Shift from Sidelines to Center stage with Public Speaking

I recently had to speak in front of 50 Executive Assistants at a conference. I was very nervous, and I felt a bit of anxiety when my time came for public speaking on the topic of “how I keep myself organized and share my powerful tips.”

Even though I have a lot of knowledge on the topic, it should have been easy to speak to. However, when you are not used to speaking or presenting in front of a group of people, nerves tend to get the best of you! The racing silence that rambles through your mind will overshadow what’s most important; that you’ve got this, you know your stuff, and you know what you are talking about. What you need is tips on how to get the information that you know out and convey it to your audience effectively.

There are four facts about nervousness in public speaking that are worth mentioning:

1. Your initial nervousness is at its worst just before you start speaking
   2. Though you feel them, most of your fear symptoms don’t even show to your audience
   3. Being nervous is a part of being human
   4. Your audience is not your enemy

Five Fears of Public Speaking:
We know most people are afraid of speaking in public, but what about it scares them the most? It looks like people are worried most about the following:

1. Sounding as nervous as they feel and loss of breath
   2. Experiencing technical difficulties
   3. Having jokes fall flat on a bored audience
   4. Forgetting what to say
   5. Someone will start heckling

Speaking in front of an audience, and doing it well, is a skill that can take time to develop. Luckily, you can quickly improve your speaking and presenting skills in multiple ways. Media organization Inc. collected 20 great public speaking tips from the top TED talks. You will improve your general speaking abilities in no time!

Sharing a few of my own here as a start:

• Focus on your topic and your audience, not yourself
• Ignore mistakes and avoid apologizing
• Use positive visualization and self-talk
• Manage your breathing, so you are relaxed
• Have notes and handouts as your backup plan

There are some techniques that professionals use to prepare for public speaking:

1. Prepare, prepare and prepare – have your presentation focused on the subject matter and organized.
2. Practice, and more practice (as the old saying goes, practice makes perfect)
3. Know your audience (connect, humor, inspire, peruse, and entertain)
4. Know your objectives
5. Focus on earning attention
6. Say all that is necessary without the ‘fluff.’
7. Structure your presentation (opening and ending should be memorable, closing confidently)
8. Memorize your open and close
9. Write out your presentation word for word (count your words, and time yourself)
10. Use slides effectively (not too wordy, bullets, fond bigger, not too many slides, use images)
11. Take control of your mind and body
12. Add some humor
13. Use stories to make your points and connect with the audience

Have you overcome your fear of public speaking? Leave any advice you may have for others in the comments below.