FEAR of Public Speaking
By : Doreen Hughes , Open For Business Consulting
OpenForBusinessConsulting @ gmail . com
Fear of public speaking is a common form of anxiety . It can range from slight nervousness to paralyzing fear and panic . Many people with this fear avoid public speaking situations altogether , or they suffer through them with shaking , sweaty hands , red blotchy face and a quavering voice . Is the fear of public speaking holding you back from the big job promotion you rightfully deserve ? Are you in fear of taking the next bold step in your career ? Do you sit in the back of the room in fear of being called upon ? Does this sound like you ? Well the good news is , with preparation and persistence , you can overcome your fear . Yes , you heard me right !
Practice , practice and then do it again and again ! Practice your complete presentation several times . Do it in front of people you ' re comfortable with and ask for feedback . It may also be helpful to practice with a few people with whom you ' re less familiar .
Consider making a video of your presentation so you can watch it and see opportunities for improvement . During the video playback , listen to your voice tone . Are you talking too fast and your words become a jumbled mess ? Are the words simple not there and you are saying “ ums and ahs ” a million times ? Are you using the word killers “ like ” or “ like you know ” a gazillion times ? Webster calls these disfluencies , which generally weaken your message . They ’ re distracting for your listeners and they make you sound bad and diminishes your credibility !
The first and most important step towards improving your speaking skill is to become aware of your distracting speech habits . Start counting , yes that ’ s right ; start counting the number of times you say these disfluencies . You will be shocked , as I was when I did this exercise myself .
Get organized ahead of time , carefully plan out the information you want to present , including any props , audio or visual aids . The more organized you are , the less nervous you ' ll be . Use an outline on a small card to stay on track . If possible , visit the place where you ' ll be speaking and review available equipment before your presentation .
Do some deep breathing . This can be very calming . Take two or more deep , slow breaths before you get up to the podium and during your speech . Most importantly remember we are here to support you ! The good news ! The League City Regional Chamber of Commerce is starting our very own Toastmasters Club . Participation in the Toastmasters Club is open to all chamber members in good standing .
For more information please visit ; http :// www . leaguecitychamber . com / toastmasters
MOMENTUM / August 2018 18