Speak, and Fear No More!

Imagine walking up the steps to take the stage and speak to an auditorium full of people. What are you thinking? Are you pumped up and excited or sick to your stomach with fear? Maybe you didn’t even allow yourself to finish climbing the steps once you knew you were going to be on stage. It’s all okay. There’s no judgment here.

Some people seem born to speak and others are terrified at the mere notion of it. Regardless, we all want to be understood, which requires the ability to communicate effectively. In reality, even the best speakers get nervous. The difference is that they learn how to make their nerves work for them instead of against them. You can do the same.

Here are six lessons I’ve learned from studying the pros:

• It’s not about you! It sounds crazy, but it’s true. People are much more concerned with what others think of them than they are with you. Don’t believe me? What were you concerned about when you imagined yourself walking up the steps to take the stage and speak?
• Smile. It engages people, makes them like you and makes them smile back. It also increases the serotonin in the brain, which releases endorphins and makes everyone feel so much better!
• Be a great host. Speaking is much like hosting a party. As a speaker, your primary objective is to engage your audience, making them feel welcome and comfortable so they can listen to and internalize your message. You are glad to be engaging them and are thrilled they came. You genuinely care about them and are sharing something of special value to them.
• You have the cookie!  Your audience came to listen to you because you have something they want, a message they need to hear. Go ahead and give it to them.
• Your audience wants you to succeed. Trust me, they do! We have all been in the audience when someone makes a mistake or blunder. Our first response is typically empathy, quickly followed by thoughts of encouragement to continue and do well. That is just as true of piano recitals and plays as it is of speeches.
• Visualize success. Use the power of visualization to picture yourself, in detail, speaking with confidence and poise. See yourself successfully presenting your speech and taking in positive responses and thunderous applause from your audience as you close!
• Dare to prepare. The best speakers prepare their speeches and practice them over and over again until they are comfortable and confident in their message and delivery. There is simply no substitution for preparation.

Put these lessons into practice and you will come to realize that fear is simply false evidence appearing real. Remember who has the cookie and whose party it is anyway. Now, imagine walking up the steps to take the stage and speak to an auditorium full of people. What are you thinking?

To realize your greater speaking and leadership potential, check out Marsh Winds Toastmasters at http://MarshWindsToastmasters.ToastmastersClubs.org.

©2012 by Laura Berscheit, CC, ALB