Public Speaking

Causes Of Public Speaking Phobia
According to World Book Online Research Encyclopedia, "Phobia is an unreasonable yet strong fear of a certain object, class of objects or a situation." People who suffer phobia have a compelling desire to avoid the object or situation that causes their stress.

Phobia may be classified into two types:

? Specific Phobia, such as fear of animals (i.e. Arachnophobia - Fear of spiders; Necrophobia - Fear of death or dead things).

? Social Phobia is an anxiety disorder where the sufferer fears being assessed adversely in front of a group. Thus, Public speaking phobia is an over-emphasized fear of speaking in front of a group.

According to World Psychiatric Association (1995), Social Phobia affects one to 10 people at some stage of their lives. Sufferers experience dizziness, muscle tension, trembling, blushing and/or sweating, and even heart palpitations when exposed to the feared object or situation. Others do not manifest physical symptoms but they are overtly conscious of how others react to them. They also have a tendency to underestimate their capability to overcome the feared situation.

Among the common effects of Social Phobia in a person are:

? Unstable employment record

? Have less or no friends

? Being single

? Having a low educational attainment

Studies show that public speaking phobia, and most phobias, develop in middle or late childhood stage. It usually starts from an unpleasant experience like being humiliated in front of the class; this unpleasant experience gets stored in the child's memory and is brought up when faced with similar situations.

Children who have been exposed to people with public speaking phobia, like their parents or friends, learn the phobia by hearing them. They immediately conclude that what they have heard of is true without actually verifying the facts.

Research also shows that genetics also play an important role in developing phobias. It has a tendency to occur in families. Phobias are mostly likely to occur in identical twins, than in fraternal twins.

Luckily, there are many ways to treat Phobia.

? PERSONAL MOTIVATION. There are many self-help books that can help you overcome your public speaking phobia. Your desire to overcome your fear is the most important factor of treatment.

? PROFESSIONAL TREATMENT. If self-treatment does not work for you, you can seek help from a professional. Exposure to therapy is a good example of this method, which focuses on the behavior instead of the thoughts of the sufferer.

? Other kinds of treatment include:

? Counseling - discussing your phobia with a professional.

? Hypnosis

? Medication - This method is used if the sufferer has other mental conditions that are affected by the phobia. The use of these drugs can only be used for a short period of time. Using medication alone cannot cure the phobia.

James Masterson is Stand out, Be Recognized and Be Remembered keynote speaker. Click Here To read his latest advice <a href="http://free-online-course.com/masterson" title="http://free-online-course.com/masterson" target="_blank">http://free-online-course.com/masterson</a>

Public Speaking: 9 Characteristics Of The Greats
There's more to speaking than sharing a few words. Here are the top nine characteristics of public speakers that you can use too

1. Solid Content. Even a person lacking charismatic gifts can develop solid content. Always share something the audience finds valuable to their lives.

2. Humorous. It's hard to hate someone you laugh with. The best speakers find a way to get people smiling early in the program. It opens hearts and makes the group receptive. You don't have to be hilarious, just humorous.

3. Organized. There's no excuse for rambling through a presentation. Have your notes structured in way that keeps you on pace and on target. Listeners should feel they received a message that made sense and was easy to remember.

4. Approachable. Some speakers try to get in and get out as fast as possible, but the audience likes to know the speaker is available an approachable. One of the best ways to make a good impression is to get to the event early and meet people as they come in.

5. Authenticity. It's said that honest arrogance is preferred over false humility. We all want to know people are being honest with us and that what we see is what we get. Be true to yourself and others by being the same around everyone. That way you don't feel like one person in front of an audience and another person at other times.

6. Growing. Great speakers continue to grow in the knowledge and application of the craft. They don't rest when reaching a particular level. Instead they continue to stretch and become better.

7. Giving. The best in this profession give without expecting return. Most big name speakers give anonymously to the charities and organizations they cherish. This giving attitude in private creates warmth and welcome in public.

8. Natural. Last night I actually watched BookSpan for the first time. I've flipped by before and mostly viewed it as a cure for insomnia. However, Walter Isaacson author of Benjamin Franklin An American Life was speaking. Having read the book I wanted to see how well he presented the material. He did a great job. I got the impression that he would be the same off the podium as he was in front of the microphone. A great example of natural expression.

9. Passionate. Speaking transfers energy with words. The more passion passes through the message the greater the chance of it being remembered and applied. No one has ever said, "I sure hope the speaker is boring." Instead they like to say things like, "Wow! She sure was excited about her message."

