You’ve heard it before - fear of public speaking
ranks #1 among all common fears – ahead of DEATH!
Now I don’t know if it’s really true that most
people would literally rather die than speak in public. But
having conducted numerous presentation skills seminars, and
coached countless individuals on their presentation style,
I do know that many people are pretty shaken up when asked
to make a speech or a presentation.
The question I hear most in my work is, “How can I
get over my fear of public speaking?”
Well there are actually lots of things you can do to
minimize or even eliminate the jitters. But before I get to
them, let’s consider for a moment just what fear is.
It’s important for you to understand that fear
isn’t actually real.
You’re probably thinking, “It sure feels real
to me, when my palms start sweating, my mouth goes dry, my
heart starts racing and I forget my name.”
But fear is nothing but anxiety or concern over an imagined
outcome of some yet-to-occur event. The thing we fear
hasn't happened. And there's a pretty good chance it never
will. Some self-help gurus have even created an acronym to
explain this:
F.E.A.R. - False Evidence that Appears Real.
There’s a story about an old man who was chatting
with his grandson. "Grandpa, you've lived a long
time,” the younger man said. ”Would you say
that life is hard or easy?" "Life is very difficult," the
older man answered. "Over the years, I've endured
thousands of horrible experiences. And one or two of them
actually happened." Of course, while they exist only in
your head, lots of fears are reasonable. The fear of
getting hit by a bus racing towards you, for example. But
when it comes to speaking in public, you just IMAGINE that
you’ll stutter. You IMAGINE that you’ll forget
what you’re supposed to say. You IMAGINE that your
words will sound foolish or your accent will come through
or you’ll perspire too much or tongue will get thick
or, or…and all that imagining freaks you out!
In fairness, there are lots of variables when we speak. We
feel like most of these things are out of our control; so
it’s understandable that we might obsess about all
the ways disaster can strike.
So just what can you do to stop yourself from all that
destructive imagining, or at least keep your worrying down
to a manageable level?
Simple: get rid of the variables.
In other words, PREPARE.
I tell my clients this all the time: I wish I could give
you a magic bullet. “Imagine your audience in their
underwear.” “Breathe deeply and exhale hard
one-hundred times before you begin.” “Rub your
head and pat your stomach for five minutes.” But
there’s no such solution.
If you want to stop being afraid, you must take
responsibility for creating a situation in which the things
you fear won’t happen. Like I said, get rid of the
variables.
Afraid you’ll forget what you’re supposed to
say? Spend adequate time learning and understanding your
presentation. As a member of the National Speakers
Association, I had the opportunity to meet and observe some
of the best professional public speakers in the business.
Their styles varied, but they had one thing in common: they
knew their material cold. They could give their
presentations anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances.
It takes that kind of preparation to ensure a professional
result every time.
Worried your mouth will get dry? Make sure you have water
nearby and bring along some lozenges or hard candies.
Concerned that your presentation will sound unimpressive,
take the time to develop and organize your content
thoroughly. Write it out. Rewrite it. Test it on others,
people who can offer honest, valuable suggestions for
improvement.
Then practice. When you’re done, practice again. And
when you’re finished with that round, practice some
more. Practice out-loud, not just in your head. Practice
exactly the way you will present – standing (if
that’s the case), using PowerPoint or flipcharts or
whatever. I wrote earlier that there was no magic bullet.
Well the closest thing to one is practice. I’ve seen
it hundreds of times. The people who practice most are the
most at ease – and give the most polished and
professional presentations. Practice is the one thing that
can turn the deadliest public speaker into a master
presenter.
Finally, public speaking is no different from any other
skill. The more you do it, the better you get. If you are
only called upon to speak in public once a year, how can
you possibly hope to become accomplished, and thus, more
confident? Look for opportunities to present. Volunteer
(perish the thought!) to speak at the local Chamber or
community organization, your kid’s school, place of
worship, family gatherings, etc. Work your public speaking
chops, and before you know it, presenting will be second
nature.
Public speaking really isn’t rocket science. Think
about it. You stand up, open your mouth and say what you
have to say. Most of us can speak quite eloquently –
as long as it’s a casual conversation with family,
friends or co-workers. Put us in front of a roomful of
strangers or worse, business colleagues, and we freeze.
Take the time to prepare your content. Anticipate any
potential complications and plan accordingly. Practice,
practice, practice. And seek out opportunities to gain more
experience.
And before long you’ll push your imaginary
“fear of public speaking” way down to the
bottom of your list. After spiders, maybe.
A final thought... Pretend you're surrounded by one hundred
hungry tigers. What would you do? I don't know about you,
but I'd stop pretending.
----------------------------------------------------
Keith Harmeyer is EVP of Marketing and Creative Services at
C2 Creative in New York City. He is a marketing,
communication and presentation skills expert, author,
speaker and creator of The SuperSkill (sm), a proven method
for using traditional marketing techniques to achieve
personal and professional success. You can email Keith at
kaharmeyer@gmail.com, or visit his website at
http://www.thesuperskill.com .
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