Public speaking is one of the most dreaded tasks we all encounter at one point in our life. Regardless if you are in school, college or work, Public Speaking is a task we all have to undergo. Fear of speaking in public ranks second among the most common phobias (spiders is number one). To put things in perspective, people are more scared of speaking in public than death, marriage or bankruptcy. This feeling is common among most of us. Everyone shares the anxious feeling when there is a perception of being evaluated.
While anxiety is a common emotion, it can become a problem when it affects our functioning. In the case of public speaking, we start feeling anxious even before we start talking in front of people. In other words, we brace for impact before the impact. So why does this happen? Cognitively, anxiety serves as a reinforcer to a negative experience. In our minds, we start to associate displeasure with speaking in public. (A friend of mine commented that since childhood, while in school, the punishment was to go the chalk board and write. It could be that we might associate being in front of people as punishment as well). Any time we feel vulnerable, our first reaction is to retreat. The retreat is initiated by generating thoughts regarding our performance.
Here's the Good News on managing speech anxiety - I can tell you exactly how to control the over-creation of adrenalin within 15 minutes of you having to stand up to give a speech. I am going to inform you of a doctor-prescribed, safe, inexpensive and non-addictive pill (medication) that will eliminate your symptoms of fear almost instantaneously. Therefore, I can show you how to speak in public without the symptoms of feeling frightened. And if you can "speak in public without the symptoms of feeling frightened " guess what - YOU CAN SPEAK IN PUBLIC"! Since the pill is a doctor-prescribed medication, not an over-the-counter medication, you will have an opportunity to discuss it with your doctor to confirm that it is safe for you to take. But I can assure you - it is perfectly safe for the vast majority of us. This may sound too easy, but believe me once you learn the physical reason for your speech anxiety or stage fright , you will be able to speak in public better than you've ever thought possible.
Let me also say this up-front - The information I present here will help those with a moderate to serious fear of speaking in public, as well as give "an edge" to those who do not really fear public speaking, but just want to improve their performance . Those that have used this information successfully have included many in business who must routinely give presentations , show business folks who want to be able to deliver the best performance possible and those who just join an organization and must participate in large meetings once in a while. The symptoms of fear that I will explain how to control are identical to all of us. The only thing that separates us in terms of public speaking is the severity of those symptoms and how we're able to control them.
Another irrational thought is the belief that people will notice everything. This is known as the fallacy of exaggeration. During a speech, some of us will tremble a little. Because we are in constant self-evaluation during a stressful situation, we believe that people will notice. Finally, the last fallacy is the fallacy of perfection. There is an implied belief that we must execute the most perfect speech ever. We are our own toughest critic. We believe that mispronouncing a word or skipping a sentence will ruin the whole speech.
That was exactly my problem. For many years my fear of speaking in public kept me from advancement in my company because even though I was very competent in my field (in fact, more competent than many of my peers), I was perceived as not being as competent as those that could speak more authoritatively than I. It got so bad I had difficulty participating effectively in large meetings where I was an expert in the discussion area. I had to do something or my career, and my life for that matter, was going to be mediocre, at best and, at worst, a dismal failure.My background was research and so I began to investigate the causes of my inordinate fear to speak in public.Simply put - what I found changed my life forever and it will change yours too.When it comes to public speaking, there are several categories of people:About 5% of the population do not fear speaking in public at all and actually look forward to it in many cases. Another 10% are apprehensive to speak in public, but do not have a real fear of it.However, the vast majority of us (about 80%) have a mild to serious fear of speaking in public; we don't do it unless we have to and we tend to minimize the opportunities to speak in public if at all possible;
I should admit to you now that I have a serious, and at times, excessive fear of public speaking and am therefore in the "gray" zone between the 80% and 5% categories. Therefore, I know from experience what I am going to teach you will help the vast majority of everyone who has a fear of standing up and speaking in public. In addition, this information will also help those who do not really fear public speaking, but just want to give a better performance.This, of course, is a hard question to answer. For many of us the cause of a moderate to serious fear of speaking in public cannot be associated with anything in particular in our childhood. However for others, it can be traced back to a particular incident that has triggered the symptoms felt when faced with the necessity to speak in public. Some of us can vividly remember a particular incident in our lives where we became very self-conscious and embarrassed for some reason in front of a crowd of people. Often this incident occurred as far back as elementary school when our self-worth and self esteem were just beginning to develop and may not relate to actually speaking in public at all.
