December 17, 2010
Trish Springsteen asked:
Fear of public speaking is one of the Top Ten Fears that people have. The technical term is Glossophobia. In some lists it is number two after the fear of flying, though more often than not people will state they fear public speaking more than death. Now that is saying something!
So what is it that makes people fear public speaking so much? In many cases it is the fear of the unknown – it is something they don’t do very often so they don’t know what to expect. It is often a fear of making a fool of oneself – they lack confidence and feel that people won’t want to listen to them. There is the fear that they will forget what they are going to say – that they will be there in the spotlight mouth open and nothing coming out.
The symptoms of this fear range from sweaty hands, heart racing, shaking legs, red face, nausea and even in extreme cases tongue tied – physically not able to get a word out.
A little bit of nervous tension is good for the public speaker. That nervous tension can be turned into adrenalin which gets the heart pumping and helps to add that charisma, that oomph, the extra sparkle to a speech. Good speakers have learned how to control their fears and nerves.
What can be done to turn your fear of public speaking into energy to add sparkle to your next speech?
Firstly work on your attitude, bring a positive attitude to your speaking. Instead of believing that the people are going to laugh at you and that you will make a fool of yourself, think to yourself “I am excited, I can do this, I am confident”. Mentally have a stop sign that you see every time you start to get nervous. See your stop sign and say to yourself “I am not nervous, I am excited. I will be great and I am confident.” This will short circuit that downward spiral that is caused by the fear.
Next, give yourself every opportunity to speak, take away that fear of the unknown. The more you speak the more experience you gain, the more you know what to expect and the more confident you then become. Start small, step forward when asked to introduce someone at a meeting, step forward when asked to give a vote of thanks. Every time you get up to speak you break down that barrier of the unknown.
Practice, practice, practice and prepare, prepare, prepare. The more you practise and prepare the less opportunity there is for Murphy’s Law to kick in. When you know your subject you are more confident in yourself. Don’t worry about notes, if you need them use them. Just learn to use them unobtrusively so that they assist you instead of becoming a barrier between you and the audience.
Finally, find a training organisation near you. Attend a workshop read some books on public speaking. Always take the opportunity to put into practice what you learn because you can’t learn public speaking without actually doing it!
These are all practical ideas that work – how do I know this because I have been there and done it. I too had a fear of public speaking, whilst it wasn’t my top fear it was at least one that I could do something about. So if I can get to a point where I now love speaking – then you can do it too. All you have to do is take the first step.
There are many more tips and tricks you can apply and for these resources and more you can log onto www.trischel.com.au. These will give you the basics and a start to becoming a public speaker – an organisation like Toastmasters International will give you the opportunity to hone and practise your skills.
Oh, what is my top fear? It is the fear of heights, which I might add is not as easy as the fear of public speaking is to overcome. I am still working on this one!
Fear of public speaking is one of the Top Ten Fears that people have. The technical term is Glossophobia. In some lists it is number two after the fear of flying, though more often than not people will state they fear public speaking more than death. Now that is saying something!
So what is it that makes people fear public speaking so much? In many cases it is the fear of the unknown – it is something they don’t do very often so they don’t know what to expect. It is often a fear of making a fool of oneself – they lack confidence and feel that people won’t want to listen to them. There is the fear that they will forget what they are going to say – that they will be there in the spotlight mouth open and nothing coming out.
The symptoms of this fear range from sweaty hands, heart racing, shaking legs, red face, nausea and even in extreme cases tongue tied – physically not able to get a word out.
A little bit of nervous tension is good for the public speaker. That nervous tension can be turned into adrenalin which gets the heart pumping and helps to add that charisma, that oomph, the extra sparkle to a speech. Good speakers have learned how to control their fears and nerves.
What can be done to turn your fear of public speaking into energy to add sparkle to your next speech?
Firstly work on your attitude, bring a positive attitude to your speaking. Instead of believing that the people are going to laugh at you and that you will make a fool of yourself, think to yourself “I am excited, I can do this, I am confident”. Mentally have a stop sign that you see every time you start to get nervous. See your stop sign and say to yourself “I am not nervous, I am excited. I will be great and I am confident.” This will short circuit that downward spiral that is caused by the fear.
Next, give yourself every opportunity to speak, take away that fear of the unknown. The more you speak the more experience you gain, the more you know what to expect and the more confident you then become. Start small, step forward when asked to introduce someone at a meeting, step forward when asked to give a vote of thanks. Every time you get up to speak you break down that barrier of the unknown.
Practice, practice, practice and prepare, prepare, prepare. The more you practise and prepare the less opportunity there is for Murphy’s Law to kick in. When you know your subject you are more confident in yourself. Don’t worry about notes, if you need them use them. Just learn to use them unobtrusively so that they assist you instead of becoming a barrier between you and the audience.
