subject: How To Speak In Public With No Fear [print this page] How To Speak In Public With No Fear How To Speak In Public With No Fear
Some people are terrified to speak in public or in front of a group, 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.
These simple steps can help you do better at it, even if you don't like it. Know your subject It is always easier to speak about something you know. For example, it would be easier for me to speak about baseball, a game I have played and watched since childhood, than to speak about cricket, which I have only seen played a few times. You Don't have to be Brilliant or Perfect to Succeed Many of us have observed public speakers and thought to ourselves "Wow, I could never be that smart, calm, witty, entertaining, polished . . . or whatever." Well, I've got news for you-- you don't have to be brilliant, witty, or perfect to succeed. That is not what public speaking is all about. I know it may look that way, but it's not. You can be average. You can be below average. You can make mistakes, get tongue-tied, or forget whole segments of your talk. You can even tell no jokes at all and still be successful. It all depends on how you, and your audience, define "success." Believe me, your audience doesn't expect perfection. I used to think most audiences did, but I was wrong! Before I discovered this, I used to put incredible pressure on myself to deliver a perfect performance. I worked for days to prepare a talk. I stayed up nights worrying about making mistakes. I spent hours and hours rehearsing what I was going to say. And you know what? All this did was make me even more anxious! The more perfect I tried to be, the worse I did! It was all very disheartening (not to mention unnecessary).
Research the topic Even if it is a subject you know, take the time to brush up. Before speaking to your company's sales directors about the new product your team developed, take the time to review the specifications so they are fresh in your mind Research the audience You want to capture and hold the attention of the group as you speak. This will be easier to do if you know something about the audience. What are their interests? What questions might they want answered? How technical are they? Find out as much as you can and tailor your speech to the audience. Write it down Depending on the speech, you may write out the entire text of the speech or you may just jot down some notes on cards. Review what you write down and make sure it flows in a logical way. Fix it if it doesn't. All You Need is Two or Three Main Points You don't have to deliver mountains of facts or details to give your audience what they truly want. Many studies have shown that people remember very few of the facts or information speakers convey. While you may choose to include lots of facts and information, you only need to make two or three main points to have your talk be successful. You can even have your whole talk be about only one key point, if you wish. When I first began speaking in public during medical school (kicking, screaming, and quivering all the way), I wasn't aware of this simple principle. I wrongly believed that my audience wanted encyclopedic knowledge from me, which of course I didn't have. So I tried to research my topic thoroughly and deliver as much worldly wisdom as possible. Boy was that exhausting! It was also boring for my audience to suffer through. Later, when I began giving public seminars on how to cope with stress, I spent hours each week typing a twenty-page script to read from, so I wouldn't forget any important tidbit. As time went on, I gradually learned that this degree of complexity wasn't needed. As a result, the length of my discussion notes gradually declined. My twenty-page typed manuscript gave way to a five-page detailed outline. Then, I replaced my outline with ten or fifteen index cards. Eventually, I could conduct a full two-hour seminar with only one 3X5 index card (containing my two or three key points) to support me! As long as I focused on these two or three key points, I was able to speak at length about them by naturally drawing upon my past experiences and knowledge. Remember, all your audience wants from you is to walk away with one or two key points that will make a difference to them. If you structure your talks to deliver this result, you can avoid lots of complexity that isn't really needed. This also should make your job as a speaker much easier, and more fun too! Rehearse Deliver your speech out loud to yourself and, if appropriate, to a few others. Do it out loud because the words always come out right in your head, but if you have to speak them you'll catch some problems before hand. Then do it again. Keep doing it until you are comfortable. Relax. You are ready You have prepared for this speech so there is no need to be worried. You know the material and you know your audience. Now just go out and deliver a polished,
rehearsed speech. Find somewhere for your hands Waving hands distract an audience. Find something do to with your hands. If there is a podium, rest them on it. One hand in your pocket can look okay, but both hands in your pockets looks bad. Hold papers (calmly) in one hand by your side, but don't wave them around.
Smile A smile on your face will make your audience respond more positively to you. It will also help you feel better. Obviously, if you are delivering a speech to your department that they are all getting laid off you don't want to smile, but in almost every case it will help you. Use appropriate humor If you use a joke to open your speech, make sure it's a good one. It should be funny without offending anyone. It helps to keep it as closely related to the topic as possible. And it should be new. Share your enthusiasm You are speaking about a subject you know. You are prepared. You are relaxed and smiling. Use this speech as a way to share with your audience your enthusiasm and it will be a fine speech. Your Audience Truly Wants You to Succeed The last principle to remember is that your audience truly wants you to succeed. Most of them are scared to death of public speaking, just like you. They know the risk of embarrassment, humiliation, and failure you take every time you present yourself in public. They feel for you. They will admire your courage. And they will be on your side, no matter what happens. This means that most audiences are truly forgiving. While a slip of the tongue or a mistake of any kind might seem a big deal to you, it's not very meaningful or important to your audience. Their judgements and appraisals will usually be much more lenient than yours. It's useful to remind yourself of this point, especially when you think you've performed poorly
