You are not alone in dealing with public speaking nervousness. As CEO of Speak For Yourself® I have worked with 100s of clients from a variety of industries on this issue.
Over time I’ve written a couple of books on communication and selling and many articles on speaker anxiety.
Today “13” is your lucky number! My new e-book is a compilation of our top 13 short and strategic articles covering all angles of how to handle the fear of speaking once your name is called out, the crowd is applauding and you’re centerstage.
You’ll enjoy and gain usable strategies to get your nerves to work for you rather than against you.
I laugh with my clients when I tell them I’ll be their “ledge whisperer” on this issue. And I hope to be that same ledge-whisperer for you.
➜ If you’d like your free copy of this e-book send me an email (karen@karencortellreisman.com) with “Speaker Anxiety” in the Subject Line.
Breathe, enjoy and read this book.
You’ll get off that ledge and on to your next stage, boardroom or team meeting.
Fear of public speaking is a common form of anxiety. Everyone gets nervous before giving a speech. Full disclosure – I get nervous too. In fact I rarely eat much before a presentation. (About 15 minutes into my speech or workshop I’m starving!)
How can anxiety be useful in public speaking?
Public speaking creates an increase in adrenaline. What you do with this extra jolt separates those that become miserable at the lectern vs those that become more energized.
How can you capitalize on this extra jolt of energy?
Accept the obvious. Do NOT wish this anxiety to go away. That takes you down a slippery negative slope. You can’t undo these nerves and then you feel even more anxiety when the nervousness persists!
Do the reverse. Say to yourself, “Great – I’ve got this extra energy. All good.”
Think of this boost of adrenaline as a shot of caffeine.
Do all of the steps we’ve blogged about to ensure your success, like being prepared, knowing your audience, getting to the venue early, drinking room temp water, practicing out loud and doing some pre vocal warmups.
What happens if you are NOT nervous/excited?
What if your upcoming speech is the 29th time you’re giving the exact same message? You’re almost lethargic. Not good!
Find ways to add some nervousness/energy … as counter-intuitive as this sounds.
Shake it up – rework your topic.
Create new visuals.
Try new material.
The paradox of the fear of public speaking
You need the extra adrenaline. Use it to add more energy to your delivery. It’s a good thing.
Author: Karen Cortell Reisman is Founder of Speak For Yourself®, a communication consulting firm, and the author of 2 books on how to communicate. She lives in Dallas, Texas and she always has nuts or a protein bar with her at a speaking gig to snack on once her appetite kicks in.
While your spatial movement comes in last place in this triad, it’s got the power to cement what you’re showing and saying in the brain cells of your audience.
Your movement do’s
Walk on & pause before talking & establish eye contact with your group.
Face the audience.
Stand with arms resting at your sides, when not gesturing.
Stand with weight evenly distributed on both feet.
Be natural. Use your hands & arms.
Sit with good posture, if seated. (And don’t rock in your chair!)
Move around with purpose.
Speak on Point #1, then move.
Speak on Point #2, then move.
When you move quickly, you stir the audience. When you move slowly you keep them entranced.
Stand CENTER STAGE for your most important comments.
Post speech: pause w eye contact before leaving stage.
Your movement don’ts
Box Trot: Moving around in an imaginary square.
Cha-Cha-Cha: Taking one step forward and one step back repetitively.
Tennis Game: Pacing back and forth. Is your audience watching a tennis match?
Cruise Ship: Swaying … shifting your weight from leg to leg.
Fiddling Fingers: Picking at your cuticles.
Fig Leaf: Hands clasped below your waist.
Parade Rest: Hands clasped behind your back.
Stern Father: Arms crossed just below your chest.
Thigh Intrigue: Hands in your pockets.
Pen/Paper Massage: Playing with laser pointer, pen, and/or paper.
Arthritic Arm: One hand holding the opposite arm.
Itchy Face & Scalp Disease: Hands on your face or in your hair.
Your secret communication weapon
Move with purpose. Don’t detract from your message by being unaware of your stance, posture and gestures.
It’s not about speaking… it’s about getting heard!
Author: Karen Cortell Reisman is Founder of Speak For Yourself®, a communication consulting firm, and the author of 2 books on how to communicate. She lives in Dallas, Texas and admires the tenacity of mosquitos even with their limited attention spans.
What to learn how to cook filet mignon? There’s an app for that. Looking for good places to go mountain biking? Yep. There’s an app for that, too. There are apps for every iphone/ipad user. Here are 3 excellent iphone and ipad apps for public speakers:
Speaker APP 1 – mPrompt: mPrompt is a “teleprompter” app that allows you to use your iphone (or ipad) screen as a teleprompter. You can download and edit the speeches directly to the app and change fonts and colors of words to remind you to emphasize certain points. The speed of text flow is also customizable. It can be used with an LCD projector or on its own! At a low price of just $1.99, this app is perfect for those who want to regulate speech flow and speed.
Speaker APP 2 – Infonet Presenter: Infonet presenter is an all in one presentation displayer that can download many types of files. It is perfect for organizing a presentation, copy and pasting photos and videos, and the slides can be used as a whiteboard. This app is perfect for teachers and presenters trying to educate through this medium (appadvice.com)
Speaker APP 3 – KeyNote: Every Keynote speaker should own this app! It is the single most comprehensive and elegant slide presentation creator in the App store. The app comes with built in start-up slides for slide that feature clear, crisp designs. This app makes flawless charts and is compatible with other similar apps. The sophisticated design and animated transitions will have your audiences enthralled.
Thank you to Drs. Kevin Harrison and Dianna Montoya for inviting me to speak; and for putting together a great group of dental offices. We had a really fun morning learning about how to communicate trust and grow your dental practices.
Dr. Kevin Harrison and Dr. Dianna Montoya with Karen
Dr. Frank Montoya and Dr. Dianna Montoya with Karen
You are not alone in dealing with public speaking nervousness. As CEO of Speak For Yourself® I have worked with 100s of clients from a variety of industries on this issue.
