Public Speaking Tips - Overcome Fear of Public Speaking

Do you worry about fear of failure when speaking in public? Do nervousness and anxiety grip you when you're about to deliver a speech? Getting over the fear of public speaking can be rough and you don't have to go through it. Here are some simple actions that you can take to calm yourself and deliver your best performance.

Keep the Stress Level to a Minimum

Don't feel the need to make this more stressful than it already is. All too often we blow thing a little out of proportion, remaining focused on delivering the information you have in a clear and articulate way is the most important factor in making a good speech. Using good notes that are thought out and clearly written will allow you to deliver a memorable speech that your audience will learn and gain information from.

Understand Your Subject

Know the material that you are speaking about will go a long way to reducing the stress level when addressing people in a public forum. Subject knowledge is important to giving a useful and content filled speech plus allowing you to share the information in way that people will understand and comprehend. Be careful not to over indulge if you are an expert though, getting to detailed will loose those not as educated on the subject plus you risk the chance of boring people.

Mistakes Are Going to Happen

Trying to be perfect only raises your level of stress and anxiety, there is nothing wrong with wanting to do a great job but adding to your stress by attempting to be perfect will only make matters worse and cause you to feel uptight.

The Ultimate point of wanting to give a good speech is so that your audience will gain some value of knowledge when you're done. Allowing them to easily understand what it is that you have to say will not only make it a pleasurable experience for them, but easier on you because you wont feel as pressured to be perfect at every turn and will be more comfortable and confident.

To learn more, download my free guide, "Advanced Public Speaking Strategies" here:



Alan Kirchain is an public speaking consultant and private pilot living in Jacksonville, Fl with his family. Find out more about Public Speaking at http://www.betterpublicspeakingtips.com

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Why Would You Want to Become a Public Speaker, Anyway?

Maybe you've grown weary of being stuck in a cubicle all day long. Perhaps you want to see the world. Maybe you're just tire of your boss placing a ceiling on your income. Whatever it is, you're tired of feelig stuck, and you're looking for a new career.

But why, out of all of the careers out there, would you want to become a public speaker?

Well, public speaking offers several advantages over other types of careers. These advantages draw many people to the public speaking field, but there are still plenty of opportunities for good public speakers to make an excellent living.

Over the next few posts, I will describe some of the advantages of being a public speaker. If you're on the fence about becoming a public speaker, perhaps this information will give you the motivation to get started!

Have a prosperous and joyful day!

Lee Rowley, Public Speaking Strategies

Six Ways to Achieve Your Resolutions Through Public Speaking

Six Ways to Achieve Your Resolutions Through Public Speaking
By Lisa Braithwaite

Most New Year's resolutions are about health, fitness, money management, time management and ending bad habits like smoking. And more than half of people who make resolutions have given up by summer.

However, "people who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't explicitly make resolutions."**

You may not explicitly make resolutions about public speaking, but here's how public speaking might enhance your 2008 resolutions.

1. Resolution: Get a better job/advance your career

Building public speaking skills can help build your career. You might wish to speak up more at work, or feel more confident when running staff meetings and delivering reports. You might want to get better at networking, develop leadership and communication skills, or provide in-house training to new employees.

Building public speaking skills, gaining confidence in your abilities and taking on new and more advanced roles at work can help you realize your goal of moving up in your field.

2. Resolution: Make more money/get out of debt

Get paid for speaking! You don't have to be a high-powered professional speaker traveling all over the world to make some cash doing it. Believe it or not, you have knowledge that people will pay for.

First, figure out what you know. What are your areas of expertise? What life experiences or stories can you share? How might you be able to help people with your knowledge? Be sure to focus on the benefits to your audience, not just the features (what you know).

Determine your target audience, and then figure out where you might find them. Where do they hang out? What do they read? What groups do they belong to? Start talking to your contacts and looking for events, trade shows, conferences, adult education programs and other venues that use paid speakers.

Finally, don't forget to re-package your materials into audio, video, e-books and other digital media that you can sell online or at the back of the room at speaking engagements. Before you know it, you'll have a nice side income from speaking.

