5 TIPS TO REMEMBER WHEN YOU SPEAK OR PRESENT TO AN AUDIENCE!
WHAT I AM GETTING READY TO TELL YOU WILL HELP YOU LOOK GOOD AND FEEL CONFIDENT
WHENEVER YOU HAVE TO DO A PRESENTATION OR SPEAK TO AN AUDIENCE
I am going to tell you about …… something that ranks on the list of the TOP 10 FEARS most people have
You know what many of them are …
The fear of spiders
claustrophobia
THE FEAR OF SNAKES
Fear of heights
The fear which ranks HIGHER than all those … PUBLIC SPEAKING
3/4 OF ALL PEOPLE report some fear of public speaking
According to some estimates, 75% of people
would rather be bitten by a spider
in a really small claustrophobic space
on a scary high precipice
and risk possible death … than to speak in front of an audience!
AT SOME POINT IN OUR LIFE,
MOST OF US WILL FIND OURSELVES SPEAKING in front of people
For a class …. For a job interview …. A toast at an event or a wedding ….
It could even be a 5 minute talk for A NETWORKING EVENT
I AM NOT AN EXPERT ON PUBLIC SPEAKING … although I have had experience as a performer … and for a period of time I was the pastor of a small church in Cleburne Texas, so, I have prepared and delivered sermons….I have performed as a pianist…as a singer…as an actor and as a choral conductor
AND THE TRUTH IS … I still get nervous!
You will probably always have some nervousness , but by using the 5 tips that I am going to share with you now, you CAN significantly reduce the level of intensity of that nervousness.
TIP # 1. SPEAK ONE TO ONE
So imagine speaking to one person, then to another person, then to another person giving each member of your audience their own moment of your attention.
The average speaking pace is 110 … to 150 words per minute. For most people when they go on stage will more likely be 200 to 300 WPM! In college I took a Speech course. One of the biggest challenges for our class was speaking too fast!
To help with this problem, our professor had us watch videos of our presentations in order to see how we appeared and sounded to others.
(WHAT A SHOCK … BUT WHAT A HELP THAT WAS )
When it is your time to speak, TAKE A DEEP BREATH before you begin. Remember, you are not in a race! If you feel you have too much content to share…SIMPLIFY! Another tip involves minimizing your caffeine intake before speaking so that you don’t sound like a cartoon character. Find your sweet spot which is around 110 to 150 WPM. And, don’t forget to HAVE FUN!
TIP #3. PROVIDE A STRUCTURE OR OUTLINE
When you are ready to begin, give a little preview of your content and let them know what you are going to say. This gives the audience BENCHMARKS to help them feel like they are making progress as you go along and THEY WILL stay more engaged! However, be careful not to present TOO MANY points, perhaps ONLY 3 to 7
TIP #4. PICTURE IT GOING WELL
Why do we get nervous? There are many THEORIES we could explore, BUT A VERY COMMON ONE IS THIS: Basically when we really want something, we have a tendency to see things going badly seeing results that we DREAD OR EVEN FEAR!
TO DEAL WITH THAT REQUIRES A MAJOR MENTAL SHIFT.
Some suggestions for dealing with this:
- things going better than you could have hoped for
- about the possibilities
- go into the presentation or performancefeeling like you have NAILED IT! (Not SO MUCH cocky, but assured)
What if you go on stage thinking about the people who will come up afterward saying “GREAT JOB”, “I LEARNED SO MUCH”, “THAT WAS INSPIRING”.
TIP #5. BRING A “GIFT” FOR EVERYONE
Not an actual, physical gift, but an imaginary box filled with little, beautifully wrapped gifts. Each one containing something of value from you to them.
As you keep your focus on them, how you can help them, encourage them, prepare them and equip them, you will find yourself with the best focus of all and realize that you are no longer feeling overly anxious or nervous.
So, in summary, here are my 5 TIPS TO REMEMBER WHEN YOU SPEAK OR PRESENT TO AN AUDIENCE:
- Speak one to one
- Slow down … remember 110 to 150 words per minute
- Provide a Structure … an outline to help your listeners stay engaged
- Picture it going WELL
- Imaging Bringing a GIFT for all your audience!
As you utilize these TIPS, you will find that THE FEAR around public speaking will decreases and your ANTICIPATION AND JOY will increase! BRAVO!
