OH NO!! I HAVE TO GIVE A SPEECH !!!  NOW WHAT? If you panic at the thought of speaking before a group, you are not alone. In studies of human fears, public speaking consistently tops the list of things people fear most ahead of flying, snakes, even death. As comedian Jerry Seinfeld points out that means if you’re at a funeral, you’d rather be in the casket than delivering the eulogy. It’s hard to imagine that all the dreaded physical effects of fear-sweaty palms, racing heart, shallow breaking – were originally designed to empower us against lunging tigers and bears. But that’s how the ‘fight or flight’ response works. At the first sign of a threat, your brain triggers the release or cortisol and adrenaline - powerful hormones that signal the alarm to either fight or flee. Here’s what happens: Your pupils dilate so that you see better. Your blood pressure soars, shutting down tiny vessels near your skin so that you can sustain a surface wound without bleeding to death. Blood drains from the face, neck and head and goes to those muscles that are needed for self-defence, such as your thigh muscles, so you can fight harder or run away faster. But what happens if the threat is not an attacking bear, but just a little daydream you are having of speaking before an audience? Believe it or not, the adrenaline will pump just as hard regardless of whether the threat is imagined or real. And if that isn’t bad enough if you don’t use up that adrenaline by physically fighting or fleeing, those pulsing hormones send little shock waves through your body, leaving you feeling exhausted. This is why nervous speakers who panic at the very thought of speaking end up giving a tired and shaky presentation. Don’t fret. The good news is that your nervous energy can be converted into enthusiasm for your topic. The fight or flight response can cause one more problem: haunting memories. When under acute stress, the brain infuses fearful emotions into the adrenaline mix to make the experience that much more vivid. This could explain why people who have had an unpleasant public speaking experience dread public speaking. Their memory is too filled with fear to make trying again an option. If you fit into this category you are not alone. But don’t let one bad speaking experience ruin your efforts. HARNESS YOUR FEAR TO WORK IN YOUR FAVOUR Imagine this: You’re at the podium. The room is dark except for the spotlight blanching your already ashen face. You can’t quite make them out, but you know that there are people staring at you, waiting, expecting. You fumble with your notes. A little voice is shouting inside your head; “They’re staring at me; I sound foolish; I’m not smart enough’ I’m not making sense”. Sound familiar” Say hello to fear. Now stop and take a deep breath and come back to reality. What went wrong in your imagined presentation? Something we all do: You lost your focus – the reason you are talking. The audience isn’t there to see you (unless you’re a famous movie star). They are there to hear the information you are about to share. So let go of the self-centered concerns and put your nervous energy into your talk. One of the strategies in overcoming nervousness is to take the time to anchor the feeling of confidence throughout your neurology. To do this, first stand up straight, close your eyes and take a few deep breathes, breathing in calmness and breathing out stress. Then think of a time when you were totally confident, think of that time and have a picture in your mind of that specific time, when you have that picture, see what you saw, feel how you felt at that time, hear what you heard and then accelerate that feeling tenfold and when you feel, see and hear all the things going on at that particular time when you felt totally confident make a fist and anchor that feeling throughout your neurology. Do this at least four times. Test to see how well you accomplished the task by making a fist and if you have anchored the feelings correctly you should be able to feel the confidence surge through your body. If making a fist doesn’t bring up the feeling of confidence then you haven’t accelerated the feeling enough and you need to do it again and again or you may need to think of another time when you were more confident. This strategy is one used in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and when executed properly has a profound effect on all areas of life including getting rid of many negative emotions that cause stress and trauma in life. To feel confident in giving your speech or presentation it is of utmost important to make your topic relevant to your listeners and to make it fun. If you connect with your topic, you and your topic will connect with the audience. Having a firm grasp of your subject matter is certainly key. However, if you don’t feel fully up to speed on your topic, you’ll need to do some in-depth research post haste. Once you’ve mastered the information, master the art of how best to communicate it. Remember your audience will appreciate the