Finally, find a training organisation near you. Attend a workshop read some books on public speaking. Always take the opportunity to put into practice what you learn because you can’t learn public speaking without actually doing it!
These are all practical ideas that work – how do I know this because I have been there and done it. I too had a fear of public speaking, whilst it wasn’t my top fear it was at least one that I could do something about. So if I can get to a point where I now love speaking – then you can do it too. All you have to do is take the first step.
There are many more tips and tricks you can apply and for these resources and more you can log onto www.trischel.com.au. These will give you the basics and a start to becoming a public speaker – an organisation like Toastmasters International will give you the opportunity to hone and practise your skills.
Oh, what is my top fear? It is the fear of heights, which I might add is not as easy as the fear of public speaking is to overcome. I am still working on this one!
Filed under Speaking Tips, Speech Tips by on Dec 17th, 2010. Comment. 
November 14, 2010
David Portney asked:
Having taught many, many public speaking trainings over the years I’ve observed that at the core, fear of public speaking boils down to three common fears:
1. Fear of your mind going blank during your presentation.
2. Fear of making a mistake or not knowing the answer to a question.
3. Fear of appearing foolish.
In a way, all fear of public speaking really comes down to a single root fear: fear of rejection. Fear of public speaking wouldn’t exist if we didn’t actually care what other people think about us.
Worrying that the audience will reject you and make negative comments or have negative reactions or criticism is what creates the fear of public speaking.
In most cases it’s normal to have fear of rejection from early childhood experiences of rejection in school and these are not deep psychological problems requiring counseling. Most of the time getting some public speaking training can give you the confidence in your abilities to overcome that fear of public speaking rooted in childhood experiences.
Some people experience significant relief simply by discovering the root cause of their fear. When they confront the original experience or experiences that started the “chain of pain”, they can see it as being part of growing up and being an immature child who’s afraid of being judged by their peers.
Confronting the root cause of fear of public speaking can create a change on a “gut level”. You could think of this as “reprogramming the software” or as “deleting it from the hard drive”.
Dealing with the root cause can literally cause a neurological shift in how your brain represents public speaking, but it’s important to reprogram and reframe that early experience and not merely relive it.
Don’t dwell on the root cause experience; instead, transform the meaning of that root cause experience into something empowering.
Summary:
Try uncovering the root cause of your fear of public speaking – see those early childhood rejections for the simple growing pains that are natural and even necessary in life. If that causes a significant change in your fear of public speaking, that’s terrific. But if not, just move on to other techniques.
Don’t give up!-it’s 100% possible for you to conquer fear of public speaking and reap the many rewards that are waiting for you. And any public speaking training worth its salt will address fear of public speaking and support you in overcoming that fear once and for all.
For more public speaking training articles visit http://www.bestpublicspeakingtraining.com
Having taught many, many public speaking trainings over the years I’ve observed that at the core, fear of public speaking boils down to three common fears:
1. Fear of your mind going blank during your presentation.
2. Fear of making a mistake or not knowing the answer to a question.
3. Fear of appearing foolish.
In a way, all fear of public speaking really comes down to a single root fear: fear of rejection. Fear of public speaking wouldn’t exist if we didn’t actually care what other people think about us.
Worrying that the audience will reject you and make negative comments or have negative reactions or criticism is what creates the fear of public speaking.
In most cases it’s normal to have fear of rejection from early childhood experiences of rejection in school and these are not deep psychological problems requiring counseling. Most of the time getting some public speaking training can give you the confidence in your abilities to overcome that fear of public speaking rooted in childhood experiences.
Some people experience significant relief simply by discovering the root cause of their fear. When they confront the original experience or experiences that started the “chain of pain”, they can see it as being part of growing up and being an immature child who’s afraid of being judged by their peers.
Confronting the root cause of fear of public speaking can create a change on a “gut level”. You could think of this as “reprogramming the software” or as “deleting it from the hard drive”.
Dealing with the root cause can literally cause a neurological shift in how your brain represents public speaking, but it’s important to reprogram and reframe that early experience and not merely relive it.
Don’t dwell on the root cause experience; instead, transform the meaning of that root cause experience into something empowering.
Summary:
Try uncovering the root cause of your fear of public speaking – see those early childhood rejections for the simple growing pains that are natural and even necessary in life. If that causes a significant change in your fear of public speaking, that’s terrific. But if not, just move on to other techniques.
Don’t give up!-it’s 100% possible for you to conquer fear of public speaking and reap the many rewards that are waiting for you. And any public speaking training worth its salt will address fear of public speaking and support you in overcoming that fear once and for all.
