Preparing for Your Presentation
November 1, 2010 by Admin · Leave a Comment
Have you heard the rumor that thorough preparation is the most effective thing you can do to avoid stage fright? It’s true. And I want to talk about one little bitty part of the preparation process, the out loud rehearsal of your material before your delivery.
No, not silent reading to yourself, I want you to wrap your tongue around your words so they fit comfortably in your mouth. If there are some tricky phrases or difficult words, isn’t it better to find this out BEFORE you are in front of your audience? And, once discovered, you can fix them, can’t you? Of course you can.
Now you are ready to put some large photos of people on the other side of the room, and say your speech out loud to the pictures, moving your eyes from one face to another as you present a thought or a phrase. Let yourself get used to making eye contact AND talking at the same time. You probably do this quite naturally when you are not giving a speech – we’re just bringing unconscious communication behavior up to the conscious level so you won’t forget to do it.
People earnestly ask me if they shouldn’t talk to themselves in front of a mirror. And I say, no they shouldn’t. Such a silly idea. I won’t even go into all the reasons that the idea has me shaking my head….sadly. But I do have a better idea. Add a real human being in the room with your pictures, one who will make you feel just a bit of self-consciousness.
Why? Because you want to get used to performing in the same state of excitation as will happen when you actually talk. You are going to toughen up with a little dose of the nerves so it doesn’t get you by surprise when you really speak.
Use the mirror to straighten your tie or check your lipstick. Use your neighbor to practice your speech.
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
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
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