Art Of Great Speaking

Public Speaking: 3 Tips to Remove Workplace Fears

Fears at work are countless: Public Speaking, fear of conflict, fear of small cubicles, and fear of speaking up. Why are the phobias at work are endless? Why is it that Public Speaking is still on the top of the phobia lists? Wikipedia quotes fear of public speaking as stage fright affecting as much as 75% of the population.

Most careers require an adequate ability to present which is vital to continued success. Could Fear of Public Speaking actually be the fear of rejection? Fear of being seen as weak? Fear of being put on the spot? Since this topic continues to resonate, here are some tips to overcome these fears and anxieties:

PREPARE:

Proper preparation exudes confidence. Always use bullet points for your presentations. Memorizing speeches can result in freezing on stage. Use a format instead (e.g. opening/3 main points/closing) and you will know where you are during all stages of the talk. Following the format in your own words will make you sound conversational and relaxed. See yourself as the Expert. Know more about the subject than expected (have some reserve power for after your talk).

PUT YOUR AUDIENCE FIRST:

Be genuinely interested in your audience. How will the purpose of your talk benefit your audience? What are their needs? What steps in their lives should they take which will help them? Is there a dramatic effect on the audience if they take make these changes in their lives? Did you research their interests before going on stage? Do you have intriguing facts about that particular audience to capture their attention up front? As an audience member, we enjoy Speakers who smile, tell memorable stories, are passionate, and honestly care about us.

PRACTICE:

Practice in front of a mock audience (perhaps co-workers if they have a similar need). See if the stories work. See if the audience is engaged. Be open to implementing their feedback. Practice without coaching is like not practicing at all. Think of fluent speakers who had great impact. Chances are they took the above approach to overcome their fears to convey conviction and confidence.

Trina Paulus once said, ‘How does one become a butterfly? You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.” Take the opportunities to prepare, put your audience first, and practice, and you, too, will become the envy of others! Chime in at meetings when you normally wouln’t. Challenge yourself to be the first participant to chime in on teleconferences. Have you taken the opportunity to speak in the community lately? Remembe that old quote: “You miss 100% of the shots not taken.” How can we become proficient if we’re not consistently practicing?

Kerrie Espuga is Founder and Managing Director of Corporate Trendsetters, a NY professional training consulting company. Her expertise includes Public Speaking, Team Building, and Sales/Management Training. Kerrie has extensive experience in Corporate America at Fortune 500 companies, including facilitating/training, selling, and coaching/managing in the Pharmaceutical industry. She’s an exciting innovative Facilitator, who enjoys keeping groups engaged to enhance the learning!

Kerrie Espuga, Managing Director Corporate Trendsetters Training Consulting http://highpowerpres.com/Test/gen-step1.php Kerrie is Founder of Corporate Trendsetters, a NY professional training firm. Her expertise includes training individuals in Public Speaking and Sales/Management. Kerrie’s proven track record includes 16 years facilitating/training, selling, and managing at Fortune 500 companies, primarily in the Pharmaceutical industry.

There is a lot of information on the internet today about eliminating your nervousness in public speaking. I suggest learning how to control it instead, allowing your nervousness to work for you and not against you which can take your delivery to new heights.

What I offer is not a tip or a trick but the most important thing you can do when you stand to speak. It is something physical.

1. it is something we don’t do;

2. it is something we don’t know to do; and,

3. it is something we don’t know how to do (properly).

Now that I have you totally confused, bear with me. Once I tell what ‘it’ is, you might say rubbish; although, for those of you who have done presentations in the past, you possibly remember running out of ‘it’ while speaking!

I am talking about breathing, specifically breathing with the support of your diaphragm, a muscular partition below your rib cage which separates your chest from your abdomen. 99% of the population does not breathe with this support which is why we are often called lazy or shallow breathers. It is a medical fact.

There is one group of people in the world, however, who must breathe with this support — opera singers. That is why they are often called professional breathers.

There is another group of individuals, though, who also breathe with this support and they are called newborns. Every infant breathes with the support of the diaphragm, but as the child develops he/she tends to stop this practice and reverts to using only the upper portion of the chest to breathe.

