There is a good thing on this in derren brown's book
basically relax, think of something relaxing and nice - anchor tha tstate of mind with something physical e.g. rubiing your fingers togethe ror making a fist etc
Do this loads in the days before the speech - then when it comes to the big day keep using the physical anchor to get into that relaxed state of mind
I speak in public all the time, and I help my clients do the same and hope my advice will help.;)
Work out what you really want to say. Keep it simple with a few key messages. If the subject is one you know think of the speech in terms of a chat with friends. You know your stuff inside out so why not have a conversation with them. The best speakers stay true to themselves. They don't talk AT people, they chat to them. They let their personality out. Start off by summarising what you will tlak abiout. Then take them through it. End by summing up what you have just said. Laughter works if you have a good anecdote or dry joke.
Practice out loud on your own as much as you can beforfehand, even if it means stomping around the kitchen talking to the dog. The written word is not the same as the spoken so saying it out loud makes a heck of a difference.
Don't make copious notes and read them. It's boring, you lose contact and the pace will slow. List the key bullet points on a small card and use it as a prompt. Then just talk them through.
Remember - the audience is not there willing you to fail, they actually want to hear what you have to say. They are not judging you, so just be yourself. It doesn't even matter if you start by saying, 'I'm a bit daunted by this so if anyone has a stiff gin in the room can you keep it handy? Thanks.'
Best of luck. If you have any pressing questions just ask.
One of my phobias that... Public speaking. I'm ok with people I know or work with and have had to do presentations in my job but if it ever come to getting up in front of a load of complete strangers I'd probably panic too.
Only beginners with misplaced confidence or people experienced in public speaking, and good at it, aren't apprehensive in some way. Don't worry more than you can help. They'll all be crapping themselves when its their turn too.
I find I sometimes run out of breath which can then make me panic. The way around this for me is to make it an interactive session. If you get the audience involved, it gives you time to re-group and marshall your thoughts. It also makes you feel like you're not in the spotlight alone.
If you want to give this try, have a look through what you've planned so far and if you've got 10 slides say, do a bit of interaction after 1, then after 3 then after 7. Examples could be getting them to shout out song titles and seeing how many they come up with, and asking them to come up with words they associate with the band such as droopy flowers, miserable and gloomy. You could guess many of these in advance and link this nicely into your next slide.
Drag someone else up as a volunteer and have a flip chart ready for them to note the comments on. They can be 'the secretary' and again, you won't feel alone.
I spent 1985-9 sharing a house that had very thin walls with a Smiths fan. Please don't play the audience any of their stuff! I'm still in recovery.
Is anyone in your class non-white or not of British heritage? If so, I'd suggest you find somehting else to give a talk on sharpish! The Smiths just might not be a good idea. Not only were they a crappy band based around whining, pseudo-miserablism and self-pity, they were also led by a bloke who is now effectively canvassing for the BNP. I bet it was Morrissey who was shoving all of those leaflets citing fake figures about immigration through my letterbox at local election time!
Totally OT but he so isn't a nazi. And I'm sure he would be more than willing to take you to court to prove it. The Smiths made my teenage years and early twenties bearable with their whining.
Oh and OP. Its too late now for tomorrow, but I had hypnotherapy for exactly this problem. Now I'm happy to talk in front of anyone without using props or powerpoint. I think I'm actually quite good at it now but three years ago I would pretend I was ill to avoid having to speak at university.
something that leaps to my mind as I re-read this thread is that people seem to assume that the opposite of anxiety and fear is being confident. I assure that it isn't.
Anxiety is to do with being afraid that thinks will go wrong while being confident is to do with knowing you can handle it if it does (okay, I'm over simplifying to make a point! ).
My company and I do nothing but train people in public speaking and doing public speaking ourselves.... and despite being absolutely confident in ourselves, each other and our material, that doesn't mean we aren't anxious as we start out. In face, we go so far as to say that the day we aren't anxious is the day after we should have quit.
Yeah I had to do public speaking myself for History but in the school's Hall (I was in secondary school).
Right before presenting your speech, take about 5 deep breaths and also when you are presenting, don't look at the audience, just look straight forward and it does help :P.
Its not being worried about my material or my technique etc. that hinders me, I cant even get as far as that because of my nerves. I know what i want to say I know how i want to say it, I know its an irrational fear. But my heart races, my mind goes blank and I start stuttering through it all and just fall apart. Since this started to happen in high school i've avoided stuff like this like the plague. I used to even struggle reading out loud from a textbook in class. Its something which has really held me back.