For more public speaking training articles visit http://www.bestpublicspeakingtraining.com
Filed under Speaking: Does Stage Fright Have A Grip On You? by on Nov 14th, 2010. Comment.
October 10, 2010
Malcolm Dexter asked:
Fear of public speaking or anxiety public speaking is normal and natural. Even the best speakers do have them each time before their speeches. But you need to harness the fear of public speaking, so you can give powerful speeches or deliver that impressive presentation.
Here are ten useful tips on to prepare yourself better to overcome that dreaded fear of public speaking.
1.Know Your Material Inside Out. Make sure you know the topic very well. Take time to research and have more than enough materials. Incorporate humor, personal anecdotes, popular quotes, relevant current topics or headlines into your presentation.
2.Practice. After having outlined your speech, rehearse out loud with your supporting visual aids at home. Check the timing of your presentation. Add or reduce some of content as necessary. Use certain keywords as your hook in your speech.
3.Standby Humor. Or rather self-effacing humor. If you happen to make mistakes or goof up during your presentation, then use self-effacing humor to poke fun at your mistakes to divert or diffuse the situation. This is one of secret way of overcoming fear of public speaking.
4.Know Your Audience. Arrive earlier to greet some of the audience as they arrive. Exchange some pleasantries and get acquainted. You will be comfortable speaking to them later.
5.Know The Venue Well. Check out the place of your presentation. Walk around the room and familiarize with the place. Stand and look from different vantage points and make yourself feel at home, so to speak. Remember to check your equipment and visual aids.
6.Impactful Introduction. Walk up, smile and begin your speech with a bang. It can be a current joke, a startling statistics, or other related and relevant materials. Make it short and punchy. As they say: Well begun is half done.
7.Move And Deliver. Don’t stand rooted to one spot. Move about and gesture with your hands if necessary and not forgetting your facial expressions. You don’t need to over dramatize. Remember to smile.
8.Cover Up Mistakes If you do make any boo-boo. Don’t panic and don’t apologize profusely. Stay calm and you make use one of your prepared self-effacing humor to control the situation.
9.Deliver The Message. If you are well prepared, everything will fall in place as planned. Focus on the message of your speech. Talk to them as if you are sharing a conversation with friends. And before you know, it is over.
10.Learn From Experience. There is nothing like a real experience. As they say, if you want to learn how to dance, then you have to dance. Similarly with public speaking. Do it a few times, and you will find easier the following time around. Experience builds confidence. This is the ultimate way to overcome your fear of public speaking.
Fear of public speaking or anxiety public speaking is normal and natural. Even the best speakers do have them each time before their speeches. But you need to harness the fear of public speaking, so you can give powerful speeches or deliver that impressive presentation.
Here are ten useful tips on to prepare yourself better to overcome that dreaded fear of public speaking.
1.Know Your Material Inside Out. Make sure you know the topic very well. Take time to research and have more than enough materials. Incorporate humor, personal anecdotes, popular quotes, relevant current topics or headlines into your presentation.
2.Practice. After having outlined your speech, rehearse out loud with your supporting visual aids at home. Check the timing of your presentation. Add or reduce some of content as necessary. Use certain keywords as your hook in your speech.
3.Standby Humor. Or rather self-effacing humor. If you happen to make mistakes or goof up during your presentation, then use self-effacing humor to poke fun at your mistakes to divert or diffuse the situation. This is one of secret way of overcoming fear of public speaking.
4.Know Your Audience. Arrive earlier to greet some of the audience as they arrive. Exchange some pleasantries and get acquainted. You will be comfortable speaking to them later.
5.Know The Venue Well. Check out the place of your presentation. Walk around the room and familiarize with the place. Stand and look from different vantage points and make yourself feel at home, so to speak. Remember to check your equipment and visual aids.
6.Impactful Introduction. Walk up, smile and begin your speech with a bang. It can be a current joke, a startling statistics, or other related and relevant materials. Make it short and punchy. As they say: Well begun is half done.
7.Move And Deliver. Don’t stand rooted to one spot. Move about and gesture with your hands if necessary and not forgetting your facial expressions. You don’t need to over dramatize. Remember to smile.
8.Cover Up Mistakes If you do make any boo-boo. Don’t panic and don’t apologize profusely. Stay calm and you make use one of your prepared self-effacing humor to control the situation.
9.Deliver The Message. If you are well prepared, everything will fall in place as planned. Focus on the message of your speech. Talk to them as if you are sharing a conversation with friends. And before you know, it is over.
10.Learn From Experience. There is nothing like a real experience. As they say, if you want to learn how to dance, then you have to dance. Similarly with public speaking. Do it a few times, and you will find easier the following time around. Experience builds confidence. This is the ultimate way to overcome your fear of public speaking.