All mammals have a diaphragm. All mammals breathe with the support of the diaphragm. It is only the most intelligent of the mammals who do not make use of this extraordinary muscle. If you do not believe me, go stand in front of a mirror and take a deep breath. Did you suck in your gut, lift up your shoulders and throw out your chest? If so, then you just did it wrong.

When I started my business back in 1989, I joined the local chamber of commerce. At a new member’s orientation, we had to stand and introduce ourselves. There had to be 150 people in that room and I knew no one. While sitting there waiting for my turn, it suddenly dawned on me that my introduction was my business. As one who teaches people how to improve the sound of the speaking voice, I realized that if I blew that introduction, I could kiss my business goodbye, at which point I began to sweat. My heart was beating with such fervor that I could feel it in my cheeks. Finally it was my turn. I stood; I took a breath; and, I proceeded to say who I was and what I did. I sounded calm, collected, in control. They had no idea that I was ‘dying a thousand deaths.’ And, I knew it worked because when I sat down, a gentlemen in the back said, “That’s the Voice Lady!”

[Incidentally, if you are a woman, do you find your shoulders, neck, upper back, and/or jaw sore by the end of the day? I do not. I have plenty of stress in my life but because I breathe properly, I never experience tension in those areas. Trust me -- it's all in the breathing!]

Shallow breathing results in oxygen starvation which means we are not eliminating enough of the carbon dioxide in our bodies, thereby a toxic buildup occurs. And, while this toxic buildup has many adverse effects, for the purposes of public speaking, it actually increases our tension, our stress. Think of the last time you gave a speech or a presentation. Did the pitch of your voice go up? Did you find yourself breathless? Did you start speaking faster and faster? These are all symptoms of nervousness exacerbated by poor breathing habits. So ask yourself this question.

Would you like to remain part of the 99%? Or, would you like to become part of that 1% who allow their breathing to control their nervousness as well as experiencing a host of other benefits that have nothing to do with the voice or presentation skills.

Take control of your nervousness and let it work for you, not against you! The Voice Lady Nancy DanielsVoicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement and public speaking. Click here to watch Nancy describe The 5 Characteristics of Dynamic Public Speaking in her 8-minute video offers private, corporate and group sessions in voice and presentation skills as well as

If the idea of standing up in front of an audience and giving a speech (even a short speech) scares you to death, you’re not alone. In fact, most surveys will tell you that people are more comfortable with the idea of dying than they are about speaking in public.

However, there are plenty of things you can do to minimize the nervous feelings you have prior to giving an acceptance speech. Here are six sure-fire ways to reduce your anxiety and boost your confidence.

1. Put it on paper. Psychologists believe that writing your fears down on a piece of paper can be an empowering experience. If you’re nervous about speaking in front of a group, write it down, look at it, think about it, and then crumple it up and toss it in the trashcan.

2. Visit the venue. One of the best ways to calm your nerves and gain a feeling of confidence is to visit the room in which you’re going to give your speech beforehand and get comfortable being “on stage.” This is especially true if you’re presenting somewhere for the first time like a hotel meeting room or a banquet hall.

I recommend that you actually stand where you’ll be giving the speech and picture the audience sitting in front of you. Then get a feel for the lighting, the podium, the size and layout of the dais (stage), etc. This will go a long way to embolden you.

3. Be prepared. It is paramount that you know your speech like the back of your hand. You don’t necessarily have to memorize it (in fact, that’s not wise), however, you need to be familiar with the words you want to say.

Motivational speaking legend Zig Ziglar, after 40 years in the speaking business, once told a journalist that he prepared four hours for a 25-minute radio interview knowing full well that he was not going to be asked anything he had never heard before. Nothing goes further in soothing public speaking jitters like knowing exactly what you want to say and how you want to say it.

Be sure that you’re so comfortable with the first line of your speech that it just rolls off your tongue without even having to think.

4. Hold your breath. Here’s a breathing exercise you can do just prior to giving your acceptance speech that will help calm your nerves. Take a deep breath through your nose and hold it for 5 seconds. Then let your breath out of your mouth in short, controlled (quiet) spurts until all the air is out of your lungs.

