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Prepare for new or unpredictable speaking situations

Would you like to feel safe and centered, no matter what is about to happen, no matter what the audience throws at yourself, no matter what you do? Give yourself the advantage of preparation.

Would you like to:

  • Feel competent in uncertain situations?
  • Handle unpredictability with comfort?
  • Reduce the fluster or paralysis brought on by some events?
  • Stay centered during new experiences?
  • Optimize your preparation for performance?
  • Go with life’s natural flow?

If you would like to have the preparedness advantage, then Preparing for Uncertainty is sure to excite you.

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How to banish impromptu speaking blues

… the ability to almost immediately summon up a well-crafted speech from thin air can be learnt. With confidence arising from the practice of a few simple skills you’ll soon be an accomplished impromptu speaker whatever the occasion. Here’s how.

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Overcome the fear of public speaking

Is fear of public speaking holding you back? Are you paralysed by fear when you have to speak in public?

Do you need to make presentations at work but avoid them because of nerves?

This is not the way to success. Speeches and presentations need to be confidently presented.

These are the typical symptoms that nerves can produce …

Jelly legs
Dry mouth
Sweaty palms
Fear of forgetting or losing your place
Fear of not impressing the audience, or losing them altogether
Shakes

are these yours ? ? ? ? ?

Learn to overcome these symptoms, and overcome the fear of public speaking =>http://bit.ly/alGMck

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Public Speaking Tip – For Confidence in public speaking, be prepared

This is one of the most powerful sources of confidence – knowing that you are prepared.  During the nervous stages, you can continually reassure yourself that you are prepared and can visualise all the aspects of the successful presentation that you have prepared.  As far as I am concerned, this will provide the major part of your confidence.

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Can you imagine being able to get rid of any fear or phobia?

… In just 10 minutes?

Scientists have just given the official nod to a brand new NLP-based system that enables you to literally “erase” old fears and phobias – in a matter of minutes.

Fear of public speaking, fear of spiders, fear of death, fear of failure – whatever it is – it can be permanently deleted. All when you listen to this special “brain language” CD recording.

It’s an amazing discovery – and has the awesome potential to change the world.

Interested?

Learn more ahead of the crowd, online at:

http://budurl.com/tenminute

It works. Life-long fears GONE FOR GOOD – in just minutes.

Check out the site… I guarantee you’ll be amazed!

http://budurl.com/tenminute

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Public Speaking Fear – Will They Reject My Words?

Guest post by Janet Hilts

Is your fear of speaking really a fear of rejection? That’s at the bottom of public speaking anxiety for a lot of people. The way to deal with this fear is to first take a closer look. What are you afraid might be rejected? Your words?

Rejection Of Your Words
Here are a few facts to consider:

Fact A: Your words only count for 7% of the actual message that you deliver. 7%! Can you believe it? The biggest part of your message is conveyed through your body language, facial expression and tone of voice. So that seriously takes the pressure off your words, doesn’t it? When you’re speaking – whether that’s to a client or a big audience – your intention is to connect with them, isn’t it? That’s what communication is all about. And people connect at the heart. That’s where those nonverbal elements come into play. They’re watching your eyes. They’re looking to see if you’re paying attention to them. They want the feeling that you care about them and their problem.
Fact B: They want to feel positive emotions from hearing you – relief, hope, peace of mind. That experience does not come from your words. We’ve all heard words that sound empty, where the emotion doesn’t match the actual words. Picture an eye-rolling teenager saying “I’m sorry” to a scolding teacher. The words aren’t conveying their real meaning, are they? See how this reduces the pressure for you to get your words perfect? If your fear of rejection is about words, I hope your fear is shrinking.
On the positive side of things, think of the people you enjoy doing business with. They’re just regular people, right? Just like you.

Now think of their speaking styles. Do they all have perfect grammar? Are they all fabulous speech writers and award-winning orators? Is their language completely clear of “uh” and “y’know”? Of course not!

And yours doesn’t have to be either. For now, stop worrying about your words and focus on relaxing so your voice, face and body can react naturally. That’s what helps you connect to people so you can really get your message across.

Bonus:
Once you get some practice speaking naturally, you’ll find it much easier to work with improving your actual words if you want to. It’s ironic that once you let go of the fear about the words, your options for words open up. Your creative ability and willingness to experiment with new phrases totally expands once your speaking anxiety is gone.