3. Resolution: Volunteer for a local non profit

Community outreach is a critical part of a non profit's work, and because of tight budgets, the more volunteers who can provide outreach, the better!

Nonprofit organizations are always on the lookout for volunteers who make good advocates and educators and can speak clearly, concisely and passionately about the organization's mission, goals, and programs. Public speaking skills can add to your role as a volunteer, and make you a more valuable asset for just about any organization.

Most organizations provide volunteer training, so don't worry about already having expertise in the cause that you want to support. Your enthusiasm, ability to learn, and willingness to give your time are like gold to a nonprofit.

4. Resolution: Learn a new activity or hobby

What better time to take on your fear of public speaking than now? Some people want to jump out of an airplane or climb Mt. Everest, but strong public speaking skills are infinitely more practical and applicable to our lives - for most of us!

Look around your community for adult education classes in public speaking. You're also likely to find more than one Toastmaster club where you can learn basics and practice in a supportive and encouraging environment. And when you're ready to move to the next level, work on your individual issues and boost your skills big time, there's always coaching.

5. Resolution: Start your own business or grow the one you've started

An entrepreneur uses many tools to build her or his business. You want to spread the word about your company, you want to educate the community about the benefits of your product or service, you want to build a client base. One way to achieve all of these goals is through public speaking. Don't forget to include it as one of your marketing efforts.

Improving your skills will help you feel more confident when approaching buyers, negotiating with vendors, speaking to the media, dealing with your customers, talking to bankers, networking, and promoting your business in just about any setting.

6. Resolution: Lose weight and get in shape

Okay, I confess that I can't think of a way to make a connection between weight loss and public speaking. If you think of something, let me know!

When you start to notice how ingrained public speaking is in our daily lives, you realize how often you're doing it without even thinking. Why not make a *conscious* effort to improve your speaking skills and achieve some of your 2008 goals at the same time?

**Auld Lang Syne: Success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Year's resolvers and nonresolvers, by John C. Norcross, Marci S. Mrykalo, Matthew D. Blagys , University of Scranton. Journal of Clinical Psychology, Volume 58, Issue 4 (2002).

Lisa Braithwaite works with individuals to uncover their challenges and build their strengths in presenting themselves confidently as speakers. Find your voice with public speaking coaching! Sign up for the Presentation Pointers newsletter or a free consultation at www.coachlisab.com. Check out the 7-Week Shortcut to Public Speaking Confidence e-course and the Speak Schmeak blog.

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Speak With Confidence

Speak With Confidence
By Brenda Shaylor

Most people know the fear that comes from speaking in public. There are several things you can do to help you gain confidence in this area. Confidence comes through when you speak. The more you have, or can convince your audience you have, the more confidence they will have in you.

1. Talk about something you know. We all have our limitations, but that doesn't mean we can't learn to keep up and share what we know.

2. Listening is just as imperative as asking questions. Sometimes listening to the sound of our own voice can teach us to be more confident with ourselves and to say the things we believe in with confidence.

3. Be willing to make mistakes. Don't be scared to ask if you're saying the word correctly and if they're unsure about it then make a joke out of it.

4. Make eye contact. It's essential that you keep your focus when talking to a big group in a meeting or a gathering.

5. Have a sense of humor. A little bit of humor can do wonders to relieve the strain, or worse monotony when making your speech.

6. Socialize. Interaction is all about mingling with other people.

7. Record yourself and listen to make sure it comes across as you wish.

8. Smile. A smile says it all much like eye contact.

9. Find a mentor. Find someone who is comfortable with public speaking and try to model yourself after them until you gain your own confidence.

10. Prepare. If you have done all you can to make sure you know your speech thoroughly, you can give it confidently.

Practicing the above steps will help you improve your speaking skills. The more comfortable you become, the more avenues there are opened to you on the road to success.

