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Sunday, July 11, 2010

Public Speaking for the Rest of US

Most people would rather do most anything than give a speech in front of a group. According to The Book of Lists, public speaking is the foremost fear in the world ranking higher than bugs, heights, deep water and even death. For some it just seems to come naturally, but for others there is drama, fear and ultimately brain shut down once in front of a group. Here are some ideas on preparing for the ultimate presentation, whether it is for your work, your church or that big conversation over the dinner table where all big decisions are really made. And remember, fear is a great motivator. To overcome your fear, you should take the time to know more on the topic than you need, practice, practice, practice, and find a way to connect wit your listener.

According to writer and speaker Dorothy Leeds in her book PowerSpeak, here are a few keys to breaking through the first gauntlet for great public speaking: FEAR

1. Admit your fear
2. Tap the energy that the fear produces
3. Recognize that fear is normal
4. Realize that your fear does not have to show
5. See yourself as a powerful speaker
6. See your audience as an ally
7. Speak about something that you care about
8. Combine preparation with practice
9. Devise tricks to psych out your fear (pretend everyone is in their underwear as Winston Churchill would do)
10. Don’t beat yourself up and keep it positive

We all have personal and professional goals, but one of the best recommendations from Leeds book is to make controlling your fear of public speaking a professional project. If you are good at anything from riding a bike to flying a plane, you had to practice and overcome a fear and public speaking is no different. So get out there and find ways to create opportunities to practice.

Poor speakers appear unclear of purpose, unorganized, and may be just too wordy. The audience comes away with that painful, bored to tears look on their face, or worse uninspired to act. Getting better is a lot easier when you realize what good really looks like, so find a mentor or someone to listen to you practice. Here is a note of caution to anyone who wants to listen, and that is DON’T GET YOUR MOM OR SPOUSE to watch you practice for the purpose of critique. What you don’t need is someone to tell you “You did great Honey!” The exception here is my husband who I require to tell me at least one thing to do better or differently. You want someone to really challenge you, to ask you what you think you can do better or differently and really make your speech or talk believable and interesting.

Lastly, take the time to really think and brood over what you want to say. Again, according to Leeds book, Abraham Lincoln was a notorious brooder, but as history shows, it truly paid off. Lincoln would think on his speech for days and keep little notes tucked into his hat. Up until the last moment he would ponder and polish, and now we know “Four score and seven years ago…….”

1 comment:

  1. Your advice is reasonable. Why did you ruin things by beginning with an overblown claim about the tired old 1977 Book of Lists? It surveyed adults in the US, not the world. You could have quoted another survey, like the 2001 Gallup poll. See:
    http://joyfulpublicspeaking.blogspot.com/2011/08/20-fears-for-new-millennium-replacing.html

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