Paul Evans is the creator of Great Public Speaking. He has helped over 30,000 speakers and presenters. <a href="http://www.GreatPublicSpeaking.com" title="http://www.GreatPublicSpeaking.com" target="_blank">http://www.GreatPublicSpeaking.com</a>

Speaking "Secrets" Revealed: Evaluate All Speakers, Simon Cowell Style
One of the fastest (and fun!) way you can grow as a speaker is to be an active audience. Evaluate ALL speakers that come your way, Simon Cowell style! This is how you can have a clearer understanding of what separates a mediocre speaker from a good speaker, and a great speaker from a phenomenal speaker. Remember this: No matter how good or bad the speaker is, there is always something valuable to learn. This is so important that I am going to repeat it.

No matter how good or bad the speaker is, there is always something valuable to learn.

Remember all the positive things that the speaker does and try it for size. See if it works for you.

Remember all the negative things that the speaker does and avoid it at all costs. Sometimes, you may want to ask yourself how you can modify and make it effective.

All of us - at some degree - evaluate speakers. We hear them all the time: “This guy is awesome!� or “Look at how he charmed the audience…� or “Gosh, he should not have crack this joke.� etc. However these evaluations are not thorough enough to offer much teaching value. They are merely observations. In order for us to learn to be better speakers, we have to probe deeper. Question your reactions to the speakers. What the speaker do/not do to make us think he is awesome? How did the speaker charmed you? Why do you think the joke is inappropriate? By asking these questions, you will then have a deeper understanding of the speaker’s motives and also objectively evaluate (as the audience) if it is effective.

I have an extremely simple way to evaluate any speaker - Use the 5W and H. Pay full attention to the speaker and his delivery. And then ask yourself the following questions:

[WHAT]
What did the speaker do that you like/dislike? What are the speakers’ strengths and weaknesses? What are the speaker’s strategies? What causes the speaker to be successful (or not)?

[HOW]
How did these strengths/weaknesses manifest itself in the delivery? How effective are the speakers’ strategies? How can the speaker improve? How can the speaker better himself?

[WHY]
Why did this aspect of the speech puts you off/appeals to you? Why do you think the speaker select this approach/style/topic?

[WHO]
Who is his target audience? Who will benefit from the speaker’s speech/style?

[WHEN]
When was the last time you have heard a similar speech?

[WHERE]
Where in the speech did the speaker create the most impact? Where in the speech were you lost/mesmerized?

Notice all the 5W and 1H can help you generate a whole list of questions? However there is no way you can have answers for all these questions by listening to the speech once (unless you have a photographic memory). What you can do though is to record the speech so that we can re-listen to it and uncover more learning points. Having said that I would recommend that you start with three questions:

1. What did the speaker did well or badly?
2. How can I apply the good points into my speech?
3. How can I avoid making the same mistakes that speaker made?

Simpler?

As you proceed on, you will find yourself automatically looking our for strengths and weaknesses in the speaker. When you become more comfortable, you can delve deeper and begin disecting the speech. You will find youself welcoming ALL speakers even the extremely boring ones coz there will always be something to learn! You will find your growth as a speaker accelerating. You avoid mistakes committed by others. You get to experiment stuff that works. You have more chance to make new mistakes which means more room for growth! Too good to be true right? Believe it!

And more importantly, start doing it. Speakers are everywhere. They can be your daily reporter, lecturer, classmate, supervisor, door salesman, telemarketer etc. The world is your classroom!

Oh one more thing, remember to jot down your evaluations somewhere. You may want to start a journal or even a blog. Whatever it is, write them down so that you can reference them in future when you prepare your next speech. Come to think of it, we should have some kind of Speakers’ Idol!


This is one part of a series of eight articles entitled "Unleash The Speaker In You- Eight Ways To Become A Better Speaker". Get the other tips here

Eric Feng is one of the youngest international certified coach and a celebrated Toastmasters both in Singapore and Philadelphia. He won the International Humor Contest at Division Level in 2005. He has been training over 2500 students (ranging from primary to tertiary levels) and adults from corporate organizations extensively. If you are keen to gain insightful and easy-to-apply tips on public speaking, check out his <a href="http://blog.ericfeng.com">blog</a>

Community Speaking
Using credible, influential speaking has always been an essential part of her job. You see, she as a business analyst. Unlike several people in her line of work, she got concerned in it not because of her love of explanation or social relations, but because of her analytical skills which she wished to pertain to other people's business problems. The problem is that analysis is only one component of the equation in industry consulting. Sure, you need to be able to suggest the right changes in the company, but you also need to be able to suggest them in the exact way. She has never been capable to remove the fear of public speaking, and it has held she's back at every turn. Don't get her wrong â€" she still seems to make a good livelihood, and she's relatively happy with her job. Even so, being able to build convincing speeches would propel her vocation forward in a way like never before. She used to believe of the difficulty was organizing the information along the correct lines. She studied convincing essay topics online to see how the experts prepared their thoughts. She would copy them, write her own, and do the whole thing she could to imitate the style. She would even listen to people making convincing speeches at conferences in an effort to know their notion processes. On the other hand, it never helped her. If anything, her convincing speech skills just got bad. Because she was trying to speak in someone else's voice, She would be fewer confident than before when she tried to make a convincing speech. It seemed like she would never obtain it. Lastly, one day, she finally figured out what the difficulty was. She had been going about her convincing speech dilemma all wrong! Her problem was not writing a convincing speech, but learning how to speak to people. It seems noticeable in retrospect, but at the time it came as an exposure. She could make a convincing speech if she could just nurture to be comfortable. She took classes in becoming a self-assured speaker, and within a year she was much better at doing it. Even though she never will be capable to make a convincing speech with the easiness of a skilled salesman, She can hold her own nowadays. She have met with more achievement than ever before in her career, and she go on with to advance. It is miraculous what delivering a convincing speech can do! CRISTINA Stop the fear of Public Speaking