How many times have you heard someone talk and you feel lost? Once you know the material, you need to organize it in a coherent way. Ask yourself, what is the goal of my speech? Make sure you present your material in an organized way (beginning, middle and end). This process gives you a map that if lost, can help you find your way back. With practice, if you forget what you where saying will help you gather your thoughts and know where you were.
Once you have your game plan prepared, imagine yourself giving the speech. Visualization is a technique that helps you become familiar with the event. Imagine you are giving the speech in front of a big group. The more you practice the material and the more you see yourself doing it, the less anxious you will be. It is alright to have an error or two. Many people, as mentioned before, think that every word or every sentence must be perfect. Keep in mind that your audience does not know what you have planned for them. If you omit a word or sentence, they will not notice it.
Remember that public speaking anxiety is a self fulfilling prophecy. If you think the speech will go wrong, you will seek for validation of errors. Additionally, if you use visual aid make sure that if it does not work, you are prepared. That is why it is recommended for you to know the material. I have seen many presentations where the presenter relies heavily on the visual aid. Remember, the message is what is important. Everything else supplements your message.
Straight forward physical explanations for how you feel will get rid of unwanted emotional reactions. Try to think of or remember any effects that anxiety has on your body and think of the reasons for them.When you have finished your speech, enjoy the applause. Remember that applause and use it to counteract any negative thoughts you may have later. If, during the days after the speech you start to worry about it not being right or something, bring back the memory of your audience clapping appreciatively.Activities that can help to dispel anxiety include the following:Breathe in slowly and deeply, hold your breath for the count of 5 and then breathe out slowly. Repeat for up to 40 breaths.Go for a brisk walk, or do some other physical activity.Always give your speech or talk some serious thought and prepare well before hand. Your speech making will only get better!
While anxiety is a common emotion, it can become a problem when it affects our functioning. In the case of public speaking, we start feeling anxious even before we start talking in front of people. In other words, we brace for impact before the impact. So why does this happen? Cognitively, anxiety serves as a reinforcer to a negative experience. In our minds, we start to associate displeasure with speaking in public. (A friend of mine commented that since childhood, while in school, the punishment was to go the chalk board and write. It could be that we might associate being in front of people as punishment as well). Any time we feel vulnerable, our first reaction is to retreat. The retreat is initiated by generating thoughts regarding our performance.
Here's the Good News on managing speech anxiety - I can tell you exactly how to control the over-creation of adrenalin within 15 minutes of you having to stand up to give a speech. I am going to inform you of a doctor-prescribed, safe, inexpensive and non-addictive pill (medication) that will eliminate your symptoms of fear almost instantaneously. Therefore, I can show you how to speak in public without the symptoms of feeling frightened. And if you can "speak in public without the symptoms of feeling frightened " guess what - YOU CAN SPEAK IN PUBLIC"! Since the pill is a doctor-prescribed medication, not an over-the-counter medication, you will have an opportunity to discuss it with your doctor to confirm that it is safe for you to take. But I can assure you - it is perfectly safe for the vast majority of us. This may sound too easy, but believe me once you learn the physical reason for your speech anxiety or stage fright , you will be able to speak in public better than you've ever thought possible.
Let me also say this up-front - The information I present here will help those with a moderate to serious fear of speaking in public, as well as give "an edge" to those who do not really fear public speaking, but just want to improve their performance . Those that have used this information successfully have included many in business who must routinely give presentations , show business folks who want to be able to deliver the best performance possible and those who just join an organization and must participate in large meetings once in a while. The symptoms of fear that I will explain how to control are identical to all of us. The only thing that separates us in terms of public speaking is the severity of those symptoms and how we're able to control them.
