Public Speaking Guide - Public-Speaking Sitemap

Pearson Brown

There is nothing to fear but fear itself!

Few people enjoy speaking in public. Most people will experience the following signs of stress

your pulse quickens

your face goes pale

your breathing becomes shallow

Now your body is acting like that because it has gone into ‘fight or flight’ mode. In olden days, when you met a tiger, you would have to fight it or run away and your body is ready to do that. But you’re not going to choose either of these options. You’re going to put on a good presentation.

So how do you overcome these fears? You need to take a 4 step approach.

1. Make the adrenalin work for you.

2. Recognize that making a public speech is a compliment, not an insult.

3. Prepare yourself well.

4. Learn techniques to calm yourself down.

Make the Adrenalin work for you

We’re going to look at techniques to make you less nervous, to calm your adrenalin, but let’s remember that some adrenalin is a good thing. Overconfident speakers can often become complacent and fail to connect with their audiences.

Well controlled, your adrenalin will help you to come across as

enthusiastic

caring

interesting

motivational

Many of the very best public speakers are extremely nervous before they start speaking. As that great broadcaster Edward R. Murrow put it, “Stagefright is the sweat of perfection.”

About the author: