Feel the Fear . . . And Speak Up!
by Sandra Schrift
Published on this site: May 19th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month...
Fear of public speaking is No. 1. Death is No. 4. So most people
would rather get a root canal and pay their taxes than speak in
front of an audience!
Ask yourself,
"Wouldn't it be great to be able to stand in front of an audience
of hundreds of people and hold them in complete captivation?"
"Wouldn't it be great to feel confident and assured the day
you're scheduled to speak before your company's executives, an association,
or a local civic group?"
"Wouldn't it be great to go into a presentation confident
that the attendees are going to love you, be surrounded by their
applause, and overhear comments afterwards, such as, "He was
excellent," or, "She made a real connection with her audience"?
Here are some tips to build your confidence in front of others.
I have never met an audience that did not want the speaker to succeed.
- Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! Preparation helps reduce your jitters.
Please do not read your speech. Instead, use some notes on 3x5
index cards. Be confident that you know your material. Because
you do!
- Memorize only the opening and closing of your speech. If you
try to memorize your entire speech you will be too focused on
yourself and fearful that you may forget something. Just continue
the conversation, make your points and use illustrations/stories
to highlight your information.
- Remember to breathe from your stomach before you begin . .
. and keep breathing.
Deep breaths will keep your vocal chords relaxed and keep you
from trembling. Then no one will know you are nervous.
- Deliver your speech as you would engage in a conversation with
someone. Make eye contact with different members of the audience.
When you land on one person's eyes, everyone in the audience will
feel as if you are speaking to them also. This is called CONNECTION.
- Present your content with lots of examples and personal stories,
mixed with humor and some
interactive exercises for your audience. Get them involved. This
will heighten their interest and retention of your message. Relax
and have some fun. Your audience will too!
- Here is an old adage to follow: Tell 'em. what you're gonna
tell 'em.(Opening) Tell 'em. (Body of speech) Tell 'em what you
told them. (Closing)
- Stop on time, no matter what. Don't deliver everything you know
on your topic - just highlight 3 to 5 points in your speech. Save
time at the end for audience questions. And hang around after
your speech to answer some individual questions.
Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Get more
clients and consistent monthly income? Judy Cullins, book coach,
and Sandra Schrift, speaker coach, invite you to join a "Business
Marketing Achievers" small group coaching beginning May 25th.
We are looking for 12 committed people who are ready to use speaking
and writing to catapult their business. For more details, contact
Sandra at 1-800-340-3683 between 9-6pm pst. Hurry! This group will
fill quickly. For details and to register go to: http://www.schrift.com/group_coaching.htm
Sandra Schrift 13 year speaker bureau owner and now career
coach to emerging and veteran public speakers who want to "grow"
a profitable speaking business. I also work with business professionals
and organizations who want to master their presentations. To find
out HOW TO MAKE IT AS A PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER, go to http://www.schrift.com/success_resources.htm
Join my free bi-weekly Monday Morning Mindfulness ezine
http://www.schrift.com/monday.htm
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