Another irrational thought is the belief that people will notice everything. This is known as the fallacy of exaggeration. During a speech, some of us will tremble a little. Because we are in constant self-evaluation during a stressful situation, we believe that people will notice. Finally, the last fallacy is the fallacy of perfection. There is an implied belief that we must execute the most perfect speech ever. We are our own toughest critic. We believe that mispronouncing a word or skipping a sentence will ruin the whole speech.
That was exactly my problem. For many years my fear of speaking in public kept me from advancement in my company because even though I was very competent in my field (in fact, more competent than many of my peers), I was perceived as not being as competent as those that could speak more authoritatively than I. It got so bad I had difficulty participating effectively in large meetings where I was an expert in the discussion area. I had to do something or my career, and my life for that matter, was going to be mediocre, at best and, at worst, a dismal failure.My background was research and so I began to investigate the causes of my inordinate fear to speak in public.Simply put - what I found changed my life forever and it will change yours too.When it comes to public speaking, there are several categories of people:About 5% of the population do not fear speaking in public at all and actually look forward to it in many cases. Another 10% are apprehensive to speak in public, but do not have a real fear of it.However, the vast majority of us (about 80%) have a mild to serious fear of speaking in public; we don't do it unless we have to and we tend to minimize the opportunities to speak in public if at all possible;
I should admit to you now that I have a serious, and at times, excessive fear of public speaking and am therefore in the "gray" zone between the 80% and 5% categories. Therefore, I know from experience what I am going to teach you will help the vast majority of everyone who has a fear of standing up and speaking in public. In addition, this information will also help those who do not really fear public speaking, but just want to give a better performance.This, of course, is a hard question to answer. For many of us the cause of a moderate to serious fear of speaking in public cannot be associated with anything in particular in our childhood. However for others, it can be traced back to a particular incident that has triggered the symptoms felt when faced with the necessity to speak in public. Some of us can vividly remember a particular incident in our lives where we became very self-conscious and embarrassed for some reason in front of a crowd of people. Often this incident occurred as far back as elementary school when our self-worth and self esteem were just beginning to develop and may not relate to actually speaking in public at all.
How many times have you heard someone talk and you feel lost? Once you know the material, you need to organize it in a coherent way. Ask yourself, what is the goal of my speech? Make sure you present your material in an organized way (beginning, middle and end). This process gives you a map that if lost, can help you find your way back. With practice, if you forget what you where saying will help you gather your thoughts and know where you were.
Once you have your game plan prepared, imagine yourself giving the speech. Visualization is a technique that helps you become familiar with the event. Imagine you are giving the speech in front of a big group. The more you practice the material and the more you see yourself doing it, the less anxious you will be. It is alright to have an error or two. Many people, as mentioned before, think that every word or every sentence must be perfect. Keep in mind that your audience does not know what you have planned for them. If you omit a word or sentence, they will not notice it.
Remember that public speaking anxiety is a self fulfilling prophecy. If you think the speech will go wrong, you will seek for validation of errors. Additionally, if you use visual aid make sure that if it does not work, you are prepared. That is why it is recommended for you to know the material. I have seen many presentations where the presenter relies heavily on the visual aid. Remember, the message is what is important. Everything else supplements your message.
Straight forward physical explanations for how you feel will get rid of unwanted emotional reactions. Try to think of or remember any effects that anxiety has on your body and think of the reasons for them.When you have finished your speech, enjoy the applause. Remember that applause and use it to counteract any negative thoughts you may have later. If, during the days after the speech you start to worry about it not being right or something, bring back the memory of your audience clapping appreciatively.Activities that can help to dispel anxiety include the following:Breathe in slowly and deeply, hold your breath for the count of 5 and then breathe out slowly. Repeat for up to 40 breaths.Go for a brisk walk, or do some other physical activity.Always give your speech or talk some serious thought and prepare well before hand. Your speech making will only get better!
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