I thought, “I have a lot to cover in this 90-minute class.”
But I was done in 5 minutes!
There I stood, with 28 college students looking at me. I knew I had nothing else to say. Unfortunately they also knew I had nothing else to say. I instantly sported a sheen of sweat.
Had I not signed a contract to teach that class I might not be the Founder of Speak For Yourself® today! I was forced to show up at Richland College every Tuesday and Thursday for 16 weeks. That was 32 class sessions in case you didn’t do the math.
It was a powerful lesson about perseverance and practice.
And now…
I warn all of my fabulous clients that speaker anxiety is part of the game of speaking. You won’t get rid of it. In fact, you want that adrenaline edge. You learn how to dance with that demon and use that extra energy in a positive vs. negative way.
Some of those demon-dance steps include practice, perseverance, time, rinse and repeat.
I taught at Richland College for 10 years. The first class of each semester lasted the full 90 minutes… to their chagrin!
One of my coping mechanisms then and now … I wear cotton. You want to be in control of your potential physical side effects of speaker anxiety.
🎤 The Truth: It’s not hard to give a speech. It’s hard to start and it’s hard to shut up!
If you are speaking about what you know about and have earned the right to talk about… you will be able to give that speech with ease. At Speak For Yourself® we spend the majority of our time with clients working on the bookends of their presentations – how to begin and how to conclude.
Communication Myth #2: Getting rid of nervousness is your goal.
🎤 The Truth: You will never eradicate your nerves… and you don’t want to. Nervousness equals adrenaline equals energy.
The goal is to channel your nerves in a positive direction. Again, we’ve worked with many leaders, and blogged about how to embrace stage fright. Trying to delete all traces of nervousness creates one more layer of unnecessary aggravation.
Communication Myth #3: Sharing data gets your point across.
🎤 The Truth: A compelling presentation is never just about the data.
Your info comes alive when your data is paired with examples, stories, humor, visuals and metaphors/analogies. Watch football, soccer, basketball? Two announcers “call” the game. One shares the play-by-play and the other gives color commentary. Your challenge is to “call” your game using both of these voices. Data + color = retention of info.
How do we know that you believe these myths?
Given the years of experience working with our clients across many industries these myths persist.
Try Haupt’s ideas for taming your qualms – whether you’re at the lectern/board meeting/strategy retreat or 30,000 feet above it.
✈️ Tip One: Do your due diligence
To get calmer, Haupt suggests you “fly best if you understand everything about your trip—including what type of plane, the forecast, and expected turbulence.” There’s even a link to get turbulence info!
🎤 Same strategy for your next speaking or meeting event. Find out all the details up front from logistics to audience analysis to possible contentious topics. Fewer surprises equals more predictability.
✈️ Tip Two: Establish some sense of control over your environment.
On the plane bring your own pillow, blanket and music. Close the window shade, listen to your playlist, breathe deeply and visualize a tranquil space you’ve visited before.
Bonus Tip: Arrive early for your flights AND for your presentations
🎤 Back to earth… before your speaking engagement I recommend that you
listen to your favorite upbeat music
breathe in slowly, hold for 4 seconds and exhale slowly (repeating 3 times)
picture your past positive speaking engagements.
✈️ Tip 3: Journal your positive mantra.
On the plane you might say or write, “I’m ok. I’m safe. Planes aren’t so bad.”
🎤 On your way to the mic, repeat your pre-planned positive mantra. I ask all my clients to design this personal phrase. Some examples, “I got this”; “I know that I know”; “Fake it till you make it”.
✈️ Tip 4: Consider Exposure Therapy.
Haupt says that if you can’t shake the fear of flying than gradually expose yourself to flying. You might visualize the process of boarding a plane up to facing the fear directly by climbing onto a stationary plane.
🎤 Similarly, for speaking anxiety take baby steps. Speak up at the least stressful venues such as dinner with friends, your place of worship or a community project you’re passionate about. Then up your game gradually to business settings.
Bottom line
✈️ 🎤 I hope these strategies make you more comfortable with public speaking rather than less comfortable getting on an airplane! Have safe travels and calmer speaking gigs! 🎤 ✈️
My first class I taught at Richland College…
“If your heart takes a nosedive while flying, you’re not alone.”
