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Fred Miller

Fear of Public Speaking? Watch. . .

0WHY the Fear of Public Speaking and Nuggets to Lessen It!


This presentation was recently delivered at an e4e (Experts for Entrepreneurs) event.

The short answer to WHY? the Fear of Public Speaking is – Why Not! 

Think about it. Most of our conversations are one-on-one. Standing and speaking in front of many eyeballs takes us out of our comfort zone. That’s why we’re uncomfortable doing public speaking.

There are, however, three reasons to definitely have a Fear of Public Speaking:

  1. If you don’t know what you’re talking about.

  2. You don’t know the structure of a presentation.

  3. You haven’t practiced.

Sometimes the makeup of the audience can induce fear.

  1. If colleagues, bosses, or people we hold in high esteem and want to impress are seated.

  2. The size, larger being more fearful, can give anxiety.

  3. If you have to ask for something; a pledge or money.

What Ifs cause fear, too.

  1. What If the audience doesn’t like me?

  2. What If I’m not perfect and make a mistake?

  3. What If the person who spoke before me was really good and the audience is comparing me to them?

  4. The biggest What If is often, “What do I have to speak about that anyone would have any interest in?”

  5. Everyone has knowledge and experience people will benefit from hearing!

  6. The fact is your knowledge base is so wide and deep, you often don’t know what you know!

The Fear of Public Speaking goes hand-in-glove with the Fear of Failure. Most agree we learn more from failure than from things that go right the first time. Often because we don’t give it a second thought!

Some Failing, like tutorials and puzzles, that you can do own you own, are easy. Only you know how long it took to complete.

Other Failing is tough! Public Speaking is tough, really tough because it is PublicEveryone knows!

I challenge you to get out of your comfort zone. Face the fear and do it anyway because when we get out of our comfort zone, we make it larger!

Here are some Nuggets to Lessen the Fear of Public Speaking:

  1. Never tell the audience you have that fear.

  2. That negative self-talk is bad, and it could become a fulfilling prophecy!

  3. Meet & Greet people as they arrive and thank them for attending.

  4. it is amazing how much easier it is to speak to people you have already met.

  5. Insist on Name Tags. (I always bring a supply and a large Sharpie.)

  6. No one remembers names.

  7. Name tags reach out and pull people in.

  8. They close the gap between people and make the Meet & Greet easier!

  9. Write your own Introduction.

  10. It is not your bio and should answer three questions:

  11. WHY this subject?

  12. WHY this speaker?

  13. WHY now?

  14. Know your material.

  15. Really know it and be up to date on the latest about your topic.

  16. Q&A

  17. The usual best practice is to do this towards the end of your presentation, before your closing.

  18. In your Opening, tell the audience when you’ll be taking questions.

  19. This will avoid interruptions that add to anxiety and make it harder to deliver your presentation as planned.

  20. Find a friendly face in the audience.

  21. They will invigorate your presentation and lessen nerves.

  22. If you see an unfriendly face, look at someone else!

  23. People bring business and personal baggage to your presentation that have nothing to do with your talk.

  24. Do not use handouts. (Exception: a workshop, but then only one piece of paper at a time.)

  25. They are a distraction.

  26. We cannot multitask and if someone is reading a handout they will miss parts of your presentation.

  27. Props are great because. . .

  28. We have three learning styles:

  29. Visual

  30. Auditory

  31. Kinesthetic

  32. Appealing to two or more of these styles increases the odds your audience GETS IT!

  33. Have “spare tires” just in case something goes wrong.

  34. Backup your presentation on a thumb drive and in the cloud in several formats including PDF.

  35. Have a hard copy.

  36. Be audience centered.

  37. It’s not about you!

  38. Focusing on your message on the audience will raise the quality of your talk and lower anxiety.

  39. Practice – Practice – Practice.

  40. The rule of thumb is an hour of practice for each minute of material.

  41. Speak – Speak – Speak.

  42. The learning is in the doing!

Follow these suggestions and I guarantee your next presentation will be absolutely, positively – NO SWEAT!

More great videos, articles, and more from the e4e community are HERE!

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About the Author Fred E. Miller is a speaker, a coach, and the author of the book, “No Sweat Public Speaking!”

Businesses, Individuals, and Organizations hire him because they want to improve their Networking, Public Speaking, and Presentation Skills.

They do this because they know:

Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities.

They also know: We perceive really great speakers to be Experts. Perception is reality, and we like to work with Experts.

He shows them how to: Develop, Practice, and Deliver ‘Knock Your Socks Off Presentations!’ with – NO SWEAT!

Services:

  1. Keynote Speaker

  2. Workshop Facilitator

  3. Breakout Sessions

  4. Public Speaking and Presentation Coaching

Topics:

  1. Lessening The Fear of Public Speaking with – NO SWEAT!

  2. Crafting Your Elevator Speech, Floor by Floor with – NO SWEAT!

  3. Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities.

  4. We are All Self-Employed!

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