ABOUT THE FEAR OF SPEAKING IN PUBLIC

ABOUT THE FEAR OF SPEAKING IN PUBLIC

FACT 1:

You are not the only one in fear of speaking in public. Survey

results show that about 99.9% of adults suffered from fear of

speaking in public.

FACT 2:

Limited amount of audience fright is useful. When you notice

your pulse beating faster, don’t panic. If this physical reaction

is held within limits, you will be capable of thinking faster,

talking more fluently with greater intensity, because your body

then is more alert than under normal circumstances.

FACT 3:

World’s greatest speakers could never completely lose all

audience fright. It is always present just before they speak and

persists through the first few sentences.

FACT 4:

The main reason for your fear of Public speaking is simply that

you are not accustomed to speak in public. The solution is only

one, Practice.

DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE

Strike a deathblow to fear. Because fear defeats more people

than any other thing in the world. This topic will help you from

dying again and again before the real death comes. If you are

living, live a fuller life. Do not live a life wherein in every step

you face a small death out of fear and feeling of inferiority.

Follow the suggestions and be a stronger person, one you want

to admire and respect. Fear can be overcome by confidence

and confidence can be gained by

KNOWLEDGE: What, When, Where, Why, Whom, How

EXPERIENCE: You get when you don’t get what you want. It

comes from PRACTICE. Utilize every opportunity to practice.

No one can learn to speak in public without speaking in public

again and again, just like the truth that you cannot learn to

swim without getting into the water. This is exactly the reason

why you will be asked to speak in front of the audience in

every session of this course.

OVERCOME THE FEAR - PRACTICE YOU NEED

PHYSICAL: Your Posture, Gestures, Body Language, Facial

Expressions, Voice, Tone, Breathing, Matter and Contents,

Examples and Experiences you share, your Speech Structuring.

MENTAL: What happens inside you. Your (+ve or –ve)

Thoughts, Feelings, Beliefs, Nervous Energy, Focus.

OVERCOME STAGE FRIGHT AND NERVOUSNESS

Act like three-year young kids. This will bring you out of your

inhibitions for good. You will rediscover yourself. To feel

nervous is actually nervous energy. If controlled, directed and

properly channelized it is a strength and vigor – Your Strength

an asset for you. If it is not properly controlled and directed it

is a weakness – a liability.

BASICS RULES OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

In this session you will be exposed to basic rules of public

speaking. Once you adhere to these rules you can never fail in

a public situation. In fact skill in speaking in public, develops

the enthusiasm to speak in public. And through enthusiasm one

good performance lifts your attitude up. You will develop your

own style of public speaking as you give one performance after

another. But without basic track on methods that first good

performance is not possible. This session will give you those

fundamental rules, which would steer you towards the very

important first good performance. Thereafter you improve your

own style adding your own individual characteristics in

yourself?

1. HUMANISE YOUR TALK

Remember no one wants to be lectured to. No one enjoys that.

Hence, follow the human interest suggestion and talk to your

audience connecting the subject matter to a human being you

know. For instance if you want to tell the audience ‘how to

succeed’ and go on telling them some rules, they may not pay

any attention to you. But on the other hand if you tell the story

of two persons, one who succeeded and another who failed,

your audience will gladly listen to it, remember it and possibly

profit by it. Never tell your audience cold facts or principles.

2. PERSONALISE YOUR TALK

The richest source of such human-interest material is your own

background. Do not hesitate to tell your audience about your

experiences because of some strange feeling that you should

not talk about yourself. The only time an audience objects to

hearing a person talk about himself is when he does it in an

offensive, egotistical way. Otherwise the audience is

tremendously interested in personal stories that speakers tell

them. This is the surest means of getting attention. Whenever

possible personalize your talk. Another reason of personalizing

is that about anything concerning yourself. You are the

authority, hence you will deliver, a more confident talk about

your own experience than a second hand experience.

3. LOOK INSIDE YOURSELF FOR TOPICS

As a beginner public speaker, the best way to get a topic,

which would provide all necessary power, i.e. reserve power,

confidence and authenticity, is to talk about any interesting

incident that perhaps happened in your childhood in your small

village. Talk from your heart, not from a book.