Brenda Shaylor

InteractiveBizTools.com

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Public Speaking Strategies - Your Toolbox for a Successful Public Speaking Career

Hello everyone. It's Lee from Public Speaking Strategies. I just wanted to tell you a little about this blog, so you can get the most out of it.

I was first thrown into public speaking (somewhat unwillingly) several years ago when I was starting out in the insurance field. I would fly to state Insurance Departments, and sell them on the idea of having my company write nonstandard (high risk) auto insurance in their states.

It was a bit of a tough sell - Insurance Departments were used to the State Farms and the Allstates of the insurance industry, and they were more than a little confused by a company that was not only willing to write high risk business, but that wanted to actively pursue this business.

So here I was, fresh out of college, standing in front of a room full of insurance regulators, trying to convince them that a high risk insurance company was a good idea. The first couple of times, it was not a pleasant experience. These regulators could sense that I wasn't confident - my words and actions worked against me. I would have actually lost one state if not for the promotional videos I had brought with me. I guess they figured the company had it together, even if I didn't.

You see, I knew nothing about the ins and outs of public speaking. I thought that if I just had a few note cards with my main points jotted on them, I would be okay. But even once I got the words right, I could still tell that I was making my audience uneasy.

It took wading through dozens of books and watching countless videos for me to finally learn the details of public speaking. Once I learned the strategies necessary to speak effectively, my presentations started going much better. The regulators were actually excited about having a high risk auto insurance company writing business in their states.

It really would have saved me a lot of time (and more than a few headaches) if I had been able to find one single source for all of the tips and strategies I learned. I could have spent a lot more time with my family, and a lot less time at the library. (Maybe some of you are happy when the librarian knows you by name. I wasn't quite as thrilled with it.)

So that's why I started this blog. There's a ton of great information on the Internet that can help you learn to start public speaking or improve your skills as a public speaker, but the problem is that you have to wade through lots of misinformation to find it.

So I'm doing all of the digging for you, and finding the best articles out there with the most useful tips and strategies to help you achieve public speaking success.

Whether you're trying to get over the fear of public speaking, learn how to more effectively structure your speeches, or use your motions and facial expressions to your advantage, you'll find what you're looking for here. I'll be adding lots of new information over the coming weeks, so be sure to check back often!

I hope that this blog is an excellent resource for you, no matter where you are on your public speaking journey.

Public Speaking Introvert, Extrovert, Can You Be Both? - Public Speaking Training

Public Speaking Introvert, Extrovert, Can You Be Both? - Public Speaking Training
By Amanda Blue

At Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors we are often asked, "Aren't most actors extroverts?" The answer, hard as it may be to believe, is, "No."

People assume their favorite actors perform brilliantly because they are extroverts, uninhibited, have no stage fright or reluctance to exhibit their deepest feelings in public, and conclude that if only they too were fearless extroverts they would excel at public speaking.

These are misconceptions:

The actors whom audiences particularly admire for their depth or originality are frequently introverts. They are sensitive people who are shy, insecure, find it hard to express themselves in life and for that reason turn to acting as a profession. They explain it is only onstage, in front of a camera, or hidden in the guise of a character not themselves that they are able to be expressive.

And some reticence about public speaking shows intelligence and awareness since making a presentation is not a casual matter but an important and heightened occasion at which people have gathered to hear what the speaker has to say.

Marilyn Monroe was a striking introvert/extrovert. Several of the actor-trainers in our company knew her. One likened her to a gardenia she was so easily bruised. Introverted and shy, she had difficulty looking people in the eye when in conversation and usually voiced feelings of inadequacy when discussing her work as an actress. Yet hours later, she would be seen in her public "persona" at a premiere, wearing a fur coat off her shoulders and grazing the floor, exuding charm, sex appeal and humor, the epitome of an extrovert.

And the Italian actress, Eleonora Duse, who lived from 1858 to 1924 and is considered by many to have been the greatest actress who has ever lived, while on an American tour in Pittsburgh, at the height of her dizzying international fame, was caught in the rain outside a locked stage door and too shy to insist that someone be found to let her in became soaked to the bone and soon after died of pneumonia.