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So you want to be a Public Speaker?
So you want to be a Public Speaker? Have you ever attended a seminar and said, "Wow, I wish I could speak like that"? Well, I've got some great news for you. You can be a public speaker. There is no such thing as a born public speaker. Public speaking is a learned skill, basically anyone can do it. You just need to follow some simple rules and practice. If you know how to talk, you can become a public speaker. Becoming really good at public speaking requires some risk. Now understand there is risk involved. You risk being rejected when you ask someone out on a date, and you risk getting into an accident every time you drive your car. If you were afraid of getting into an accident, you'd never get behind the wheel, right? It has been proven that one of our greatest fears, believe it or not, is public speaking. The key to getting up in front of an audience is believing that you have something to share with them that may make a difference in their lives - by entertaining them, warning them, encouraging them, or giving them direction or information. In order to be good at anything, you have to practice. It’s easy to become discouraged if you expect to be as good as Zig Ziglar, Tom Antion Bill Brooks and Jim Cathcart right out of the shoot. But if you knew their backgrounds you will find that it took a long time before they were able to do what they do so well. The thing to remember is the only person you need to compare yourself with is yourself. You must constantly work for your personal best, so when you are preparing your speech and practicing, all you need to ask yourself is, “is your second speech better than your first?â€� Did you learn something new as you prepared for your speech? Did you learn something from the feed-back comments of others after you gave your speech? That's all you need to do. You can use what you've learned to make the next speech your best and then use the same process for each speech you give thereafter. Just take one step at a time. Find your Niche The more you like your topic, the more your audience will want to hear about it. There are three ways to determine your power fields, interests, majors and pet peeves. Start with process one and follow these recommendations. But before you do that, you need to understand, to become a successful public speaker you must be passionate about your public speaking career. You MUST, eat drink and sleep public speaking. You must be focused, determined and control any and all distractions to become successful in this field. It is an absolute must that you love what you’re doing. Yes, it’s important you must enjoy helping people and be around people â€" communication is a two way process. “The reason I do this basically is that I enjoy being in front of people. I get fired up, excited and enjoy the interaction. Yes, ego is involved also. It’s a rush!â€� Now, back to where we were. Below are some questions to ask yourself to find your niche. “Your audience will know if you really care about what you’re speaking on â€" believe me! So, find your niche.â€� PROCESS 1 What do you like to do in your spare time? What are your hobbies? What do you like to do at holidays? What is your favorite travel destination? What do you like to talk about with friends? On what issue do you hold a strong opinion? What issue do you like to know more about? What values are you standing for? What special expertise do you have? What do you fix well? What special skills do you have? What special professional or personal experiences have you had in your life? What speech topic or debate in the news recently focused your attention? PROCESS 2 Associate. Lets say you like to talk about Donald Trump. Now write down all things that come up in your mind. All the things related to Donald Trump. E.g. real estate, business successes, scandals, TV productions, his friends, and so on. In other words, you are building a topic tree around Mr. Trump. This method takes some time, but you can apply it on almost every candidate issue. PROCESS 3 Is it of great interest to you? Does it really excite you? Is it something you're already interested in? Did you always want to know more about it, but didn't have the time to find out? Do you love to talk about it? Do you already know more about the speech topic? Are you passionate about your subject? Most importantly, regardless of the subject, YOU MUST BE PASSIONATE ABOUT PUBLIC SPEAKING AND THE TOPIC BE PRESENTED! Once you have found your niche(s), perfect it/them. If you’ve noticed, you can have more than one. It is strongly suggested you have multiple subject matter. Personally, I have eight seminars from one hour to a two week on site venue. Don’t limit your marketability with only having one or two. Versatility is the name of the game. But which ever you choose become the expert in that/those subject(s). Stay up to date with changes, technology or whatever impacts change to your subject. Constant research is the key here. Remember, people are paying for your knowledge! Tools of the Trade: To start on this subject, I will layout the common tools required to maintain your trade: 1. Laptop Computer 2. Digital movie camera (professional is suggested here) 3. Mobile Projection (presentations)(see InFocus) 4. Thumb Drive (2GIG min) 5. Headset Microphone Wireless System 6. Digital micro recorder 7. The most important tool of all your voice. • Voice is essential to your profession. To take care of your voice properly is essential to your longevity • Do’s to project and save your voice: 1. Get an annual check-up from a throat specialist â€" Prevention is always better than a cure. 2. Consider professional voice training. A voice teacher, professional choir director or singer can make a world of difference in techniques and your sound. 3. Drink six to eight glasses of water daily â€" this helps to moisten throat tissue and cuts down on dryness which leads to irritation. 