Public Speaking

From the desk of Anthony Buchalka

Are you someone who dreads public speaking? There is a lot that could go wrong you might be thinking.

You can drop your speech and pick it up in the wrong order. You could trip on the way to the podium or fall as you are going up or down the steps. Or, you could forget your speech at home and blank out when you try to remember what you were going to say. Your voice might get shaky, you might sweat!

It’s enough to make anyone afraid of speaking in public.

In fact public speaking is often said to be one of the major things that frightens the most people. It's not necessarily the process of public speaking but rather the 'thought's' about having to do it that causes the anxiety.

Gauge Your Level of Fear

There are a several levels of fear when it comes to speaking in public.

When it comes to the fear of public speaking and public speaking anxiety, you can either have a mild case of it, something that is more serious, and a fear or anxiety that is somewhere between those two.

In order to conquer it, your first step is to determine exactly what level you have.

Here Are Some Some Common Symptoms

A minor case of the jitters is normal. If your heart races a little bit and you start to shake slightly, know that this is fairly common. You could have a mild case of the jitters. In fact, it would be abnormal not to feel somewhat nervous prior to a public speech of some degree. We all do and it actually helps us do a better job because the rush of adrenaline that occurs, helps us focus and perform at out best!

But sometimes the symptoms get a lot worse don't they?

For example, profuse sweating, a red face, loss of voice, and occasionally some people pass out from their public speaking anxiety. This would be at the more extreme anxiety side of the scale.

There are many symptoms and they range in terms of how bad they are. But knowing what happens to you will help you learn how to conquer your fears.

And YES, you can conquer the fear of public speaking! No matter what level of anxiety it evokes in you.

Public Speaking Tips

Some people find that the more they know about public speaking, the less anxiety they have. Here are some public speaking tips that can help.

Make an outline. Even if you wrote a speech and memorized it, you should print an outline on a single index card and keep it in your purse or wallet. This will help you have a backup plan in case you forget your speech.

Learn to Improvise. You could write a great speech and then forget it at home, or lose your way if you are reading from your notes. What are you going to do then? If you do not know how to improvise, you will not know how to use your emergency outline.

This little trick I learnt from my mentor Bob Proctor when I was lucky enough to be involved in a week's private tuition with him.

Here's what Bob suggested.

If you are ever mid way through your speech and lose your way, say to the audience, "before I go on, there's something important I need to tell you". You reach in your pocket and pull out a small piece of paper which has the main headings of your talk outlined on it. You quickly find where you are up to and then say to the audience as you are returning the paper back into your pocket; "actually It might be best if I leave this until to the end of the talk". You then continue on with your talk now that you have found where you were up to. In over 30 years Bob said no one has ever asked him what it was that he was going to tell them at the end of the session!

I love this one and have used it once already.

Make eye contact. Eye contact is essential when it comes to capturing the attention of the audience. Do not look at just one person. Divide your focus as best you can to different corners of the room.

Dress For The Occasion. You've heard of power dressing? It helps your confidence if you dress in a professional way that gives you confidence.

In fact the way you dress and carry yourself it such a powerful concept that Bob Proctor has developed a complete program called The Winner's Image, and I urge you take a look at it. It certainly has had a profound positive effect on me.

Believe in yourself and also believe in the fact that people will like what you have to say. The more confident you are the more they will enjoy your message.

This few public speaking tips will go a long way to helping you with your public speaking anxiety.

Release the Fear

It could be that you have a clinical phobia of public speaking. If your symptoms are really dramatic, you may want to seek professional help. It is one thing to dread public speaking but another to have a clinical, diagnosed disorder, but for most of us, following some simple tips will greatly lessen the fear of public speaking.

When it comes to public speaking, a lot of people dread it. If you learn some techniques to help you speak better, take a class, and seek professional help where necessary, you will be on your way to speaking with confidence.

I will be back with some more public speaking tips soon.

All the best.

Anthony Buchalka

PS. I didn't even get to mention the age old classic public speaking tip of imagining your audience all sitting in their chairs 'in their birthday suits'. I tried that once… ..and burst out laughing so be careful with that one!