Public Speaking 1
Public Speaking 2
Public Speaking 3

Public Speaking 3

SPEAKING AT MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS
Tips for conquering fear of speaking

Rapid heart beat, sweaty palms, nausea, frequent bathroom breaks, may sound like some terrible sickness, but to many of us the diagnosis is speaker's anxiety or fear of speaking in front of a group.
For most of my life, I had this terrible affliction. I was afraid to speak up for the fear of looking like a fool and being rejected by my peers. At staff meetings, I would never contradict ideas or voice my opinion. When it came to speaking to a big group, I would always find an excuse to get out of it.

A number of steps helped my transformation and, if adhered to, can help you become more confident and master this most important skill.

1. Get rid of the beliefs and behaviors that cause fear. Many of our fears about public speaking come about due to unwarranted and unjustified thoughts. Here are some negative affirmations and beliefs to put out of your mind forever.

• Speaking is dangerous to my well-being.

• I failed before in a speaking situation. I will probably fail again.

• A survey says that public speaking is the No. 1 fear, so it must be my No. 1 fear.

• The audience wants me to fail. The audience is my enemy.

• I don't have the physical appearance or natural ability. My talents and looks are limited.

• I may make a mistake. I want to be perfect.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "You are what you think." Before each speaking opportunity, think and write out positive affirmations, such as "I'm a great speaker", and you will eventually believe it and become it.

2 Practice ... Practice ... Practice. Learning to become a confident speaker is like learning to swim. You can watch people swim, read about it, listen to people talk about it, but if you don't get in the water, you'll never learn. Take every opportunity you can to speak?  ALL public speakers were initially and still are - nervous when starting to speak.

3. Focus on a friendly face. Every time you speak, at least one person is smiling, looking at you or nodding in agreement. Keep your eyes on that person until you feel relaxed.

4. Visualize the audience in their underwear. Winston Churchill used this technique to overcome those apprehensive, grim-looking people in the audience. It immediately calmed his fears by making him realize that everyone was just a person like him.

5. Plan. 90% of a good presentation revolves around good planning. If you want to decrease your anxiety, know your audience, research your topic, prepare a good outline and then follow it.

6. Visualize a successful presentation. Picture the opening, body and close. Picture everyone smiling, laughing at your humor, applauding at appropriate times and then coming up afterward telling you about the great job you did.

7. Use your own style. Be yourself. Many fears can be attributed to a speaker trying to adapt to a style that is not his or her own.

8. Get to the meeting early. This will give you time to check the facilities available, get comfortable with the room, to do last minute preparations and relax a little.