4. Drink only water, lemonade or warm liquids when using your voice for long periods of time. Ice cold liquids have a tendency to shock or paralyze the throat and causes strain. 5. Use warm salt water solution or warm lemonade to gargle with after long hours of selling especially if your throat feels tired. 6, Use a quality sound system. Don’t buy because of price â€" buy because of sound. 7. Let the sound system do the work for you â€" that’s why you have it. Control crowd with sound system. Turn it up if they’re too noisy â€" silence will quite them also. Keep them attentive but not by yelling. 8. Relax your body and voice. You can feel tightness and tension â€" relax, breathe deeply, relax, breathe deeply. 9. Keep throat moist at all times. Small pieces of candy held in corner of mouth help produce saliva. Avoid menthol candies, cough drops, etc. They tend to cause dryness. NEVER, NEVER chew GUM! Yes it does produce saliva but looks disgusting. “Every time I see one chewing gum during a presentation I see a barnyard animal chewing cud!â€� - “Okay, my pet Peeve!â€� 10. Project voice naturally. Talk naturally but project upward and outward through diaphragm. Talk to furthest person from you to help projection. 11. Practice and try to cultivate the habit of ‘diaphragmatic breathingâ€� whenever you have to speak. Your voice will hold up much better, sound stronger, and be more pleasant for others to hear. • DON'TS: Here are a few that can affect your voice quality and lead to throat problems. 1. Don’t strain â€" learn proper breathing techniques and protection techniques. Prolonged straining of your voice causes the vocal chords to rub violently together causing blisters or nodules often requiring surgery and then voice therapy to correct. 2. Don’t scream or shout excessively â€" Auctioneers don’t speak without a good sound system. 3. Don’t use a cotton handkerchief over mike â€" dust and cotton particles from the handkerchief cause dryness and strain. 4. Don’t rely on throat lozenges, sprays, pills, steam to ease throat. This is a dead give-away to problems. Don’t spray antihistamines to clear nose. They dry out throat tissue excessively and often cause drainage into throat. Grosse, but true. 5. Don’t speak out of pitch â€" too high or too low a pitch causes voice strain, how do you find your pitch? Talk or hum to determine pitch. 6. Don’t cough, sneeze or clear throat excessively â€" causes incredible stress on vocal chords and irritation from rubbing together that may lead to nodules. 7. Don’t speak louder or change your pitch when you have head congestion. You may feel you can’t be understood unless you adjust your voice but remember, your audience’s ears are not congested and they can hear you fine. Slower, more careful articulation will help your clarity. 8. Don’t smoke! If others around you are smoking, drink water. This greatly reduces the likelihood of throat irritation. 9. Don’t ignore warning signs â€" hoarseness, laryngitis, sore throat (especially after speaking), swelling, lumps or continued irritation. Don’t wait â€" get it checked by a doctor and hydrate. Remember; don’t skimp on quality with your tools. Your tools are important and cost should not be a factor. You get what you pay for! Delivery As a speaker, you never want to “dieâ€� in front of the room, but if you take the wrong position, it may very well affect how your received. Lots of research on covert influence shows that it really does matter where one stands when we present our subject matter. To satisfy yourself that the position of your body in relationship to others is important, try this. Ask several to help you out. Place two chairs face to face, just about 3-4 feet from each other. Now, assuming you are sitting in one, slide the other over about two feet to the right, so when the other person is sitting across from you, you’ll be to their right, and vice versa. Now have each person sit across from you as you present a short subject. Have them appraise you on a scale from 1-10 how comfortable they are with you. After they have done so, move your chair so that they are now across from you, and on your left and repeat the process. Do this with as many people as you can, because the results are overwhelming. You’ll be shocked to find that almost everyone rates you as being much more comfortable when you are on their right side. Not only that, but research also indicates that you will be seen as more attractive as well. See how this might be beneficial? So, how do you use this information in a live presentation? While there are more complex strategies, the basic use of this is not only powerful, but simple. When you first take the stage, you’ll want to stand near the center, just off to the right of the audience, or your left. As the presentation progresses, you will want to use both sides of the stage; the side to the right of the audience for anything you want them to associate positive feelings to, and the left side to the things you want them to link to negativity. Ain’t science wonderful? Nerves Your mouth is dry, heart pounding, and knees knocking. You go into panic, facing a dreaded public speaking engagement. “Now understand, I have been speaking since 1973 and have given hundreds of seminars and each and every time I’m nervous.â€� Here are a few tips that may help combat those symptoms and reduce nervousness. 1. Deep breathing will help your brain work to capacity, and forcing the slower pace will quell the panic. 2. Exude confidence; Stand tall, with shoulders back and chest out. Smile. Even though you don’t feel happy or confident, do it anyway. You will look confident and your body will fool your brain into thinking it is confident. It works! 3. Keep you mouth and throat hydrated. Plan to keep a drink on hand while you are speaking, though this sounds impossible. Place (room temperature) water strategically placed so you can re-hydrate during your presentation. Know when in your presentation it would be less noticed. If all else fails tell your audience that you need to hydrate. You can make it humorous. 