This sounds really stupid but I sing either "I Have Confidence" or "I Whistle a Happy Tune" quietly to myself before I go in to do a presentation or interview and I find it helps.
Stand in front of a mirror now, and practice. Not just that, but practice as if you're someone COMPLETELY different. Give yourself a new name, a prop (perhaps something small you can keep in your pocket and just remind yourself of) and an incredible amount of confidence and practice until you think you're ready to reenact it tomorrow. It will work.
You may need some Rescue Remedy for the nerves but I'm sure you will be fine. The following is from a post I made recently on a similar topic which may help you in the future:
Does it make you nervous speaking in front of people you DO know rather than those you don't?
I have a chronic fear of public speaking but find I am quite happy to talk to people I don't know than people I do.
Perhaps you would find it easier to find something for your eyes to focus on rather than the faces of those you're talking to...I.E. use cue cards (not paper notes as those will shake if you get nervous and seeing the paper wobble will undoubtedly put you off) or focus on something at eye level on the back wall, and when looking at your guests, look at them as a whole group by scanning the room rather than picking out individual faces.
Always remember when you are doing your speech, you have the ability to command ANYTHING of your audience. You are effectively controlling their reactions, they do not control yours. If you can make a confident start to your speech, i.e. tell a joke you know will get a laugh, then you already have your guests in the palm of your hand. Work out your speech so you know exactly what reaction you want from your guests at each stage and rehearse it like a monologue for a play in front of people you trust - lets face it, even the pro's have to rehearse their speeches!
And you know, you can always simply act it! For the 5-15 minutes you're standing there, BE SOMEONE ELSE! Think of the most confident person you know and become them for those few minutes. Who cares if the real 'you' would break down in tears or run away gagging? The audience don't need to know that and you don't need to tell them
And you should always know that no matter how badly you think your nerves are coming across, 90% of the time the audience will never pick up on it unless you tell them. You're always going to be more aware of cracks in your voice, hand quivers etc..but I can assure you, your guests wont be.
Have you tried to do any visualuations - this stuff does help ease it. Any motivational coach worth therir salt will be abel tohelp you with this. If you can't find one then I would suggest you read a book on NLP - you'll get some good techniques form this. Robert Swan on of the top rated (by Times magazine no less) uses his own experiences and trials to help hi get over this...
As I have said before for other confidence issues hypnosis has really helped me.
There is a fantastic bloke called Lloydie who does hypnosis phobia cures on itunes. They only cost a couple of quid and his flying one has helped me out no end.
He does a public speaking one and I would really, really urge you to give it a go.
I was lucky enough to have a conversation with Heather Rabbatts, she's the chief exec of Millwall football not the most inviting of jobs. But HEather gives some real insights in how to speak to people in groups and she has done it with Millwall fans who are a little distrustful at the best of times.
Heather suggests that public speaking is all about practice and with time you'll get more fluid at it but the main trick is to be able to empathize with your audience, taken time out to understand your audiences common theme; talking candidly about the subject is one of the main points of advice; however, over speaking is apparently one of things that can get you into trouble by over speaking you over complicate and by doing that people mey think that you are tricking them or trying to confuse the issue or worse them. BY doing so, they feel deceived and so sharp short succinct points to get your messages across is best.
The main problem I face on the day to day is that you hear about all the things that need to be done by the 'great speakers' and how that its within yourself to do it - but everyday life and lack of focus knock me off track. We made a collection of stories from a range of people the people we are working with day to day http://amotivationalspeaker.wordpress.com - I'd be interested in your feedback if any of this news was of benefit.
Comments
basically relax, think of something relaxing and nice - anchor tha tstate of mind with something physical e.g. rubiing your fingers togethe ror making a fist etc
Do this loads in the days before the speech - then when it comes to the big day keep using the physical anchor to get into that relaxed state of mind
no idea if it works - but maybe try that...
or, you know, get pissed before hand
Was she suggesting it? I thought she was asking for it! (like Father Jack!)
Work out what you really want to say. Keep it simple with a few key messages. If the subject is one you know think of the speech in terms of a chat with friends. You know your stuff inside out so why not have a conversation with them. The best speakers stay true to themselves. They don't talk AT people, they chat to them. They let their personality out. Start off by summarising what you will tlak abiout. Then take them through it. End by summing up what you have just said. Laughter works if you have a good anecdote or dry joke.
Practice out loud on your own as much as you can beforfehand, even if it means stomping around the kitchen talking to the dog. The written word is not the same as the spoken so saying it out loud makes a heck of a difference.
Don't make copious notes and read them. It's boring, you lose contact and the pace will slow. List the key bullet points on a small card and use it as a prompt. Then just talk them through.
