ALT-5 How to Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking
Fear of speaking in public is extremely common. The palms begin to sweat, the stomach is somersaulting, and the breathing becomes ragged. The heart begins to beat ninety to the dozen. The human sense of fleeing is heightened by fear. The fear of embarrassment, fear of failure and fear of rejection, fear of looking into the glazed expressions on the audience faces.
A common condition to many with the industry of giving or presentations to large groups of people.
The ironic thing is that a touch of stage fright can actually help you be a more effective speaker. You can use the fear of failure to promote your success, if you allow it to motivate instead of discourage you.
Take-away Tips. Organize your thoughts.
When preparing your speech, write on small hand held cards the important points.Organize your thoughts or use power point or a flip-chart to display the important points. Sometimes the information is easier understood if the audience is able to read as well as listen to important facts and figures.
Keep it simple:Limit yourself to two or three main points.Use your real stories to illustrate your message. People remember short stories long after the speech has ended.
Rehearse: Knowing your material is the best policy:
This does not mean mesmerizing your speech word-for-word. The speech will seem false and dry. In addition, if the nerves set in the brain may skip some points.
Think about your delivery. Be aware of monotony:
Note the rate of speech. The tone and volume of your voice. The gestures, varying them all for maximum effect
Arrive early:
On the day of your presentation, arrive early if possible, not just to address any last-minute issues but also to "meet and greet. Meeting with the audience for a few minutes can establish a friendly tone even before you begin your presentation.
Focus on the information and the audience:
When the butterflies take flight in your stomach, tell yourself a little nervousness is nothing to be ashamed of. Remind yourself you do not need to be perfect.
What if your nightmares actually come true and you lose your spot or drop your note cards:
Making an error or two cans actually give the audience permission to relax, especially if you handle it with humour.
What is important is recovering gracefully, if you do not call attention to it, no one is really going to notice.
A brief pause of a second or two can seem a natural part of a presentation to the audience, even if it seems to lasts for ever when all eyes are on you.If the gaffe is so big as to be unmistakable like you mispronounce the name of your company's Chief Executive or accidentally delete your Power Point presentation admit you've made a mistake and move on.
The fact is, some experts say if you aren't perfect, your audience will relate to you better.
