A Defense Against Stage Fright
You have to give a speech and you are already getting anxious. You are given the follow advice from some helpful person:
“Just picture your audience in their underwear.”
This is supposed to allay your personal intimidation by making your audience more psychologically vulnerable. They are in their undies and you have your pants on.
So, let’s give it a try. Take a good look at the picture above and see how safe and comfortable it makes you feel. And now imagine how real people would look in their underwear. (That should really scare you!)
Don’t you just want to say, “Oh for heaven’s sake, go put some clothes on!”
Can I suggest another approach? Think of your audience as people who have come to your party. They are your guests. You want them to be comfortable, to get something of value, and to have their need for information met. In other words, you should adopt a service attitude; “How can I help these people?”, “What do they need to know?” “How can I serve them?”
Focusing on their needs with a service attitude will take you out of the stage fright mode. Remember, public speaking is not about you. It’s about your audience. So give them the shirt off your back. It will make you feel a lot better.
If you want to learn more about how Dr. Fleming can help you improve your communication skills, or help you to overcome stage fright, please call her at telephone 415.391.9179 or send her an email at [email protected]
Carol Fleming, Ph.D., is the author of “It’s the Way You Say It”! Becoming Articulate, Well-spoken and Clear. A comprehensive guide to vocal development and improvement of communication skills. . To get your own copy, go to http://amzn.to/ItsTheWayYouSayIt
Why the Speaker Should Drink Water
October 18, 2010 by Admin · Leave a Comment
Speakers are usually offered a glass of water as they are preparing to speak. Although this may help you swallow or temporarily relieve a dry mouth, it is not the most important water you could drink if you want smooth and comfortable voice production.
That’s the water you drink several hours before you speak or sing.
Here’s how it works:
The water has to go through the digestive system to be distributed to the mucosal cells in the throat. This will determine if the mucous is thick or runny. You want runny.
Yes, you do. Do you enjoy working to clear your throat or to hear strange sounds and voice irregularities as you speak? Thought not. You want a nice slick mucosal lining on the vocal folds so they vibrate easily as you speak.
Hit the water or juice several hours before you speak and you will enjoy easy and clear voice production. You have certainly heard of the many health benefits of adequate hydration. Well, this is one worth speaking about.
If you want to learn more about how Dr. Fleming can help you improve your communication skills, please call her at telephone 415.391.9179 or send her an email at [email protected]
Carol Fleming, Ph.D., is the author of “It’s the Way You Say It”! Becoming Articulate, Well-spoken and Clear. A comprehensive guide to vocal development and improvement of communication skills. To get your own copy, go to http://amzn.to/ItsTheWayYouSayIt
Speaking with the Listener in Mind
May 7, 2010 by Admin · Leave a Comment
In public speaking, the listener/audience is foremost in the mind of the successful speaker, influencing:
- your content and the way it is organized,
- level of vocabulary,
- the appropriateness of any humor,
- the use of stories,
- rate of speaking,and
- volume, to name just a few.
It truly is “The Way You Say It”, that will determine if your message is received and understood. We could ask; why speak in French if your audience is listening in German?
1. Spend less time worrying about what they think of you, and
2. Spend more of your time figuring out the needs and characteristics of your listeners:
- The issues of the audience
- Their level of interest and sophistication
- Their need for background information
- How much you need to adapt to their own communication problems (noise, hearing loss, etc.)
The general principle of “Listener first” supersedes all other needs if you are serious about effective communication whether it is a one-to-one conversation or a presentation to a group.
Contrast this with “self-expression” where you let whatever comes into mind go right out your mouth. Your lack of thoughtfulness may feel like freedom to you, but may be perceived as ego-centric, ill-formed babble by someone else.
Do you know someone who just talks on and on in a stream-of-consciousness narrative with no regard to the needs of their listener? I’ll bet you do.
Have you often wanted to say,” Get to the point!” I’ll bet you have.
Will you try to become more mindful of your listeners? I’ll bet you will.
If you want to learn more about how Dr. Fleming can help you improve your communication skills, please call her at telephone 415.391.9179 or send her an email to [email protected]
Carol Fleming, Ph.D., is the author of “It’s the Way You Say It”! Becoming Articulate, Well-spoken and Clear. A comprehensive guide to vocal development and improvement of communication skills. For people who want to make their speaking more impressive.
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