Remember - the audience is not there willing you to fail, they actually want to hear what you have to say. They are not judging you, so just be yourself. It doesn't even matter if you start by saying, 'I'm a bit daunted by this so if anyone has a stiff gin in the room can you keep it handy? Thanks.'
Best of luck. If you have any pressing questions just ask.
Otherwise as sure as eggs are eggs, you'll drop 'em and not be able to find your place again! :eek:
S
a girl after my own heart _ I was going to say 'vodka':cool::D
That would make it even worse...
I find I sometimes run out of breath which can then make me panic. The way around this for me is to make it an interactive session. If you get the audience involved, it gives you time to re-group and marshall your thoughts. It also makes you feel like you're not in the spotlight alone.
If you want to give this try, have a look through what you've planned so far and if you've got 10 slides say, do a bit of interaction after 1, then after 3 then after 7. Examples could be getting them to shout out song titles and seeing how many they come up with, and asking them to come up with words they associate with the band such as droopy flowers, miserable and gloomy. You could guess many of these in advance and link this nicely into your next slide.
Drag someone else up as a volunteer and have a flip chart ready for them to note the comments on. They can be 'the secretary' and again, you won't feel alone.
I spent 1985-9 sharing a house that had very thin walls with a Smiths fan. Please don't play the audience any of their stuff! I'm still in recovery.
Totally OT but he so isn't a nazi. And I'm sure he would be more than willing to take you to court to prove it. The Smiths made my teenage years and early twenties bearable with their whining.
Oh and OP. Its too late now for tomorrow, but I had hypnotherapy for exactly this problem. Now I'm happy to talk in front of anyone without using props or powerpoint. I think I'm actually quite good at it now but three years ago I would pretend I was ill to avoid having to speak at university.
Anxiety is to do with being afraid that thinks will go wrong while being confident is to do with knowing you can handle it if it does (okay, I'm over simplifying to make a point!
My company and I do nothing but train people in public speaking and doing public speaking ourselves.... and despite being absolutely confident in ourselves, each other and our material, that doesn't mean we aren't anxious as we start out. In face, we go so far as to say that the day we aren't anxious is the day after we should have quit.
S
Right before presenting your speech, take about 5 deep breaths and also when you are presenting, don't look at the audience, just look straight forward and it does help :P.
You may need some Rescue Remedy for the nerves but I'm sure you will be fine. The following is from a post I made recently on a similar topic which may help you in the future:
Does it make you nervous speaking in front of people you DO know rather than those you don't?
I have a chronic fear of public speaking but find I am quite happy to talk to people I don't know than people I do.
Perhaps you would find it easier to find something for your eyes to focus on rather than the faces of those you're talking to...I.E. use cue cards (not paper notes as those will shake if you get nervous and seeing the paper wobble will undoubtedly put you off) or focus on something at eye level on the back wall, and when looking at your guests, look at them as a whole group by scanning the room rather than picking out individual faces.
Always remember when you are doing your speech, you have the ability to command ANYTHING of your audience. You are effectively controlling their reactions, they do not control yours. If you can make a confident start to your speech, i.e. tell a joke you know will get a laugh, then you already have your guests in the palm of your hand. Work out your speech so you know exactly what reaction you want from your guests at each stage and rehearse it like a monologue for a play in front of people you trust - lets face it, even the pro's have to rehearse their speeches!
And you know, you can always simply act it! For the 5-15 minutes you're standing there, BE SOMEONE ELSE! Think of the most confident person you know and become them for those few minutes. Who cares if the real 'you' would break down in tears or run away gagging? The audience don't need to know that and you don't need to tell them
And you should always know that no matter how badly you think your nerves are coming across, 90% of the time the audience will never pick up on it unless you tell them. You're always going to be more aware of cracks in your voice, hand quivers etc..but I can assure you, your guests wont be.
There is a fantastic bloke called Lloydie who does hypnosis phobia cures on itunes. They only cost a couple of quid and his flying one has helped me out no end.
He does a public speaking one and I would really, really urge you to give it a go.
Just type 'Lloydie phobia cure' into itunes.
Heather suggests that public speaking is all about practice and with time you'll get more fluid at it but the main trick is to be able to empathize with your audience, taken time out to understand your audiences common theme; talking candidly about the subject is one of the main points of advice; however, over speaking is apparently one of things that can get you into trouble by over speaking you over complicate and by doing that people mey think that you are tricking them or trying to confuse the issue or worse them. BY doing so, they feel deceived and so sharp short succinct points to get your messages across is best.
Weird.