Fear!

I am terrified of heights. The thought of skydiving, for example makes my stomach do somersaults. I am also very nervous about closed spaces, claustrophobia. People and what they are afraid of is a fascinating subject. Fear itself is a funny thing. For example, in a survey respondents indicated that even more than death, they were afraid of public speaking!

Are you afraid of public speaking? Could I get you to say a few words on how you feel about speaking? ? yea, OK. Just kidding.

Fear is what hold most of us back when it comes to developing our public speaking skills.

Why is public speaking so scary? Will you die? I didn't ask if you would FEEL like dying! Obviously there is a fear of failure, but even stronger than failure, I think it is the fear of the UNKNOWN

The first step you can take to deal the fear of public speaking is to eliminate as much of the unknown as you can.

Here is a good way to approach the unknown. Ask questions:

WHO?

Who will you speak to? What are the audience demographics? What is the average age? Get the answer to all of the WHO questions you can. I have a friend of a friend who was contracted to speak for a school group. She prepared her topic carefully. She did a lot of research to understand the life of the high school student. When she arrived to give her talk, she discovered that the speech she had prepared for high school students would be presented to the faculty, staff and parents! OOPS.

WHAT?

What do you want your audience to take away from your talk? If you can define a few key points that you want your audience to internalize, you will not only have the hooks to hang your speech on, you will also know exactly what points you must drive home and make stick.

WHEN?

When will you speak? How much time do you have to prepare? What time will you present? What time you present can be extremely important.

I heard about a speaker who was hired to present to a group at a three day conference? on the third day?. Right after lunch?

When his time came to present he went to the auditorium and there was only one person in the room. He went up to this guy and said, you know? wow! This is going to be sort of awkward. I don't have to give my talk if you don't want me to. This person in the auditorium said "No go ahead. I'm the next speaker".

WHERE?

Where will you speak. Will you be on a stage. In a big room? In a small room? How will the audience be seated?

WHY?

Why may be the most important question. If you know why then you know what. Why were you invited to present? Did your prospect ask you to present your product? Did your boss ask you to present a solution to a problem? Why are you there? What is your agenda? What is their agenda?

Fear of the unknown is natural. Eliminate as much of the unknown as you possibly can and you will eliminate many of the reasons for public speaking nervousness.

Steve Brummet is a communication expert, writer and speaker. Steve's company specializes in working with organizations of all types to help their people increase productivity and profit and decrease stress by improving communication skills. As a writer, Steve has been published in Parenting Success, People of Faith and Family-content.com.

Steve says his clients include a Lions Club in Sherman Texas, his mother in law's ladies group and SOMETIMES his wife and four children will listen to him for JUST a little while.

http://www.communicationspeaker.com
steve@stevebrummet.com
214-578-4172

---

Making Transitions

Ever notice how smoothly some speakers or writers move you... Read More

Giving Presentations: Public Speaking Secrets in a Nutshell

A high level manager contacted me in a panic. He... Read More

Internet Marketing and Public Speaking: Seven Steps to a Successful Murder Board

I recently posted an article providing tips on public speaking... Read More

How to Answer Questions Your Audience Will Ask

In elementary school, most of us asked questions which were... Read More

How To Handle Audience Questions Effectively

For some reason, the prospect of having to answer audience... Read More

Public Speaking Tips: Lessons From Former US President Ronald Reagan

If you want public speaking tips, what are the ten... Read More

Time Management

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date. No... Read More

Speech Tips - Ten Things to Remember When Accepting an Award

Many people are recognised for their work, industry, sporting or... Read More

How to Promote yourself as a Speaker on the Web

Why use the web for promoting your speaking engagements?Most people... Read More

Speaking for FUN and PROFIT

How do you gain contacts from a speaking engagement?The name... Read More

Performance Feedback: Why Were Scared and How Not to Be

Effective communication is not a one-way street. It involves an... Read More

Choosing a Hot Keyword: Advice for Aspiring Public Speakers

When choosing keywords, you'll want to stay away from using... Read More

Conversationally Speaking

"Would you like to say a few words?" How many... Read More

Voice Coaching - Training Your Voice to Give Better Presentations

Picture a cool crisp autumn morning in the wide open... Read More

Poised for Success: How Developing Self-Awareness Can Improve Your Presentations

There are a number of factors that determine how your... Read More

Moving Key Audiences to Take Action?

You know, those really important outside groups of people whose... Read More

SOS - Goal Setting

... --- ... SOS This is the traditional seafaring emergency... Read More

Lose Stagefright Over Your Lunch Hour

While teaching a two-day Speaking Confidence program to a group... Read More

Be a Guest Speaker and Attract Business

Being a guest speaker in front of the right audience... Read More

How To Start With Public Speaking

I don't know how many books, articles, manuals and scripts... Read More

Foreign Translations of Your Talk - How Do You Ensure Your Message is Delivered Properly?

There are a number of possibilities as to how this... Read More

A Perfect Meeting: AKA When You Dont Want to Strangle the Speaker

Have you ever worked for weeks or even months, often... Read More

How to Gracefully Leave After a Seminar or Speech When Someone is Hogging Your Time!

Meeting planners know the value of meticulous planning. They are... Read More

Speakers Learn How to Define Your Niche

This is one of the hardest things speakers have to... Read More

Get Real

Humans are born storytellers, but our education system doesn't help... Read More

Speak in Public! Who Me?

The first time I had to speak in front of... Read More

Trust in Training: Societys Effect on an Audience

It is important to be continually aware that a person... Read More

Analyzing Your Audience and Assessing Comprehension Through Feedback

Aside from fielding and asking questions, there are other ways... Read More

Start Conversations as Easily as You Start a Car

Starting a car is easy. Put the key in, turn... Read More

Shortcuts to Eloquence

You have probably had the experience of listening to a... Read More

13 Publicity Tips for Professional Speakers

In a funk because other speakers seem to be snagging... Read More

Be Brief!

Centuries ago great speakers often spoke two hours and more.... Read More

How to Create a Compelling Media Kit

A well-built media kit is vital for effective marketing. Without... Read More