And to get a head start with feeling calm when you speak, I invite you to get your FREE copy of 5 Simple Secrets To Stress-Free Speaking when you go to http://SpeakUpAndShine.com.

Just fill in the sign-up box on the right-hand side of the page.

From Janet Hilts at Speak Up & Shine | Clearing Pathways

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The Power of the Mind: Reduce Your Fear of Public Speaking

Lisa Braithwaite has shared her experiences with panic attacks and anxiety on her blog.  I admire her candour, and am thankful she shared her experiences, because this sort of story encourages those who feel trapped by the condition.  I went through a similar time – panic attcks and anxiety, and certainly would not recommend it.

But in this particular article Lisa has given us all a new way of looking at the situation, especially as it applies to public speaking, with some incredibly powerful tools to use.

If our mind is powerful enough to create fear from “nothing,” it’s also powerful enough to reframe our thoughts to propel us forward in a positive way. There have been many books written about the power of positive thinking – the most well-known of these is Norman Vincent Peale’s, first published over 50 years ago. Recent medical research shows, for example, that a positive expectation of a medication has real measurable physical effects (not just the psychological “placebo effect”) on our health.

How does this apply to you as a public speaker? You can control the amount of fear and anxiety you experience around public speaking. You have the power to turn negative and fearful thoughts into positive ones. How do you do it?

Here’s how …

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Overcoming stage fright

PREPARATION and practice – that’s the 2Ps approach advocated by trainer Faridah Khalid for overcoming stage fright in a public-speaking competition.
“There are no shortcuts to overcoming stage fright. You need to prepare and practise,” she told participants of the English-Speaking Union Malaysia (Esum)-The Star-HSBC Public Speaking Competition 2006 workshop at St Joseph’s Secondary School in Kuching last Saturday.   Article continues

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How can you lose the fear and get out there and speak?

You’ve heard it said many times before – the fear of speaking is considered by many as their number one fear, outdistancing death and divorce. There are legendary stories of entertainment superstars who undergo extraordinary episodes of stage fright immediately before they perform…

They’ve experienced blurred vision, nausea, and headaches – even after performing hundreds of times. So, if these entertainers face anxiety on stage, is it any wonder that the rest of us may be fearful of appearing before groups? That anxiety may even prevent us from reaching our fullest potential since we may tend to avoid speaking opportunities altogether that could advance our career.

So how do you overcome that – reach your fullest potential?  Find out in Pivotal Magazine. http://www.pivotalmagazine.com/lose_fear.htm

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Public Speaking for private people

Since you only die once, but you could live to give many speeches, why not learn to make public speaking easier? Here’s what I did to help me take center stage—joyously!—at my book launch event:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/self-promotion-introverts/200910/public-speaking-private-people

Don’t let your public speaking nerves embarrass you.

It’s embarrassing for the nervous speaker and it’s embarrassing for the audience – those awkward, horrible moments when something goes wrong, something embarrassing happens. They are an experience neither the audience nor the speaker wants to have to endure.
Here are four situations where you can smooth out those embarrassing moments … and a powerful strategy to use in the future.

1. The mental blank
That terrible moment when someone loses complete track of what they are saying – there is a blank, their face drops, and then becomes more and more frantic. This is painful not only for the speaker but for the audience. Develop a strategy now so that if, despite your best preparations, a blank happens, you have something to say. You could remark, “Oops I’ve lost it” and maybe you can add some appropriate humour (“Must have left the speech in front of the mirror!”) and then add something like “Now where was I?” Look at your notes if necessary – “We were talking about …” If it’s really bad, ask the audience. Whatever strategy you use along these lines, you keep the audience, and yourself, moving on, returning to target and none of you is embarrassed. So if you fear the blank moment, be prepared with a strategy that will allow you to deal smoothly with the situation.

2. The audience is bored
It’s a moment that nervous speakers dread – to realise that most of your audience is bored. They’re glassy eyed, maybe even falling asleep, chatting or texting on their mobile hones. Horrors! Worse still and more embarrassing is the presenter who becomes frantic, attempting to regain attention. Avoid the whole situation if you can by ensuring you have variety wired into your presentation, and have something up your sleeve that you can move into if necessary. Introduce a new visual. Involve the audience. Change your stance, body language or walking pattern. Stop. Stand still. Whatever you use, it will become a smooth, professional piece of your presentation instead of a situation that embarrasses you and your audience.