4. Adrenalin sends the blood rushing to the fight/flight centers of your brain at the base of the skull. Place your hand on your forehead and press gently on the bony points. This will bring the blood to the parts of the brain that need it to present your speech best. 5. Know you are prepared. Obviously this depends on actually being prepared, so take every opportunity in the days leading up to the speech to prepare your material. Be familiar with the structure of the presentation, and the ideas to use. Memorize the most important parts, and the parts you might forget. 6. Know your audience, its critical! Their average age, gender, race, income levels, education, generally their demographics. Remember, the more you know your audience the more it will put you at ease. 7. Remember, you are the expert! Yes, there are people who might know more about your subject. I think this way, “if there is a person that knows more about the subject being presented in the audience, then why they are not up here presenting and I seated in the audience?â€� 7 Keys of making a Speech 1. Grammar â€" Use correct grammar. Write out your speech in advance and read it aloud a few times. This will help you catch most of the mistakes privately. Ask a friend to listen to the speech and give you feedback or note any grammatical errors. 2. Filler Words â€" Unnecessary words that do not help convey your point can be distracting. Avoid the use of “uh, ah, um, you know, like, and I mean.â€� In order to avoid run-on sentences, insert a one-second â€" pause - between sentences instead of using “andâ€� or “soâ€� to connect two or more sentences. Before you take the stage practice saying any difficult words you plan to use. 3. Body Language â€" By this, I am referring to unintentional cues you give such as looking at your notes, not making eye contact, slumped shoulders, hands in pockets jingling money, or slouching on the lectern. Practicing in front of a mirror will help you discover your own quirky movements. 4. Gestures â€" These are intentional movements you use to make a point or illustrate the importance of a word. Make your gestures large enough to be seen by the person sitting in the back of the room. Step away from the lectern when using the lower part of your body; otherwise your movement will not be seen. 5. Vocal Delivery â€" Avoid monotone and jazz up your presentation by varying your tone (emphasis or emotion), pitch (high or low voice), and rate (fast or slow). All these help keep an audience interested in what you are saying. 6. Topicâ€" Your focus should be on your audience. An interesting topic is important, but should be relevant to your listener’s needs. Prepare ahead of time. Write key points on small 3x5 note cards to remind you of what is next. Reading off cue cards is discouraged. Only use them if necessary. Know your subject! 7. Visual Aids â€" Not all presentations require or need visual aids. However, visual aids and handouts make a your presentation more interesting. Impromptu Speaking If you have ever given a presentation at work or at a special event you know how nerve-wracking it can be. A little nervousness is normal. It shows that you care and are excited about the opportunity you’ve been given to speak. Having nervousness overcome your ability to function in front of an job interview panel can be harmful. Practice impromptu speaking as a way of learning to respond effectively on a moment’s notice. Here are a few suggestions about how to rehearse for successful impromptu speaking. For this exercise you will require: • A timer, stopwatch or clock with a second hand sweep. • A friend - If you don’t have anyone to practice with, you’ll have to watch the timer yourself. • A topic â€" here are three: 1. What is procrastination and how it impacts ones personal life. 2. You have a friend that has asked you for some advice on why his business is not taking off. You know it is his focus and time management that needs real help. 3. Please give your advice on how to deal with rush-hour traffic. Take each topic listed above one at a time. Have your friend read one topic aloud then set the timer for two minutes. Your friend will give you a silent signal when you’ve reached one minute and again when you have reached two minutes. Try to keep speaking until you get the one minute signal. Then, wrap up when you get the two minute signal. Compose your thoughts as quickly as possible and begin addressing the topic. Give a simple opening statement. You may repeat the topic question as your opening. Then, give your opinion about the topic by answering the questions to the best of your ability. Give a summary of what you presented. Guest Speaker Being a guest speaker in front of the right audience can be an excellent way to attract new business. Many clubs, organizations, conventions, and trade shows seek guest speakers who can provide useful information to their audience. The opportunity to speak in front of an attentive group can certainly boost your business, whether you are a service or product provider. Design your speech or presentation so that the audience leaves with useful information that will help them. Avoid giving a sales pitch; this will be a turn-off for both the audience and the speaker-coordinator. Here are a number of reasons why being a guest speaker can attract more business: You are perceived as an expert in your field. You have an opportunity to get free publicity to promote the event. You have the opportunity to hand out information to each attendee (with your contact name on it). You can ask for names and addresses of attendees to build your contact database. You can chat one-on-one with the attendees after the meeting. Make sure you have a business card! Check out your local Chamber of Commerce, local trade shows, or your local Convention Center. In some cities there are Professional Meeting Planners who often seek speakers. Your participation as a speaker at one event may lead to other contacts in the industry.

