Public speaking is the worst known phobia. In a recent survey, 90% of people said that they would rather die than stand up and make a speech in front of their family, friends and colleagues. This is a serious problem. But how have we come about this crazy statistic?
It's easy. Who wants to make a fool on themselves. I know that when I was a child, I was of terrified visiting my aunties and uncles' houses at the weekend, because we were expected to perform a 'party piece', a two minute tortuous entertainment. A song, a monologue or a little dance would do the trick.
Real fear was not performing the 'party piece'. It was a fate worse than a fate worse than death and for me because the fear of public speaking is tied up with the humiliation involved when your 'loved-ones', people who really ought to know better, hold on to this nugget of information knowing that they can use it against you at any time, now or in the future.
As children at home, we were always told to be quiet. Similarly, at school, shut up, be quiet, go away if you want to talk! My grandfather had a rather unpleasant saying, "If you can't improve on the silence, then shut up!"
As a child, it was rather difficult to know how to improve on the silence, I found it all terribly confusing. But surely this was what granddad wanted, a quiet life with no interruptions from children who knew, well, nothing.
It's not surprising that we feel less than confident when we stand up and actually want to communicate something serious. This is hardly supportive conditioning for our careers, is it?
Do any of these scenarios strike a chord with you? An amazingly high percentage of people feel exactly the same way. The good news is - there is help out there. If you live in the United States you'll find a number of speakers clubs in your locality and they belong to an organisation called Toastmasters International.
If you live in the United Kingdom, there's an organisation called the Association of Speakers Clubs. You can trust both organisations to give you incredible support and tools to become an effective speaker. It's great fun and you'll make some lasting friends too.
Everybody who attends a speakers club has felt that debilitating nervousness, that fear of public speaking that occurs at the prospect of addressing an audience. Join your local club and they'll soon help you step up to the speaking mark. As you grow in confidence, remember to read public speaking articles on the web to give you a broader view of the subject.
Copyright (c) 2007 The College Of Public Speaking
Your nerves might attack at the last minute but if you come prepared, you will surely be able to conquer your fear and face up to the task of delivering your speech.
The key to being prepared to deliver a public speech is by rehearsing. Here are some tips on how you can use the ?rehearsal? technique to your advantage speaking in public:
1.Make a final draft of your speech.
Preparing your speech way before the actual date is the secret to delivering a great piece. Know everything that you can about the topic. Research, read up, ask around, you may even conduct interviews if you need to.
Having a vast knowledge of the subject that you will speak about will increase your confidence. Just think that nobody in the room knows more about your topic than you do. This attitude is sure to increase your confidence.
2.After making your final draft, read the words out loud.
Listen to yourself deliver the speech or better yet, have somebody else listen to it for you. Practice in front of a mirror. After delivering your speech to yourself or in front of a friend for several times, the words will surely stick to your mind and just flow out spontaneously on the ?big day?.
3.Have a ?dress rehearsal?.
Assign one particular day for this before the date that you would have to speak in public.
Pretend that this is the actual day when you will deliver your speech and assume that there are people watching. By rehearsing your actual speech, you would have an idea of how long it will run and how you can change your movements and posture so that audience will have a great time listening to you and learning from your speech.
Both Vincent Stevenson & Ken Charnley are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Vincent Stevenson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Writing, Marketing and Communications and Public Speaking. The College of Public Speaking assists the Corporate, Public and Voluntary Sectors improve their communication skills. Utilising tried and trusted research, we use cutting edge business scenarios to develop speakers capable of performing on the internatio. Vincent Stevenson's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.
Ken Charnley has sinced written about articles on various topics from Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, Cooking Tips and Bankruptcy Law. Ken Charnley is a personal finance enthusiast with dedicated to qual. Ken Charnley's top article generates over 1000000 views. to your Favourites.