3. Dry mouth
Do you have a persistent dry mouth? Then take a glass of water with you. Before the speech, organise a place to put it and then choose a time where you can drink without interrupting the flow of your speech. Incorporate this into the planning of your presentation and your visualisation of your successful presentation. If it does interrupt, then find a way to explain it, incorporate it, or joke about it.

4. Those other embarrassing physical symptoms
The same applies to anything else you expect might embarrass you or detract from your speech. If you cannot overcome the physical symptoms in the lead up to the speech, then these are the ones you need to develop strategies for.

And use this same set of tactics for any other symptoms like blushing or shakes –if they detract from your speech – find a way to
explain it,
incorporate it
or joke about it.

Then you will have defused any embarrassment that you feel or your audience feels.
In all of these situations where you might make mistakes or have a mishap, there is one underlying powerful principle that works to avoid embarrassment:

“It doesn’t matter what happens. What matters is how you deal with what happens.”

It really does not matter!. The embarrassment for everyone lies not in the event itself, but in how you respond to it. So instead of being embarrassed, respond, instead, with professionalism and confidence. Be as prepared as you can for whatever may arise, and be prepared to explain, incorporate or joke if something does happen. Then you will have been able to deal with it, confidently and professionally – without embarrassment.

The added bonus? You are reducing your nervousness and increasing your confidence in the process.

Did you know that public speaking nerves are good? They keep you on edge, push you to produce your best work.
Let this eBook show you how to harness your nervousness and be successful.

Before you have to face giving another speech or presentation,
arm yourself with these simple proven strategies that will guide you to success and confidence.

E-Book – “How to overcome your fear of public speaking” http://www.consultpivotal.com/nerves_ebook.htm

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The 6 strongest speaker statements

Want to look confident? Want to hold your audience’s attention? Want to make your point stick? You can do all the tricks and tropes out there, but these six phrases, in my experience, almost always grip the listener, make the speaker look strong, save her from a world of trouble, and invite real connection with your audience. Keep these in your back pocket for a stronger speech:
http://eloquentwoman.blogspot.com/2009/09/6-strongest-speaker-statements.html
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Fear of Public Speaking

Public speaking is an example of a social phobia, and is the most commonly reported social fear.

Unfortunately, fear of public speaking can adversely impact upon one’s career, personal life and academic achievements. For example, sufferers may avoid careers which would entail public speaking or decline promotions which would involve giving lectures or presentations. Social anxiety sufferers may also experience a great deal of distress if required to give a speech at their 21st birthday, wedding etc. University students may choose their courses or subjects so as to avoid having to give presentations.

A Few Tips on Public Speaking For Social Phobia sufferers

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How to beome a great speaker (with no stress)

We have all heard that famous statistic, the one that claims the number one fear people have is public speaking, number two is death. Seinfeld had a joke about this stat, he said apparently if people are at a funeral they would rather be in the coffin than be giving the eulogy. If that statistic is accepted as fact, Seinfeld’s joke, while ridiculous sounding, would be technically correct. What is wrong with this scenario?

Would people really rather be dead than speak in public? Why? Well I am here to tell you that speaking in public is nothing to be afraid of; I do it all the time. Like most things in life, the more you speak in public, the less nervous you become when you do it. Unfortunately, most people choose to avoid giving speeches so vehemently that they will never do it enough to become comfortable with it.

So for all of those people out there who avoid speaking in public like, well, death, I am here to tell you how to breeze through any public speaking engagement and come out the other end as a hit public speaker, with as little stress as possible.  >>>

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The fear of public speaking … and evolutionary psychology

From my own personal experience, from working with thousands of people face to face, and from asking my blog readers what they find hardest about presenting, I know that the fear of public speaking is a biggie.

And not everyone who suffers from the fear of public speaking has suffered a humiliating public speaking experience.

So why do so many people have a fear of public speaking?

The theory of evolutionary psychology

Read more …

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Help For Public-Speaking Anxiety

 

Fear of public speaking strikes some people harder — and differently — than others, according to a new study.

