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PAINLESS
PUBLIC SPEAKING = CONTROL.
I've been nervous and I've been not nervous, and I can tell
you this: Not nervous is better. I used to be darned uncomfortable
in front of an audience. I continuously felt the audience
was expecting more of me than I could deliver. Maybe you
experience that same anxiety.
So what's the secret? How do you get over feeling inadequate?
Let's look at a typical scenario.
You're ready to go on. Your heart is pounding, your mouth
is dry, your knees are weak; you wish it were over. Suddenly
everything you ever imagined might go wrong flashes before
your eyes - that upside-down slide, a typographic error,
the missing budget numbers, that tricky word you kept tripping
over during practice.
"What if I drop my slides again?"
"What if I forget how many units we shipped last quarter?"
"What if they notice my hands shaking?"
STOP! You're losing control because you've stopped being
rational. At this moment it's hard to believe you can take
charge, but you can.
Pause and breathe. Realize: "This isn't about me. This isn't
about showcasing me. This is about connecting the audience
with information they want or they need". It's about telling
them what happened last quarter so they can confirm their
decisions and take action. It's about a new opportunity,
a chance to make a difference, what the future holds. It's
not about you.
Nervousness is a choice. It's most often an unconscious
choice (by default) but a choice nonetheless. It's like
the default position on your computer - if you don't change
the margins, you get what the computer gives you.
If nervousness is your default position before you speak,
you can change that too. Instead of worrying about yourself,
think about: 1.) Why the listeners need the information
and 2.) How you can help them by giving it to them. The
choice is yours. Communicate your ideas - not your fears.
For more information, contact:
Barbara Rocha and Associates
PO Box 60521, Pasadena, California 91116
(626) 792-8075 or toll free at (888) 800-2001
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