4. RESTRICT YOUR SUBJECT TO FIT THE TIME AT YOUR

DISPOSAL

Decide on the number of points you can clearly establish in a

given time. Do not attempt to tell the history of watch making

to tell the time. Be crisp, brief and clear.

5. ARRANGE YOUR IDEAS IN SEQUENCE

The process of your talk, for example, should begin at the raw

material stage then move through the various manufacturing

steps that produce the finished product.

6. NUMBER YOUR POINTS AS YOU MAKE THEM

The simplest way to keep a talk crisp in the minds of your

listeners is to mention plainly as you go along that you are

taking up first one point then another.

7. GIVE EXAMPLE IF NECESSARY

Sometimes you will find yourself searching for words to make

your points clear. Try to compare your point with an example,

which is familiar to your audience.

8. PAINT YOUR POINT AS A PICTURE

As you clarify your point the audience should be able to

visualize a picture in their minds. Let them see a picture as you

describe. Our ear impression alone is hard to retain. But eye

impression retains longer.

9. CONVINCE YOURSELF FIRST

When the purpose of our talk is to convince, it is necessary to

set forth our own ideas with the inner glow that comes from

sincere conviction. We must first be convinced before we

attempt to convince others.

10. SPEAK WITH CONTAGIOUS ENTHUSIASM

When your aim is to convince, remember it is more productive

to stir emotions than to arouse thoughts. Feelings are more

powerful than cold ideas. To arouse feelings one must be

intensely earnest. Your spirit shining through your eyes,

radiating through your voice and proclaiming itself through

your manner, will communicate itself to your audience. You

have to reveal to your audience how deeply you yourself

believe in what you say.

12. SHOW RESPECT AND AFFECTION FOR YOUR

AUDIENCE

Every human being has an inner sense of worth, of importance,

of dignity. Wound that feeling-you have lost that person

forever. When you love and respect a person you build him up,

and accordingly he loves and respects you.

13. BEGIN IN A FRIENDLY WAY

Since pride is such a fundamentally explosive characteristic of

human nature, wouldn’t it be wise to get a man’s pride working

for you instead of against you? Almost everyday of your life

you are talking to people who differ from you on some subject

under discussion. Aren’t you constantly trying to win people to

your way of thinking, at home, in the office, in social situations

of all kinds? How do you improve your methods? By beginning

in a friendly way.

14. WAIT! WAIT! WAIT!

· Do not be in a hurry to start your talk as you face the

audience.

· Stand on both your legs.

· Pause and do a brief Audience Survey by giving them a

BIG SMILE.

· Relax! and focus on your breathing. Do not force or strain

on your voice.

· Mind your Body Language.

· Never start your talk with an apology and never be

apologetic in your talk.

· Do not speak when you are tired. Take a pause.

· On completion of your talk don’t be in hurry to go. SMILE,

receive acknowledge and then leave.

· Delivering your presentations effectively involves using a

proven four-step process:

15. Plan, Prepare, Practice, and Present.

PRESENTATION GUIDELINES

1. Plan

Ø Describe your audience.(Who,Why,What,When,Whom,How).

Their Knowledge, Experience, Needs, Goals.

Ø Define the purpose of your talk based on the outcome you

seek with your audience.

Ø (Who,Why,What,When,Whom,How). The talk is to Inform,

Persuade, Motivate to action, Sell, Teach, Train.

2. Prepare

Ø Establish a positive Mind-Set. You must Value your message.

Visualize yourself succeeding. Visualize your audience

responding. Give yourself pep talks. Feel positive about your

talk.

Ø Prepare an attention-getting Opening

¨ Use a question related to audience need.

¨ Pay a sincere compliment.

¨ Relate a relevant incident. (from your own experience)

¨ Arouse Curiosity.

¨ Illustration, Diagram, Facts & Figures.

¨ Story, Poem, Quotation, or Humour.

Ø Illustrate and support Key Points with evidence and visuals.

Use Statistics, Analogies, Demonstrations, Testimonials,

Incidents, Exhibits

Ø Prepare a memorable Close

¨ Dramatize your ideas.

¨ Throw down a challenge.

¨ Use a motivating statement.