The study shows that those who suffer most over speaking in public get more anxious, not less anxious, as their presentation gets under way. And when it’s over, instead of feeling relief, they feel even more anxious.

… more

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10 Sure-Fire Steps To Take The Fear Out Of Public Speaking

Do you “feel the fear” when asked to do some public speaking? Public speaking is still one of our greatest fears and it turns grown men and women into nervous wrecks. The mere thought of it turns our tongue to cotton wool, causes our internal plumbing to act up and turns our knees to jelly. Well, there’s no need for all of this because help is at hand. All you need to remember are your P’s and Q’s. Let’s start with the P’s

(…more)

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Clowns vs. Spiders vs. Public Speaking

Which do you fear most? And which fear is irrational? Seems everyone has a different answer. What’s yours?

You can check out the other answers at the forum (and when you get there – tell me what you think of the spider. He looks friendly to me and I’m no spider lover!)

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How To Conquer Public Speaking Fear

Public speaking is a common source of stress for everyone. Many of us would like to avoid this problem entirely, but this is hard to do. Whether we work alone or with large numbers of people, eventually we will need to speak in public to get certain tasks accomplished. And if we want to be leaders or achieve anything meaningful in our lives, we will often need to speak to groups, large and small, to be successful.

The truth about public speaking, however, is IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE STRESSFUL! If you correctly understand the hidden causes of public speaking stress, and if you keep just a few key principles in mind, speaking in public will soon become an invigorating and satisfying experience for you.

(…more)

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Fear Of Public Speaking, the Best Way to Get Rid of It

Do you have nightmares about public speaking? When you have to stand up in front of a group does your mouth go dry? Hands shake? Stomach turn flip-flops? Feel lightheaded? Think you may pass out?

Welcome to the club. If it’s any comfort, you are not alone!

According to a well-known survey, 65% of us would rather die than speak in public. Many have tried for years to overcome their fear and given it up as hopeless. But wait! There is hope.

We can now turn to one tested method to end the fear of public speaking that has been shown to yield amazing results. It is The Lefkoe Method (TLM).

Probably the least known, but possibly the fastest way of getting rid of the fear of speaking in public, is The Lefkoe Method (TLM). TLM is based on the knowledge that our behavior is governed by what we believe to be true. Therefore, it focuses on finding the 10 or so negative beliefs that make us fear public speaking. These can be such beliefs as, Mistakes and failure are bad; If I make a mistake, I’ll be rejected; or People aren’t interested in what I have to say; etc.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of this approach is how consistently it works.

(…more)

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Confident Public Speaking: Check This “Avoid At All Costs” List

In the pursuit of confident public speaking skills, it is important to accept that nervousness may never be completely eliminated in some public speakers. This is not necessarily bad. A certain amount of nervousness can be positively channeled to enhance performance.

Nevertheless, confident public speaking does involve learning not to betray one’s nervousness through obvious body signals

Familiarize yourself with the items in the list below and either check yourself through a video playback of your next presentation or have a close friend or colleague critique your presentation by looking out for these indicators that betray a lack of confidence in public speaking.

http://mitm-la.blogspot.com/2008/07/confident-public-speaking-check-this.html

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The Power of Your Speech

Language expert Wilfred Funk was one of the first to study highly successful men and women to determine what they have in common. What he discovered was that they all have the ability to communicate clearly and effectively. Since then, many studies have shown the same thing. In fact, members of the “speaking” professions – lawyers, politicians, professional speakers, salespeople, and entertainers – are among the highest paid. There appears to be a high correlation between word power and earning power. The ability to speak, to persuade, and to keep an audience’s attention is well rewarded.

What about you? Have you been sabotaging your own success because you feel that speaking in front of a group is something you would rather die than do? If so, it is time to do yourself a favour and learn the skills that can change your life.

Read on …

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Presentation Nerves Part I

There seems to be hundreds of theories and opinions about nerves in relation to making a presentation. Possibly one of the more famous sayings is that it is okay to have butterflies, as long as they are flying in the same formation. Other people say presentation nerves are built-in anti-complacency buttons, ensuring that we are always on edge and performing to our best.

Article continues

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Become a fearless, confident public speaker

For most people, just the thought of—or the hint that they might “have to” —speak in public automatically raises their anxiety level to red alert. In fact, it’s well know that many psychological polls rank public speaking as people’s #1 fear… usually ranking above the fear of death.