To do it right, it should take about 10-15 “mini-exhales” to get all the air out. Then repeat this two more times. You’ll be amazed how relaxed it makes you feel.

5. Clench your fists. Another exercise similar to #4 above is to clench your fists several times right before you get up to speak. Here’s how you do it.

Clench both fists as tightly as you can, hold it for 10 seconds and then let go. Wait five seconds and than repeat this exercise two more times.

This simple technique has the power to release muscle tension and thereby help you relax. Plus, it’s something you can do sitting around the table waiting for your name to be announced.

6. Watch what you eat. Believe it or not, the foods you eat can affect the outcome of your speech starting with orange juice. (It’s not just for breakfast anymore.) The vitamin C found in orange juice has been shown to lower stress hormones in less than 15 minutes.

Plus, foods that contain high amounts of tryptophan like turkey, nuts and cheese contain an amino acid that helps people feel less anxious. If nature’s willing to give you a hand, grab hold of it.

Also, try to avoid caffeinated beverages because they can make you even more jumpy than the natural adrenaline rush you get from public speaking.

No matter what happens up at the podium, keep in mind that your audience cannot tell how nervous you are on the insides. In public speaking seminars when people have a chance to see themselves on video giving a speech, many are surprised to see that they do not appear nearly as nervous as they felt.

And unless you give your audience a reason to think otherwise, they will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume the best about you.

So, try out these nerve-reducing ideas and rise up to your audience’s hopeful expectations. Learn how to write an acceptance speech in less than 60 minutes and discover the secret to confidently delivering your speech from a St. Louis Public Speaking Training expert.

They say that man’s greatest fear is public speaking and that his second greatest fear is dying. According to Jerry Seinfield that means, “that most people at a funeral would rather be in the coffin than give the eulogy!”

To my knowledge no one has died from public speaking. Your hands may sweat, your voice may quiver, your heart may be pounding in your cheeks, and, you may have vomited before going on stage; but rest assured, public speaking will not kill you!

Are your fears of standing in front of an audience justified? If you’re not prepared, then you have every reason to be ‘scared to death.’

Part of the fear of addressing an audience is the unknown. For many of us that is what is so thrilling about public speaking; for most, however, that is what is so unsettling. Admittedly, you do not know what will happen as you stand at the lectern which is why your preparation is critical to your success.

Of the thousands of people with whom I’ve worked, it never ceases to amaze me how many come to their class, their session, or their workshop unprepared. A guarantee for failure on the podium or at the head of the boardroom table is not knowing your material.

What that means is to practice your speech or your presentation out loud many times. Reading over your material to yourself is not practice because the flow of your words, while understandable in written form, may not sound as good out loud. You must practice just like the musician, the actor, the athlete, or the presidential candidate.

In regards to public speaking, this is called a rehearsal. Too many people look to squeeze in a few minutes to go over their script and I disagree. You should set aside time each day to practice and stick to your schedule. No matter how tight your agenda, do not cancel your rehearsal. Treat it just as importantly as you would treat a meeting with your boss or a potential client because it is. Your success in that speech or that presentation speaks volumes about you and your abilities. One of your most important goals in public speaking is to sell yourself as an expert in your topic or your field. And that can only happen with practice.

If you have the ability to video-record yourself, by all means do so. In playing it back, analyze what you like about your delivery and what you don’t like. What needs work? Video-recording is one of the best tools that I use in training others. By watching yourself, it will be easier to improve that which needs work.

That does not mean that you must record yourself each time you practice; but, it also doesn’t mean waiting until the last moment either. How you look and sound to others is something you cannot appreciate until you see yourself on video and is similar to hearing your voice on your voicemail, generally not a pleasant experience! It also would be a good idea to have someone listen to you during a couple of those rehearsals if at all possible.

While you cannot know exactly what will happen during your speech or presentation, being prepared is the best defense for the unexpected and is part of every successful delivery.

My advice? Practice; practice; and more practice. The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate, and group training in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It! the only video training course on voice improvement. For more information go to: http://www.voicedynamic.com/specialaccess1.htm

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