Want to look confident? Want to hold your audience's attention? Want to make your point stick? You can do all the tricks and tropes out there, but these six phrases, in my experience, almost always grip the listener, make the speaker look strong, save her from a world of trouble, and invite real connection with your audience. Keep these in your back pocket for a stronger speech:
Public speaking is an example of a social phobia, and is the most commonly reported social fear.
Unfortunately, fear of public speaking can adversely impact upon one’s career, personal life and academic achievements. For example, sufferers may avoid careers which would entail public speaking or decline promotions which would involve giving lectures or presentations. Social anxiety sufferers may also experience a great deal of distress if required to give a speech at their 21st birthday, wedding etc. University students may choose their courses or subjects so as to avoid having to give presentations.
We have all heard that famous statistic, the one that claims the number one fear people have is public speaking, number two is death. Seinfeld had a joke about this stat, he said apparently if people are at a funeral they would rather be in the coffin than be giving the eulogy. If that statistic is accepted as fact, Seinfeld’s joke, while ridiculous sounding, would be technically correct. What is wrong with this scenario?
Would people really rather be dead than speak in public? Why? Well I am here to tell you that speaking in public is nothing to be afraid of; I do it all the time. Like most things in life, the more you speak in public, the less nervous you become when you do it. Unfortunately, most people choose to avoid giving speeches so vehemently that they will never do it enough to become comfortable with it.
So for all of those people out there who avoid speaking in public like, well, death, I am here to tell you how to breeze through any public speaking engagement and come out the other end as a hit public speaker, with as little stress as possible. >>>
by The Princeton Language Institute, and Lenny Laskowski
Lenny LaSkowski is an expert in the field (and author of Dynamic Presentation Skills of the Business professional). Here he offers a course on giving public talks and seminars. It's comprehensive and covers every part of the presentation process, from investigating audience needs and meeting-room layout to having backup equipment and polished techniques for handling difficult people. It is full of interesting observations, suggestions and instructions.
The book has the tools you need to become a relaxed, effective and commanding public speaker. It is presented in a clear, concise, step-by-step approach with dozens of inside tips. It is well structured and easy readable.
Read the book and be encouraged to be comfortable with your own unique self. Learn to establish an instant rapport with an audience. There are suggestions on how to integrate humor, and memorization techniques.
The book’s lessons could also be extended to communicating more confidently and efficiently in general.
You can buy this book for just $9.40 from Amazon
From my own personal experience, from working with thousands of people face to face, and from asking my blog readers what they find hardest about presenting, I know that the fear of public speaking is a biggie.
And not everyone who suffers from the fear of public speaking has suffered a humiliating public speaking experience.
So why do so many people have a fear of public speaking?
The theory of evolutionary psychology
Fear of public speaking strikes some people harder — and differently — than others, according to a new study.
The study shows that those who suffer most over speaking in public get more anxious, not less anxious, as their presentation gets under way. And when it's over, instead of feeling relief, they feel even more anxious.
- Overcome the fear of public speaking
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Do you "feel the fear" when asked to do some public speaking? Public speaking is still one of our greatest fears and it turns grown men and women into nervous wrecks. The mere thought of it turns our tongue to cotton wool, causes our internal plumbing to act up and turns our knees to jelly. Well, there's no need for all of this because help is at hand. All you need to remember are your P's and Q's. Let's start with the P's
Public speaking is a common source of stress for everyone. Many of us would like to avoid this problem entirely, but this is hard to do. Whether we work alone or with large numbers of people, eventually we will need to speak in public to get certain tasks accomplished. And if we want to be leaders or achieve anything meaningful in our lives, we will often need to speak to groups, large and small, to be successful.
The truth about public speaking, however, is IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE STRESSFUL! If you correctly understand the hidden causes of public speaking stress, and if you keep just a few key principles in mind, speaking in public will soon become an invigorating and satisfying experience for you.
The New Talkpower: The Mind Body Way to Speak Without Fear
(Capital Ideas for Business & Personal Development)
(Capital Ideas for Business & Personal Development)
by Natalie H. Rogers
" . . .the ultimate workbook . . .perfect for public speaking novices or for speakers with a tough case of stage fright." -- Continental Magazine, November 28, 2000
"Natalie Rogers. . . she shows you. . . how to write, how to talk, how to be. . . so you can perform like a pro. It's magic. . ." -- Henry J. Fishman, M.D., creator and host of "TVMD," PBS national network