If you have any level of fear, even if you are terrified when it comes to public speaking, I’m here to tell you that you do not have to live with it. There are all sorts of techniques you can use, but the people at ThinkRightNow.com have produced a new audio program.

”You can literally erase your fear of public speaking… whether it’s a brutally intense fear or just a small twinge. And you can do it without effort or struggle with a new audio program just released:”

Fearless Public Speaking Now!

Develop the confidence to achieve your goals

You probably already know that the most successful people have incredible levels of self-confidence. They have accomplished great levels of success and happiness in their lives and seem to be unstoppable in everything that they do.The fact is, that when you develop unshakable self-confidence your whole world will change for the better.Unfortunately, through years of life experience, our beacon which is located inside all of us, begins to loose strength. For some reason or another we forget how truly powerful we are.

We lack the Self-Confidence to put our ambitions and desires into action!

Do not live one more day with these limiting thoughts and beliefs. You have the power to take control of your life. You have complete artistic creativity. Whatever you can imagine, you can bring into your reality.

Brian Tracy’s The Science of Self- Confidence Training Kit contains the proven secrets possessed by every successful person in the world.

“Build Rock Solid Self-Confidence and Achieve All of Your Goals”

You will receive:

The Science of Self-Confidence

 The Science of Self-Confidence
(6 CD Program)
By using the ideas in The Science of Self-Confidence, everything becomes possible. Your belief in your ability to succeed in all areas of life becomes unshakable. Your life will never be the same, once you learn to practice The Science of Self-Confidence.

The Science of Positive Focus

 The Science of Positive Focus
(2 Hour DVD Program)
Would you like to know how you can stay positive, energized, and powerful? In my 2 hour DVD I teach you how to defeat negativity. I teach you how positive focus can create the life that you want!

Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life

 Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life (60-minute CD)
Change the way you think about yourself and your potential. Open new doors to unlimited possibilities and put yourself on the road to a better, more fulfilling professional and personal life. This 60 minute CD will show you how to take charge of your life, become wealthy, and achieve every goal you set for yourself!


The Science of Self-Confidence Training Kit

***BRIAN TRACY’S TIP OF THE WEEK***

An excerpt from Brian Tracy’s Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life:

The Great Truth:

“You can learn anything you need to learn, to accomplish any goal you can set for yourself.” This principle offers a way for you to take complete control over your future. When I was young and struggling, failing and frustrated, this principle came along to change my life.

Generally speaking, no one is smarter than you, and no one is better than you. Just because someone is doing better than you doesn’t mean that he is better than you. It usually means that he has just learned how to succeed in his particular field before you have. And whatever someone else has done, you can probably do as well.

This is not an easy rule, but it is definitely simple. You, too, can learn anything you need to learn to accomplish any goal you can set for yourself.

Once I learned this idea, I was unafraid to change jobs, and even industries. I learned how to sell advertising, investments, automobiles, and office supplies. I worked in real estate sales and leasing, and then real estate development. Then I engaged in importation and distribution, then banking, printing, consulting, and eventually speaking, writing, recording, and corporate training.

******

Resolve today to make 2008 your highest achieving year – get Rock-Solid confidence

Twelve Tips for Terrified Speakers

If you are overcoming the fear of public speaking, these tips will be of enormous benefit – very useful, and obviously practical. You will also find all sorts of useful, practical information on public speaking at Nick’s blog.

Read the 12 tips here.

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In The SpotLight, Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Performing

In the spotlight

Author:  Janet E. Esposito

From the Reviews:

Why is she so effective? First, she’s been there. You can totally relate to her as she describes her experiences. Second, Janet resolved to overcome her problem and tried many different approaches to do so. Her book focuses on the most effective methods that attack the problem from several directions. It is practical and helpful, with shortcuts to use, and modeling yourself on people who have overcome a similar problem not only makes the process faster, but also gives the comfort of knowing that you’re not alone– “If you suffer from performance anxiety, do yourself a big favor and read this book.”

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Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking

Very succinct list of way to overcome the fear of public speaking.

Click on the picture to get to the video

Overcome your fear of public speaking with mental preparation


Mental preparation is a vital part of the process of overcoming the fear of public speaking.  It is one of four processes successful speakers use to make sure they lose their fear and use their nerves for success.

