A survey was recently taken showing that the top fear is public speaking. The fear of death was later on down the list. Do you know what that means? It means most people would rather die that speak in public! How about you ? How do you feel about public speaking? Having coached thousands of people in the last 30 years , I can assure you that there is hope. Many of my clients were terrified of speaking in front of a group of people, then as they learned the 7 Tips they start to relax and even become exceptional at public speaking. I remember one client in particular who did such an about face, that by the end of the coaching, she decided to become a professional speaker! Now you can learn the 7 Tips: Tip 1: Normalize your fear. In other words, be aware that just about everyone shares this fear. It is normal in our society. Tip2. Remember that your thoughts create your reality. If you tell yourself , I am a terrible public speaker, then youll become that which you think. Tip 3. Remember to visualize how you want to see yourself being. How would you ideally like to feel when speaking in front of people? Would you like to be calm and relaxed? Start visualizing yourself as a calm and relaxed speaker, and step inside of the picture and feel the feelings as if they are happening right now. Tip 4. Give your self a positive verbal suggestion, such as I am a calm, confident, dynamic public speaker. I personally used that one and within a short period of time I became what I affirmed. Tip 5. Ask yourself why you are afraid? Did a negative episode happen in your life where you where ridiculed or judged? If so, a part of you decided, Ill never do that again. It became your survival strategy. Healing that wound will require that you ask the scared part what it would need to feel safe. A client of mine, the other day said just that to her scared part . It became clear that her scared part would only be willing to speak up if it was being heard by a friendly, supportive audience, where mistakes were allowed. Tip 6. Find a person who will listen with support and encouragement, like a coach or a mentor. Then role play with that person until you feel comfortable speaking. Tip 7. Speak from your heart. Realize that your speaking is a gift. It is benefitting the listener. Become passionate about what you say . Focus on them, not you. This is about them and what you have to give to them. A personal note: at one point I was nervous about public speaking. I followed all of the suggestions that I mentioned above. In addition, whenever I speak, I carry some 3x5 cards in my hand with sufficient notes. That way I know that if I get lost or distracted , I have something to bring me back on track. |
