The Barriers That Stop Most People Presenting In Public &
How To Overcome Them
by: Maria Davies
Gerald R. Ford said "If I went back to college again, I'd concentrate
on two areas: learning to write and learning to speak before an
audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to
communicate effectively."
It's the number one skill that's guaranteed to position you head and
shoulders above the competition, yet it's frequently overlooked,
according to female speaker, Patricia Fripp.
My own take on having the ability to speak well in public is that
it's probably the single most powerful thing you can learn to do that
gives you the ammunition to say "If I can do that, I can do anything".
If you've ever marvelled at the abilities of a great presenter, the
clever use of words to draw pictures, the confidence and charisma that
exudes from the platform and the awe in which they are held, you'll
agree with the above statements.
So why is it that when it comes to attending training courses,
presentation skills are not the automatic first port of call? Could it
be to do with that oft quoted (probably misquoted) statistic that
speaking in public is feared more than death? Let's not go into an
examination of quite how ridiculous that would be if it were true.
After all, how many of you would really swap places with the guy in
the coffin if you were asked to speak at a funeral?
There's no doubt that public presenting can get the old palms
sweating, but given the benefits you'll get when you know you can do
it well, it really shouldn't stop you. Let's examine the causes of
nerves so you lay your fears to rest and get this most important of
abilities added to your arsenal of talents, shall we?
First, examine why you're nervous. There's always a reason for nerves
so examine what the reasons are so you can deal with the cause and go
a long way to eliminating the symptom. Note that I say "go a long way
to eliminating", the chances are that you'll always feel some
nervousness which is when you need to remember that nerves are your
friends because they keep your senses sharp & show that you want to do
well.
Even seasoned performers suffer from stage fright, some had it so bad
they could barely perform. Fortunately, the thought is usually worse
than the task. Once you get started, you'll often find that your
nervousness will disappear. I liken it to knowing that you're about to
tackle a drive round London's Hyde Park Corner or Paris's Arc de
Triomphe in rush hour. Thinking about it really freaks you out but
when you're in the middle of it, you're too busy concentrating on not
hitting anyone that it's only afterwards you get to think "Wow, I made
it in one piece."
Some of the most common reasons I've found for people suffering from
nerves are these:
-Worry about forgetting what you're going to say -Worry that the
audience will think you're a fraud -Worry about saying the wrong thing
and offending somebody -Worry that someone will ask a question to
which you don't know the answer -Worry that you'll get a dry mouth or
get tongue tied -Worry that you'll finish too soon or run long
Some of the less common ones I've heard were "I'm worried in case
there's a fire alarm halfway through my talk" and "I'm worried that
the hem on my trousers will unravel in front of everyone whilst I'm
speaking."
I could dismiss all these are "silly" or "invalid" and tell you that
none of them will ever happen, but the fact is that they often will.
(Yes, even the trouser hem thing's happened to me!). Looking down the
list, you can see that there's a lot you can do to avoid these
situations occurring: being well prepared, stating your qualifications
in your introduction, knowing your subject matter inside and out,
timing yourself several times during rehearsals, and so on (sorry, I
don't have a magic bean to disable fire bells during speeches).
But so what if any of them still come to pass? What's the worst that
can happen? Well it's not life or death, you know. You have to learn
to keep your fears in perspective. And remember, the audience wants
you to succeed. Nobody enjoys a bad speech.
Do what you can to be prepared and don't let fear of speaking stop
you from gaining that most revered of all skills, the one that will
impact every area of your personal and business life. Give yourself
the very best opportunity of succeeding and you'll find the rewards
are massive.
About The Author
Maria Davies is the UK's most successful female sales presenter who
trains others to overcome their public speaking fears and use
presentation skills to increase the audience share for their product
or service by around 91%. Find out more about forthcoming seminars,
worldwide e-trainings or
speaker bookings at http://www.laddersofsuccess.com" target="
_blank">http://www.laddersofsuccess.com.
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