 

The first step is to acknowledge that the fear is normal. 

 

1.  A huge range of successful people like Helen Hayes, Johnny Carson, Carol Burnett, Joan Rivers, Lisa Minnelli and Sydney Poitier are known to have suffered from nerves.

 

2.  And there was the published survey that identified public speaking as Americans’ number one fear.  This reinforces the fact that you are not in a minority, you are not a freak or a failure, but part of a huge group who all feel the same – normal!

 

3.  Seinfeld quipped that if people fear public speaking more than death, then therefore they would rather be in the coffin than making the eulogy.  It is so common that Seinfeld jokes about it!  It is a natural, normal response – the body’s way of coping with a challenge.

 

It may be that you have reasons in your past or from within your family that build the fear, and send your body into the fight/flight response.  It may be that, like me, you need to run adrenalin to stay alert and focused.  It may be that you are not confident socially and need to build confidence to speak.

 

Whatever the cause, this is a normal response to that cause and accepting that this is just a normal response, and not your own personal, horrible secret, means that you can acknowledge it, and start to treat it, overcome it.

 

This process of looking at your fear/nerves and identifying their source/s is a major step towards overcoming them.  Often people don’t articulate what it is they fear, or where the fear comes from. If you can do that, then you have something concrete you can tackle, and a way to move forward.  Find the root of the fear or nerves, tease it out so that you understand it and then use logic to deal with it.

 

The third mental technique is to accept that, for whatever reason, you are running adrenalin, so you might as well use it. Make it work for you.  Channel it to create excitement and enthusiasm. These give power to your speech and you can speak with rapid-fire enthusiasm, or hold attention with power pause.

 

The excitement and enthusiasm will also work with other strategies to build a strong confidence.

 

You can use the enthusiasm to reinforce positive self-talk.  Whether you call them mantras or call them affirmations, choose positive statements beforehand, to say to yourself to keep yourself positive.  Or you can create them at the time.  They too, will reinforce your confidence.

 

Combine these with a fifth technique – visualization.  Very early in the preparation for your speech or presentation, visualize yourself leaving your seat, walking to the stage/podium, greeting the audience – all with calm confidence and enthusiasm.  Watch it and experience how it feels.  Then, as you progress, visualise, too, and feel, all of the aspects of your presentation – the sections of the speech, any prepared movements, and any visuals.  See every one of these occurring successfully and see your confidence permeating every one.    This may sound very impractical, but it works for me, and did, long before I really knew I was doing it.  I just see it as part of my preparation – then, once prepared, it’s something I don’t have to think about at the time.

 

We will look more at preparing the speech in another article, but if you do prepare well, in as much detail as possible, and use visualization as part of the process, then that in itself will give you confidence.  Being able to reassure yourself that you are prepared is a major confidence builder, and you can use it as one of your reassuring, positive statements. “I am prepared.  I have every aspect covered.  I have nothing to worry about.”

 

You will have accepted the nerves as normal.  You will have found their cause/s and used that as a foundation to build strategies for success.  You will have mentally prepared for each part of your presentation.  You will have learned to channel the nerves into power for your presentation. The processes of mental preparation will be a powerful part of your success in overcoming the fear of public speaking

Five tips for overcoming public speaking nerves

Your mouth is dry, heart palpitating, and knees knocking.

You go into panic, facing a dreaded public speaking assignment.

It doesn’t have to be so.

These five tips will give you some strategies to overcome those symptoms and have the butterflies flying in formation.

1. Deep breathing will pull in oxygen.

Adrenalin, secreted to help you deal with the fear brought on by little doubts, causes breaths to become shallow, or causes you to hold your breath.

Deep breathing will help your brain work to capacity, and forcing the slower pace will quell the panic.

2. Bluff. Stand tall, with shoulders back and chest out.

Smile. Even though you don’t feel happy or confident, do it anyway. You will look confident and your body will fool your brain into thinking it is confident.

This really works!!

Bluff – body and smile

3. Keep you mouth and throat hydrated.

Plan to keep a drink on hand while you are speaking., though this sounds impossible. Visualising how you will use it if you need it, and calling up the audacity to do such a thing will carry across to your attitude as you take your place to speak, placing your glass just where you need it to be.

