Ten Steps To Fearless Public Speaking

by Graham Jones
There is plenty of dubious material which suggests you can combat public speaking fear. Much of it includes fancy techniques such as 'visualisation' or 'breathing techniques'. Well, they might work. But this ten step system is GUARANTEED TO WORK. That's because instead of fancy tricks and techniques, this system of dealing with public speaking fear uses your body's natural defences against fear.

STEP ONE
Prepare well. Naturally enough, the more prepared you are the more likely you are to feel in control, which will NATURALLY help your nervousness reduce.

STEP TWO
Practice, practice, practice. You can't do too much practice. Don't listen to those people who say you can over-practice. Tell that to circus artists who practice day in day out for decades, just to get their act right. You don't hear actors and musicians complaining they had 'too much' rehearsal time. The more your rehearse, the better.

STEP THREE
Say your speech OUT LOUD. Whether you are in the car, the bath, or going for a walk with the dog, say it out loud. Going through your talk 'in your head' means you don't benefit from something called 'psychomotor memory' - whereby the memory for what you need to say is partly embedded in the muscles of your mouth.

STEP FOUR
Get to the venue early. Get a feel for the room. Sit where the audience will sit so you can see it from their perspective. Walk around the auditorium. Practice your speech on the stage itself. The more comfortable you are with the room, the less your nerves will be.

STEP FIVE
Get some exercise. A walk, a swim, a session in the gym, it doesn't matter what you do, as long as you get some exercise in the couple of hours before your talk. That way you'll change the chemistry of your blood supply in your own favour. Exercise is essential in reducing nerves. Do not skimp on this.

STEP SIX
Chew some mints or sweets. While waiting to go on stage, chew something. This will produce saliva which also helps reduce nerves. If you drink water your saliva production will go down and your nervousness will rise. Avoid water when presenting.

STEP SEVEN
When you go up on stage, smile. No matter how false it feels to you, the audience won't notice. Just smile. It helps produce hormones that lead to a more relaxed feeling.

STEP EIGHT
Be active on the stage. Move around, use big gestures and get as much body movement as you can. The more you move the more relaxed you will feel.

STEP NINE
Look people in the eye. Make as much eye contact as you can. The more the better. Eye contact is essential in helping you feel good and reducing your nerves.

STEP TEN
Use feedback. Always gain feedback on your speeches. You'll soon discover you are a lot better than you think you are, which is bound to help boost your confidence.

Graham Jones is a psychologist and public speaker. He has helped over 17,000 people overcome their fear of public speaking. He runs The Presentation Business to help you speak in public. See: The Presentation Business

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Go With the Flow and Be Funnier

John Kinde


When you deliver a funny line (one that YOU thought was funny)
and the audience does not laugh, just realize that they are
gently correcting your faulty assumption. They are making you a
better presenter the next time you step on the platform. They are
doing you a favor. They are coaching you to eliminate the joke or
change it. When you are greeted by silence, simply pretend you
were serious. After all, a well delivered humor line should come
as a surprise. If they don't laugh, it's your secret. And maybe
use a stock line like, "the reason I told you that story was..."
And make a learning point. Hopefully everything you share with
your audiences makes a point! Pretend that you never did expect
them to laugh in the first place, and keep moving. They will
never know!

Remember one of the key secrets of the good humorist. Go with the
flow. Do not try so hard to be funny and your humor will usually
be blessed with a more relaxed, natural style and one with
greater impact.

(JohnKinde@Humorpower.com)

Stage Fright

Stage fright Is Good and Makes You Better Looking Too! Before you learn how to speak in public, it is important to be ready to speak in public. Stage fright is a phenomenon that you must learn to control if you want to be good at public speaking. Actually, stage fright isn't the most accurate term for the nervousness that occurs when considering a speaking engagement. In fact, most of the fear occurs before you step on-stage. Once you're up there, it usually goes away. Try to think of stage fright in a positive way. Fear is your friend. It makes your reflexes sharper. It heightens your energy, adds a sparkle to your eye, and color to your cheeks. When you are nervous about speaking, you are more conscious of your posture and breathing. With all those good side effects you will actually look healthier and more physically attractive.

When making public performances, many of the top performers in the world get stage fright so you are in good company. Stage fright may come and go or diminish, but it usually does not vanish permanently. You must concentrate on getting the feeling out in the open, into perspective and under control.

Remember Nobody ever died from stage fright or speaking in public. But, according to surveys, many people would rather die than speak in public. If that applies to you, try out some of the strategies in this section to help get yourself under control. Realize that you may never overcome stage fright, but you can learn to control it, and use it to your advantage in your public speaking efforts.
Tom Antion

How Well Do You Speak?

Public speaking is the number one way to advance your career or your business. When you are a good speaker, you can close a sale, sell your point of view, and increase your productivity as a business professional.

Here are 10 tips to get you started.

1. The key to being a good speaker is to appear credible and knowledgeable about your subject. Be perceived as an expert on your topic. If you don't do this the audience will not listen well and you will not be correctly interpreted.

2. Should you begin your speech with a joke or humorous story? No, to the joke. Yes, to the funny story. Begin with a humorous story that relates to your speech material.This is a great way to connect with your audience.

3. Control your nerves before you begin. Visualize your success. (the audience wants you to succeed.) Take some deep breaths to bring about calm. If you are speaking in a cold, snowy location, then arrive early and walk the halls for about 5 minutes.

4. Your job is to take care of these four items:. hold the audience attention. make a favorable impression. know what to do with your hands. answer questions from the audience at the end of your speech (if you don't know and answer, say, "I don't know, but I'll get the information to you later.")

5. Make eye contact. Look at one person long enough to deliver one complete thought, then move to another person and do the same. When you do this, everyone in the audience will feel that you are speaking to them also.

6. Why are visual aids important to enhance your message? Well, they jazz up your message and most importantly they increase the audience retention of your point(s). Most of us delineate our thoughts visually. So your audienceneeds to see as well as hear.

7. Don't make these mistakes. . forgetting to check the audio-visual equipment in advance of your speech. not demonstrating "enthusiasm" in your voice. projecting your voice too forcefully. forgetting to provide your program chair with your introduction

8. Rehearse! Rehearse! Rehearse! All good speakers prepare their presentation and then rehearse it for their friends, colleagues, spouse/partner, in front of your bathroom mirror and even videotape themselves for playback. I even line up stuffed animals (borrowed from my grandchildren)on chairs and create an imaginary "furry" audience.

9. Listen to good speakers, and then become one! All speakers do not sound alike. So hear a variety of styles. Do you want to be a Tony Robbins, Dennis Waitley, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, or Colin Powell? Get some ideas and then work on your OWN style. Include remarks that reach all the styles in your audience. Express yourself so that people can get auditory, visual and kinesthetic messages.

10. Why should you become an accomplished speaker? It will make you more self-confident. You will become more persuasive. You will be more dynamic in your delivery style. You don't need to do this alone. I coach speakers who want masterful presentations and am here to help you. too.

Email me at sandra@schrift.com and be sure to visit my website for more tips at www.schrift.com/tips.htm http://www.schrift.com/group_coaching.htm COPYRIGHT: C2005 by Sandra Schrift. All rights reserved