Comments on: How to use your fear of public speaking to be a better speaker

By: Olivia Mitchell

Olivia Mitchell — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 06:03:04 +0000

Hi Kane
It’s very frustrating to stand up and forget all the material that you’ve carefully planned. Or to find when you sit back down that there was a crucial point that you missed.

I’ll write a post on this issue, but in the meantime here are two tips:

1. Create yourself some notes and train yourself while you’re rehearsing to look at them when you’re not sure what to say next.
2. Create a handout for the audience with all your critical points. That way if you miss something critical you can comfort yourself with the thought that at least it’s in the handout.

Hope this helps.
Olivia

By: kane

kane — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 05:31:15 +0000

Olivia Mitchell,
I have to say that this topic is what I always confronted with. Every time ,I stand up on
the group of people, what I prepared before are gone, after I finished the presentation, finding that the content prepared for the presentation was missed?

By: Olivia Mitchell

Olivia Mitchell — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:20:58 +0000

Great points Trudy – thanks for your input. It’s interesting how nerves after a long break can catch you unawares.

For others who have problems with going too fast see this post http://www.speakingaboutpresenting.com/delivery/dont-slow-down-effective-presenter/

Olivia

By: Trudy

Trudy — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:03:50 +0000

I used to be really good at public speaking because I would channel in on my nerves and turn it into passion and excitement. But after a long break from public speaking, I got up in front of a group and was sooo nervous and excited that I spoke so rapidly that my speech was over and done with a lot quicker than I expected. The feedback I got from my audience was that they couldn’t remember what I had said, because I had rushed through it so quickly.

While it’s important to be passionate and excited about what you are delivering, it’s also important to remember to have breaks/pauses in your speech. Pause and stress the important points to give your audience time to soak in and think about what you are saying. As a result, your speech will be so much more effective and enjoyable.

By: Olivia Mitchell

Olivia Mitchell — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:02:29 +0000

Hi Danna

Thanks for your contribution. Being out of the comfort zone can be a great motivator. But preparation doesn’t always help overcome fear. You can be incredibly prepared for an event and still be nervous.

Olivia

By: Danna Ntaka

Danna Ntaka — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 19:43:32 +0000

Thank you, Olivia. I agree with your position on using fear as a motivator. Some of the greatest masterpieces have been created while out of the creators’ comfort zones. Fear of public speaking is one of the most common fears. I recently read a poll that reported that some people would rather have dental work than deliver a speech!

This technique of using fear as a motivator can be adopted in any field. Today many people who have lost jobs have used fear as an ally, by pursuing a business they have always considered or training for a new career. Real estate expert Carlton Sheets speaks of how he started his successful coaching business while out of his usual ‘comfort zone’. The cliche’ “Necessity is the mother of invention” definitely has merit.

Fear of anything can be crippling. The only way to overcome fear is to meet the fear face to face. Preparation truly arms us with the the confidence needed to be triumphant over our fears.

By: The three causes of fear of public speaking (and what you can do about them) : Speaking about Presenting

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:16:31 +0000

[...] nervous’ – see New Brain nervousness below) you’ll make it worse. In this post How to use your fear of public speaking to make you a better speaker I’ve written about three specific ways to accept your [...]

By: Public Speaking Courses

Public Speaking Courses — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:23:57 +0000

Great point abobut the adrenalin. I can’t imagine an ethics committee allowing that sort of thig these days, but it does prove the point that we interpret our environment to see what we want.

Cheers

Darren Fleming
Australia’s Public Speaking Coach

By: Neil Malek

Neil Malek — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 06:47:17 +0000

This is an excellent example of a ‘first instruction’ post. When you’re teaching someone to ‘get over’ the ‘jitters,’ often times they’re not able to get over them right away. Or, in other situations, the individual has a day job – they can’t devote the energy to really conquering their stage fright. In this situation, the best advice really is – divert that nervous energy to something constructive.

Like your mother told you when you started bouncing around the house – why don’t you use all that energy to take out the trash?

Every now and then, I run into Problem #1, or the problem attached to your third point. When you approach your presentation as if you’ve seen and done it all before, you’re shortchanging the people who have spent their time, energy, and oftentimes money, to hear what you have to say.

At the same time, if you have too much adrenaline fueling that passion… well, things can get a bit messy, hectic, and rushed. Learning to throttle your energy is one of those things a speaker can devote oodles of time to.

Thanks for the article!

By: Max Atkinson

Max Atkinson — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:19:24 +0000

You’re dead right about complacency being a dangerous enemy.

Many moons ago, I had to speak at an IBM venue near Brussels. A flight traffic controllers’ strike meant that we were diverted to another airport and, after a frantic taxi drive, I ended up walking into the lecture theatre one minute late as I was taking my coat off. To my surprise, after all that stress, it went very well.

A few weeks later I had to do the same gig at the same venue and decided to get to Brussels the night before, allowing plenty of time to arrive early. The travel plans went very smoothly, and this, I thought, would be a doddle – after all, it had gone down well last time to a very similar audience. But it didn’t this time, it was one of the poorest performances I’d ever given and it was entirely my fault for being too laid back and relaxed about it.

That’s why I always teach that, however many times you may have given the same presentation, you have to remember that the next one is always another first time.