There are many such examples.

Introversion and extroversion are opposite sides of the same coin. And those who are introverted in daily life, can, under the controlled circumstances of a rehearsed performance uninhibitedly express themselves.

This includes you. You may be convinced that you are an introvert and still become an extroverted public speaker through exploring the "opposite side of the coin" within yourself.

"But," you may ask, "aren't actors trained to accomplish this? Haven't they been taught various techniques to use in rehearsal and performance?"

Yes, but many of these techniques are not difficult to learn and are available to you. Our actor-trainers employ them when working with clients.

All forms of performance have much in common, whether they take place on a stage, in a classroom, boardroom or at a lectern and certain acting techniques have to do with things that concern public speakers most: the overcoming of tensions, fears, inhibitions; the powerful use of language and gesture; and how best to rehearse and prepare for a speech.

So if you feel stopped from expressing yourself freely at the podium consider working on some of these with a coach. These methods can be helpful even if you have no trepidation about public speaking.

It has been our experience at Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors that public speaking introverts, like their shy actor counterparts, can, with some application, become mesmerizing presenters, so take heart, persevere and enjoy the rewards that await you.

Copyright 2007 Amanda Blue

Amanda Blue is Administrative Director of Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors, a New York City based company of leading actors who give private training and workshops in confident publuc speaking.

To visit the Public Speaking Training by Broadway Actors web site go to:

Broadway Actors

http://www.broadwayactors.net

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Two Words That Changed My Public Speaking Forever

Two Words That Changed My Public Speaking Forever
By Christopher Carlin

Isn't it ironic that despite the fact that I have read many books, purchased many products and substantially invested in myself, the best public speaking tip that I have received is only two words long? Two very simple words changed my thinking on public speaking more than any textbook, audio or video ever has.

I first heard these two words from James Malinchak, the famous youth, college and inspirational speaker. I have heard it a few times from other speakers since, but James was the first to bring it to my attention.

Are you ready for two words that will change your public speaking forever?

Here they are...

BE YOURSELF!

That's it!

How many times have people told you that when you are on stage you have to improve your vocabulary, or you have to dress up, or you have to stand on the spot? It gets you thinking that you have to be "ultra-professional" on stage. Because of this you usually get nervous thinking about things that don't really matter!

Going back to James Malinchak, I have listened to a few of his audios and he repeatedly states that he is not one of the most technically correct speakers. He says that "the most technically correct and well polished speakers are usually the worst because people don't relate to them. (From Big Money Speaker)"

It is so true!

We relate to people who are like us! When was the last time you related to someone who drives a Ferrari, wears a million dollar suit and never uses words that are less than ten letters long? I never have, and I am guessing that you haven't either. That's because we don't relate to these people..

So when you are on stage, don't pretend to be someone else. Forget about all of the technical aspects of public speaking. Be yourself!

Don't get me wrong, don't scrap technical training altogether. If you do have problems that are having a negative effect on your presentation, then I would seriously consider trying to solve and/or prevent them. For example, I used to(and still do to a lesser extent) rock on stage, and it was making me look like an idiot!

But whatever you do, don't try to change your personality! If you are have an energetic, happy personality, don't try and change it because you are on stage presenting a speech! Let your true personality show. An example for me would be that I don't possess a detailed vocabulary. These articles are about as technical and as hi-tech as I get! I am an Aussie and I always use slang and colloquialisms. (One of my favourite quotes that I use is "I'm Australian born and bred, long in the legs and thick in the head!") So why should I change that when I am on stage? Why should I pretend to be someone else, someone that I am not, when I am public speaking?

So when you are on stage just be yourself. You will find that you are more relaxed, your audience will relate to you more and your message will come across better. Don't try and pretend to be someone you're not just to try and impress your audience, because ninety-nine times out of a hundred you will fail.

BE YOURSELF!

I have been Public Speaking for over six years, and I want to share with you twenty public speaking tips which will enhance your public speaking skills. www.successful-speaking.com

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