The Art of Public Speaking

Posts Tagged ‘presentation skills training’

Public speaking training is the best way to conquer your fear of talking or performing in front of people. This phobia affects an extraordinary number of people worldwide. It is thought that around 75% of Americans suffer from fear of public speaking! That makes it the largest phobia, even greater than the fear of death.

To become a confident public speaker you should undergo some training and practice. This can be done in a professional group with other like minded people. Here no one will laugh at you and everyone is there to support each other. This is an excellent way to increase your confidence in a supportive, non-judgmental environment.

Public speaking training consists of a variety of different exercises and modules. You will first learn how to ease your nerves and how to think positively. Your mental attitude is the only aspect that stops you from being a confident speaker. Once your nerves are calmed and you are in the right frame of mind, your speech will flow. This is what public speaking training will teach you.

A good training course will also show you the best way to prepare your speech. This includes tips on using props, how to use cards effectively as well as gestures and body language. The last thing you want to do when speaking is to read entirely from paper and never lift your head. By mastering the use of cue cards you will learn how to read points and expand upon them in your speech.

Handouts are another great way to enhance your speech. Giving them out at the appropriate time. Let your audience know that you are going to hand out a presentation outline; this saves them taking notes during your speech.

Further learning in a public speaking training course is that which extends to include scenarios such as question and answer sessions at the end of a speech. Often the best public speakers stumble at this point as the questions asked by audience members are unexpected. The best public speakers will not only be great at giving prepared speeches but also at answering impromptu questions from the audience.

Public speaking training is simply the most ideal way to beat your phobia of group speeches. Like anything in life, the more you face your fears, the less you will fear them.

Without a doubt you will come out feeling a lot more confident and ready to tackle that next speech!

Fear of public speaking (official called glossophobia) is a highly common occurrence.

It is actually believed that glossophobia is the most common phobia in the world! Many people are actually more scared of public speaking than they are of dying. If only they knew that conquering this fear is not as hard or frightening as one might think.

Even some famous people have admitted to suffering from social phobia or fear of performance. They include Barbara Streisand, Dusty Springfield and Peter Gabriel. These people still put on performances despite their fear, so how do they do it?

Without a doubt they have gone through some sort of public speaking training. This is mandatory if you know you have to speak publicly on a regular basis but are afraid to do so.

Some symptoms of public speaking fear include sweating, shaking and rapid heart beat in the moments, hours or even days leading up to the speech or event. Difficulty in sleeping and loss of appetite are extreme symptoms of glossophobia. Often all thoughts are focused on the speech and this makes a person even more nervous as they are constantly thinking about failure rather than thinking positively about it.

Fear of public speaking can be brought upon by past events in which a traumatic incident occurred, such as someone laughing at a person as they gave a speech or perhaps a speech not going quiet as planned. This sort of event can result in years of self doubt when it comes to giving more speeches.

To conquer your fear of public speaking you must be prepared to tackle it head on. You need to continue speaking publicly as this will give you practice. If you shy away then your confidence will only wane. Practice speaking in front of groups of friends and family. Often this can actually be harder than speaking in front of strangers so if you feel confident here then you are well on your way to beating the fear of public speaking.

There are also special support groups set up for people who want to improve their speaking skills. You can take classes at night or on weekends. You should be confident in knowing that you will have support from your classmates and that you wont be judged.

Being afraid of performing or speaking is not something to be ashamed about. As long as you have realized your fear and begin taking steps to conquer it then you will without a doubt become a much more competent and confident person.