4. Adrenalin sends the blood rushing to the fight/flight centres of your brain at the base of the skull.

Place your hand on your forehead and press gently on the bony points.

This will bring the blood to the parts of the brain that need it to present your speech best.

5. Know you are prepared.

Obviously this depends on actually being prepared, so take every opportunity in the days leading up to the speech to prepare your material.

Be familiar with the structure of the presentation, and the ideas to use.

Memorise the most important parts, and the parts you are frightened of forgetting.

I would memorise the opening of the speech and in the moments before presenting it, would reassure myself that I knew that part, and that would lead on to the rest.

It worked!!

To overcome the fear of public speaking, you need to understand the underlying causes

Once you can identify the causes that are underlying your public speaking nerves and fear, you can choose the strategies you need to build your confidence, use the fear and present successfully.

Most people suffer from some fear of public speaking.  The survey that identified it as America’s number one fear was accurate then and remains so today. But the causes of that fear can differ from person to person.

One of the most important steps towards overcoming the fear of public speaking is to identify the things in your life that have created the fear and then choose the strategies that relate to those causes and that will conquer the fear and allow you to harness it to enhance your presentations and speeches, not destroy them.

So let’s list some of the factors that underlie the fear of public speaking and see which ones apply to you.

The first on the list is the fact that fear of public speaking can run in families. I’m not sure if there is a genetic cause for this but I do know that if you have seen your parents or a family member speaking or performing confidently in public, then you will most likely see it as something you can do too.  But if you see fear and aversion to public speaking then you will probably adopt that as part of your culture as well.

The second factor lies in the way your brain functions.  It may be that your brain is not functioning in a way that builds confidence.  It is possible that the neurotransmitters that allow your brain to transfer information are not operating as they should.

Previous personal experience can affect our confidence in any situation.  Teasing of any sort can destroy confidence and if it was associated with public speaking then any chance of future confidence in public speaking will be shattered.  Thoughtlessly expressed criticism can do the same.  A teacher, peer or parent can destroy confidence with unthinking negative comments.

Beliefs.  Many people’s fear of public speaking is founded in the belief that they are responsible for always creating a positive impression … and its corollary that if they do not create this wonderful impression then they have created a disaster.  Your family, your peers and your associates, not to mention the media, can all contribute to this expectation of any situation.  So if you feel an unreal demand on you in terms of the need to create a great impression then anything you do in public will be fraught with anxiety.

Because people fear public speaking they then set up systems to avoid it.  Any opportunity is met with avoidance, rather than either a positive expectation, or a confident attempt that could be the basis of development.  And then that avoidance becomes a habit – it self-perpetuates.

So … did any of those scenarios strike a chord with you and your experiences?  Did you recognise any of them acting in your life?  It may even be that more than one of these factors is present in creating your fear of public speaking.   Rest assured, though, that for each, there are strategies that can be used to overcome it.  Use them in conjunction with some other processes and you have a strong, guaranteed basis for developing confidence and skill in public speaking.

©  Bronwyn Ritchie  All rights reserved.  If you would like to use this article, you have permission to use it only in full, and with the following Resource box attached.

 

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Tips for keeping your cool before your presentation

You need your nerves.  You need your excitement and you need your energy before you present.

 

You also need to keep them under control and channelled into the best presentation you can give.

 

Depending on the space and the time that you have, try these physical strategies to tame the nervous in the body and give your mind a chance to relax and be positive before you bring speaking.

Stretch to relax. Rise on your toes and reach for the ceiling, with your head back. Tighten your muscles from legs up through abdomen, and then release. Relax the neck and shoulder muscles, letting head loll on neck in different directions.

Breathe to relax. Stand erect, but relaxed and balanced. Inhale while silently counting to five. Hold the breath for five counts, then exhale for five – all breathing is through the mouth. Your diaphragm should move, but your chest should not expand. You can gradually increase the number of counts for each breath to 10.

Relax your Jaw. Let your head loll forward. As you raise it, keep your jaw relaxed. Let it hang open, and smile to yourself at how silly it feels.

Relax your throat. Yawn …. This is how your throat needs to be to speak well – open, and relaxed.Keep relaxing the muscles throughout your body, your jaw, neck and throat until you walk to the presentation area. Then smile! and begin.

 

Take your focussed positivity, generosity and passion out onto the stage/platform/presentation space …. and enjoy!