¨ Restate the key benefit.

¨ Deliver a convincing summary.

3. Practice

Ø Build your confidence and effectiveness by establishing for

yourself.

¨ Why you have earned the right to deliver this talk.

¨ Why you are excited about the subject.

¨ Why you are eager to share with your audience.

Ø Practice your presentation and review your visuals for

Clarity, Relevancy, Eye-appeal, Visibility, Quality,

Memorability

Ø Practice your presentation before an audience, coach, video

camera, mirror, family members. Receive feedback and

coaching on Strong opening, Clarity in key points, Logical

flow, Credible evidence.

Ø Also receive feedback and coaching on Memorable close,

Clarity of message, Identifying distracting mannerisms,

Results achieved

4. Present

Ø Make a Positive First Impression

¨ Establish eye-contact and SMILE.

¨ Display poised, confident body language. Stand Erect

without any support.

¨ Be relaxed.

¨ Be well groomed.

Ø Build rapport with the audience

¨ Be sincere.

¨ Be yourself.

¨ Say “we” not “you.”

¨ Talk in terms of your audience’s interest.

¨ Involve your audience.

Ø Hold the attention of the audience:

¨ Be enthusiastic.

¨ Use vivid words and Emphasize key words.

¨ Express yourself clearly and concisely.

¨ Tell a story.

¨ Have an upbeat voice. Don’t be monotonous, use voice

modulation.

¨ Have proper body animation. Gestures, Eye-contact.

¨ Vary your Tone.

Ø Strive for continuous improvement:

¨ Measure the success of your talk.

¨ Identify the strengths as well as areas to improve.

¨ Decide how you will improve the next talk.

Remember the following 11 points, which would

guide you to successful public speaking.

1. Talk about something that you earn the right to talk about

through your own experience.

2. Talk about something you are excited about.

3. Talk about something you are eager to tell your audience about.

4. Make brief notes of interesting things you want to mention.

5. Don’t write out your talks.

6. Don’t memorize the talk word for word.

7. Fill your talk with illustrations and examples.

8. Know ten times as much about your subject as you use.

9. Rehearse your talk by conversing with your friends.

10. Don’t worry about delivery.

11. Don’t imitate others, be yourself.

SOME MORE TIPS MAKING AND PRESENTING A SPEECH

1. Find out as much about your audience as you can.

The more you get a feel for them in advance the easier it will

be to talk to them. Equally, it will help you write your

presentation as you will know what they want to hear.

2. Have a message.

Work out what your key message will be, before you start

producing your presentation. Ideally your key message should

invite the audience to take some action or to think differently in

some way.

3. Text first, slides last.

Write the outline of your talk, before you start producing any

slides. Otherwise, you will get bogged down with slide design

and multimedia tricks, which will rob you of the time you need

to get the 'script' right.

4. Remember the 3Es.

Look through your notes and find things that need emphasis,

explanation or which could entertain the audience. These are

where you will need slides. (The concept is known as the 'three

E's of slide making.)

5. Practice your presentation thoroughly.

Don't just run it through 'in your head', but say it out loud,

even walking about and preferably in the room that you will

use for your presentation. You will feel much more comfortable

and less nervous when you come to do it for real.

6. Know your material

If you know your material you will be more convincing to your

audience AND you will feel less nervous.

7. Practice your breathing

Breath deeply using your abdominal muscles to draw in as

much air as possible. Such deep breathing will help reduce your

nerves and make you sound better.

8. Try to make lots of eye contact

Whenever possible make lots and lots of eye contact with your

audience. They will warm to you and you will get lots of

positive feedback, helping reduce your nerves.

9. Get some exercise

A brisk walk, or a swim, in the couple of hours before your

presentation will change your body chemistry and make you

less nervous.

10. Chew a mint

If you chew mints before your presentation you will be less

nervous. It helps reduce adrenaline and also helps prevent dry

mouth.

Remember, Public Speaking is like flying an aeroplane,

you first need to ground your self before take off. Then

have a smooth and flawless take off, steer through the

winds – clouds, with all the risks involved, with a very

clear destination. When you see your destination you

need to again have a smooth and gradual landing and

again grounding yourself.