Mr. Dale Simmons, known as the “WHY� man, is a interactive motivational and "self-help" speaker who introduced the Pebble in the Pool © theory. With more than 28 years in the corporate market and conducting hundreds of training and career motivational presentations, Dale has developed the Pebble in the Pool © theory. In addition, seminars on Goal Setting, Team Building, Time Management and Lean Manufacturing Principles are now being offered to the private sector. Pebble in the Pool © is by far the most motivational seminar for the diverse audiences of today.

Public Speaking: Use Your Adrenaline to your Advantage
Adrenaline â€" your body’s way of helping you when you need to do something special.
Such as give a presentation, or go on a job interview. Yet most of us find it to be our worst enemy. Because we don’t understand what happens to us when we become nervous. If you can pre-empt the effect adrenaline will have on you personally, you won’t feel so out of control. This has a huge impact on our comfort and confidence levels.

So what happens when we get nervous?

• The body releases adrenaline, this has a physical effect on the body. Our heart rate increases, we sweat, blush, get butterflies, fidget, pace , dance on the spot, the list goes on. You need to know what you personally do! So that when it happens you have more control over it.

• We stop breathing. The first thing we do when we get nervous is hold our breath. If you were swimming and saw a shark. The fright would take your breath away. So we stop breathing properly and this has it’s own set of fallbacks. We may stammer, forget, our bodies may feel uncomfortable.

We tend to then find a comforter, some people rock , others move their feet
around uncontrollably. Pacing, fidgeting are also common. I personally play
with my hair when nervous. Others bring their teddy bear or comfort blankets
on stage with them in the form of a notepad. They clutch on to it for dear life
but don’t read from it once. They didn’t need it for their presentation, they
needed it for comfort only.


So what can we do?

Relax and take deep breaths, slow down your breathing, get it rhythmical.
Remember adrenaline is causing your physical effects.
You are not nervous you are exited, change your mindset.
Identify and control your comforter, Root your feet to stop movements. Pay attention not to fidget with your hair , ring , pockets , etc.

So NERVES are good if we learn to control them. Adrenaline helps us perform better, it is our bodies own natural stimulant. Adrenaline junkies spend a fortune to get a rush.
When presenting or in an interview yours is FREE. ENJOY THE RUSH!

Public Speaking Made Easy

Delia Thompson holds an ATCl & LTCL form the Trinity College of London in speech training. She has been active for over 10 years in Public Speaking and Communications Training. She founded <a href="http://www.thecommunicationacademy.co.za/" title="Public Speaking Training Company">The Communication Academy</a> to assist people with improving their communication skills

Public Speaking Tips For Kids
Public speaking is one skill that kids should enhance. Aside from practice, public speaking for kids requires personal coaching. Personal coaching includes the development of self-confidence and the effort on helping kids to improve their public speaking skills. For beginners it is important that they undergo this kind of learning to have a better public speaking approach.

Kids have their own skills and abilities on how to deliver a presentation. It is up to the coach to bring out that natural skill in them. The kid only needs to listen and internalize all the things that the coach will teach.

If you are the kid being trained, you will be introduced to an approach in public speaking that can be convenient to you. The coach will not attempt to change your style and be different to other speakers; although speakers seem to be more effective if the audience finds him unique in his public speaking.

The coach will try to enhance your own skills and talents that are already present in you. You can expect comments and feedback from your coach during the training process. He will provide you the much needed guidance and specific knowledge for the coach is obliged to produce a better result in your training. Here are some reasons why you will need a personal coach:

- You may ask for a coach if you need help on a specific presentation that is very important to you.

-If you want to concentrate on specific communication and speaking issues that are covered in general workshops and seminars.

-If you have encountered sessions and workshops that progress slowly and are too standard or maybe do not get your interest.

-When you are too busy to attend trainings because you cannot choose just one that can answer your needs.

-If you are not comfortable in the team setting or you may feel that your speaking skills are on a much higher level.

-If you have undergone public communication and speaking lessons before and you may need additional knowledge and enhancement.

-If you have found you work much better and develop faster with a personal approach.

