important step in public speaking is preparation. Public Speaking Tips 1. No speech is ever perfect. How to Get Started In Public Speaking Public speaking is among the five most feared activities human beings encounter.The majority of us fear it worse than anything else. 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. To Insure Success in Speaking: Anticipate We all know that to be a careful driver on the highways, we need always to anticipate. When we see brake lights ahead, we anticipate some traffic problem and slow down. 12 Ways to be a Confident Public Speaker Speak from your heart. If you believe in what you say, than others need to hear it. How Authors Can Get a Free Promotional Tour I was a celebrity lecture agent in the college and university market for over seven years. During that time, I have received hundreds of requests for authors to speak. Speak in Public! Who Me? The first time I had to speak in front of a group was in Air Force boot camp. I had always been very shy, naive, and backward.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2007 |