information more if you make it relevant to them. Get them to want to listen to your point of view, because ultimately there’s something in it for them. Engage the audience with direct questions; share personal experiences; put conviction behind your words. When you communicate your passion for the subject, you’ll also be communicating your expertise. KNOW THE PURPOSE OF YOUR TALK Develop a mission statement before you start planning your talk. Too often, insecurity drives presenters to pack their talks with way too much data, charts, graphs, anecdotes, references and statistics. Before you begin planning your talk, ask yourself, ‘What is the one thing I want my audience to remember or do as a result of my speech?” The answer to this question is critical; It is the mission statement for your talk. Write it down and keep it in front of you as you begin thinking through what you want to say and how you want to say it. Remember that every point you make, every fact, you include, every joke you tell should help you accomplish your mission. If it doesn’t delete it. By narrowing your focus and pouring all your energy into accomplishing the one overriding goal of your talk, you will find it much easier to select the best information to help you build your case effectively and successfully. HOW TO BREATH LIKE A PRO Correct breathing makes all the difference when presenting your speech. You can practice proper breathing technique by placing your hand just above your waist. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose. You’re hands will be pushed outward and your midsection will expand (like a tyre being filled with air). Be sure your shoulders remain relaxed (stiffness restricts the flow of air into your body and can cause tension), Exhale slowly through the mouth. Repeat exercise until it feels comfortable becomes natural. CHECK YOUR BREATHING STYLE Stressed out Person Belly Breather Shallow breath Deep breath Upper chest moves Lower chest and belly move Quick inhalations Slow inhalations Tight belly, puffed chest Relaxed belly, soft chest Intermittent long deep sighs Regular long deep exhalations. SOME OF THE MOST COMMON ASKED QUESTION??? I tend to mumble a lot. I have tried everything, but can’t seem to break the habit. Ask yourself if it’s just a bad habit or perhaps a symptom of something deeper. People with low self-esteem often mumble because they are convinced no one is interested in what they have to say. But their mumbling makes listening very difficult, so people turn away. It’s a vicious cycle. To break it, try talking about something you really care about and are personally committed to. Should I try to pretend I am having a conversation when I give my talk? Yes, “Dialoguing” with your audience will make each attendee feel that you are speaking directly with him or her. You can accomplish this with good eye contact, conversational speech and a comfortable stance. Try being interactive with your group-ask for a show of hands, single a few people out by first name, and most important, speak from your heart. People connect with sincerity, and they will come away from your presentation feeling as if they’d had a conversation with you. How can I connect with the audience? One way of making sure you connect is to be mindful of the tone of your voice and your body language. Ensure that they are consistent with the content or your talk, otherwise your audience will miss the point. Make meaningful eye contact by being in peripheral vision taking in the whole audience and from time to time hold the gaze of one member of your audience for up to 10 seconds – just enough time to finish a thought register an idea, maybe even receive feedback (a nod, a smile) from the listener. Why can’t I talk off the top of my head? You’ve been given a precious thing; time to share you knowledge on a topic with a group of (hopefully) motivated listeners. Use this time wisely. Without notes or a script to guide you, you may float off topic and forget key points, leaving the impression among your listeners that you are not as professional or as expert as you proclaim. By outlining a powerful opening, the key points you want to cover and a strong conclusion you greatly increase the likelihood that your talk will be cohesive, comprehensive and understood. I trust the information contained within this article assists you when preparing for your next speaking engagement. Obviously for those of you who wish to enhance your public presentation skills it would be of great benefit to you to attend a Platform and Presentation Skills Training. In this Training you will learn; The power of hypnotic language in your presentation, Effective body language which will get your message across. How to connect with each and every one in the audience Behavioural flexibility Spatial Anchoring How to plan your Presentation This is one of the most comprehensive trainings you can attend to prepare you to speak on a Professional level to any market anywhere in the World. For more information please contact us.