Getting a personal coach does not mean you are a slow learner or have poor communication skills. There are many reasons why will you need to have a personal coach, as mentioned in the above list.

Coaching can be just like that, like any sport where a team needs a coach to perform well and be guided on the executions. For a child that wants to be trained in public speaking as early as in his early childhood, it could be better if the child is already trained on how to address and interact to other people by means of public speaking.

James Masterson is Stand out, Be Recognized and Be Remembered keynote speaker. Click Here To read his latest advice <a href="http://free-online-course.com/masterson" title="http://free-online-course.com/masterson" target="_blank">http://free-online-course.com/masterson</a>

Public Speaking Tips
Any public speaking involves delivering information to people who are, in one way or another, waiting to get some information. This is a key reason why you should pay careful attention as you prepare to make you speech and as you plan to meet your audience.

Some people are naturals at public speaking and getting to audiences, you may think of politicians or a good college professor you took some classes with, the fact of the matter is most people are not good at making speeches and the vast majority of people are terrified of delivering a speech. This should not discourage you in any way, since many experts have studied this and worked hard for you to deal with these problems in speech making.

If you are at a point that you are going to deliver a speech, you probably got to a stage in your life your thoughts are worth something to other people, this means that in principle, people want to get into your head and they appreciate your talent or skill in some particular field, the people that will listen to you have something to learn from you. But you are not thinking of these people, are you? You are thinking of the few people that probably know more than you and will be in the crowd. This is a big mistake, first because you should think of the person that will profit from your knowledge and get to him, and secondly because you have something in you that will benefit even the ones that you fear.

The key to all this is simple, its preparation, it�s the most basic, banal and trivial thing, but it is the base of any success in any field. Lets think about speech making preparation.

First think about your audience, who is the average person coming to your speech, what does he know, what does he need to know, what will inspire him and make him listen carefully to what you have to say, and how will you get him to appreciate your speech. It is not that difficult, its actually good to start at this point, remember � people want to know what you are thinking, you just need to keep them interested, and I am sure you got interesting thoughts.

Rehearse, this seems clear to me, practice the speech again, and again, and again. Obviously I know that you don�t have all the time in the world to perfect it, but, there is a value to this, timing your speech, and pre setting spots in which you know you need to change your tone, your speed and rhythm, will make you a better speaker and a better speech planner. So rehearse your speech and listen to yourself while doing it. Start strong, confident, talk about things you know no one can beat you or undermine you, let the confidence and the experience shine through, people feel that, and if you do this right, you will own your audience.

Think about your entrance and the first 3 minutes of the speech, pay attention to the way you walk in, project confidence and calm, do not rush into anything, even if you are late or under a tight schedule do everything slowly and thoughtfully, show the room that you are entering your speech zone and that no one is allowed in, they can sit and wait for a few seconds (which seem like hours) � its only a few seconds. Make sure you got the attention of the crowd, and start strong. Pick the words of your opening carefully, and trust yourself.

In the next article I will review more of the speech making basics. Good luck.

Simon Oldmann has been studying the effects of cognitive alertness on performance for the last 5 years. Simon has a wide knowledge of public performance personality traits and performance. Simon is currently writing tips and advice on <a href="http://publicspeaking.zupatips.com/">Public Speaking</a>

Fear-free public speaking
Speaking in front of others can be empowering, energizing, and often essential for success in your career or to persuade others that something should be done. Most people have the opportunity at some point, whether it’s giving a toast at a wedding, a pep talk to a sports team, a bar mitzvah talk to a congregation, a presentation at town meeting, or a formal talk to conventioneers.

Is it possible to get over a fear of speaking? Of course! People do it every day, and so can you!

A key ingredient for losing your fear:

Care for your audience. As you’re planning to give your talk stop thinking about being nervous and how you’re going to perform, and instead think only about your audience. Find out as much as you can about them. Then consider these questions:

Why have they come together as a group?
What’s in it for them to listen to you?
What are they expecting from you?

Once you have a feel for what they’re expecting, your job as speaker is to fulfill those expectations, whether it’s for information, entertainment, instruction, or an experience. Put yourself in their shoes â€" they’re expecting a speaker who confidently and engagingly shares interesting information with them. So as long as that’s what they get from you, they’ll concentrate on what you say and not on you as a person. If you’re a local celebrity, they’ll be expecting stories about you â€" so share them. Giving them what they expect actually takes their attention off you as a person and onto your information or the experience you’re sharing with them. You may feel like an actor at first, but keep concentrating on your audience’s needs and expectations, and soon you’ll lose your fear.

Of course, to have the audience focus on your message, you need to have a good talk!

So what do you say?

Once you’ve pinned down who your audience is and why they’re there, you can come up with the main point of your talk â€" the one sentence answer to the question, “What’s the talk about?â€�

For instance, let’s say you’re a professional musician who’s been asked to talk to teachers about improving arts education in the public schools. They may want to know how to find musicians who can bring their instruments to classrooms to give kids a hands-on experience.

Once you’ve got your one-sentence main point (“Contact local orchestras and chamber groups to find musicians who can come to your classroom�), you can build your whole talk around it. Make sure to tell stories (“I once played my cello in a third grade classroom and…�), bring in some data (“studies show that children who meet musicians in person often want to play an instrument�), and get your audience involved (“How many of you learned an instrument because you met a musician when you were young?).

At the end of the talk remind them of your main point and where they can get the local information they need. If you take questions from the audience, make sure to close the session with a repetition of your main point so it’s the last thing people hear. In fact, they should hear your main point many times and in many ways: at the beginning of your talk, in the body of it as you bring in new ideas, and at the end.

Presentation tips:

Now that you have a fabulous talk, it’s vital that your body language supports rather than sabotages you. As soon as you arrive at the venue your body language is giving the preamble to your actual presentation. So, as you walk into the building stand up straight, hold your head up, and smile. When you’re speaking, look audience members in the eyes, (no top-of-head-skimming!), keep hands out of pockets, don’t fiddle with your hair or tap with your pen. To keep the focus on your talk instead of you as a person, wear appropriate clothing that doesn’t draw attention to itself. This isn’t the time to wear glittery fishnets or a chartreuse shirt!

Tell your talk -- don’t read it word for word! If you need to look at notes, just jot down one-word reminders or short phrases. Reading a whole talk is the quickest way to put your audience to sleep. Even if you stumble a bit, it’s more natural and communicative to just say your talk than read it.

Do remember to breathe! Deep breaths, down below your waist, will help keep you calm and your voice under control. Drink room-temperature water to keep your mouth moist.


If you focus on your audience and your audience’s needs â€" actually care for them â€" you’re not focusing on yourself. If you’re not focusing on yourself, you won’t be nervous. It’s simple. It just takes practice!

Lisa Dale Jones is an experienced public speaking and communications coach with extensive national and international experience. She has conducted speech training and media workshops for professional speakers in London, Vienna, Heidelberg, Johannesburg, Washington DC, and Boston. For many years she was an award-winning producer and on-air talent for Monitor Radio, the broadcast edition of The Christian Science Monitor. For over four years she was Assistant Manager, in charge of speaker training, and chief editor for the Board of Lectureship, an international spirituality speakers bureau based in Boston. She lives in Brookline, Massachusetts. Copyright 2007. Speaking With Soul. All Rights Reserved.

History of Public Speaking
There never has been in the history of the world a time when the spoken word has been equaled in value and importance by any other means of communication. If one traces the development of mankind from what he considers its earliest stage he will find that the wandering family of savages depended entirely upon what its members said to one another. A little later when a group of families made a clan or tribe the individuals still heard the commands of the leader, or in tribal council voiced their own opinions. The beginnings of poetry show us the bard who recited to his audiences. Drama, in all primitive societies a valuable spreader of knowledge, entertainment, and religion, is entirely oral. In so late and well organized communities as the city republics of Greece all matters were discussed in open assemblies of the rather small populations. Every great epoch of the world's progress shows the supreme importance of speech upon human action individual and collective. In the Roman Forum were made speeches that affected the entire ancient world. Renaissance Italy, imperial Spain, unwieldy Russia, freedom loving England, revolutionary France, all experienced periods when the power of certain men to speak stirred other men into tempestuous action. The history of the United States might almost be written as the continuous record of the influence of great speakers upon others. The colonists were led to concerted action by persuasive speeches. The Colonial Congresses and Constitutional Convention were dominated by powerful orators. The history of the slavery problem is mainly the story of famous speeches and debates. Most of the active representative Americans have been leaders because of their ability to impress their fellows by their power of expressing sentiments and enthusiasms which all would voice if they could. Presidents have been nominated and candidates elected because of this equipment. During the Great War the millions of the world were as much concerned with what some of their leaders were saying as with what their other leaders were doing. There is no aspect of modern life in which the spoken work is not supreme in importance. Representatives of the nations of the world deciding upon a peace treaty and deliberating upon a League of Nations sway and are swayed by speech. National assemblies from the strangely named new ones of infant nations to the century old organizations speak, and listen to speeches. In state legislatures, municipal councils, law courts, religious organizations, theaters, lodges, societies, boards of directors, stockholders' meetings, business discussions, classrooms, dinner parties, social functions, friendly calls in every human relationship where two people meet there is communication by means of speech.

<a href="http://www.publicspeakingtip.org">Public Speaking Tip</a>: http://www.publicspeakingtip.org is a web site devoted to public speaking training. See how <a href="http://www.publicspeakingtip.org/speaking-qualities/facial-expression-and-gestures.php">Facial Expressions and Gestures</a> are important to public speakers.