Are you afraid of public speaking?

You are not alone, most people are terrified of public speaking but there is something you can do about it. With practice, a mentor and a system everyone can become an incredible speaker. One of the best ways to start is joining Toastmasters (http://www.toastmasters.org/). This organization has impacted so many peoples’ lives. It’s a place to become a confident public speaker and strong leader in a supportive learn-by-doing environment that allows you to achieve your goals at your own pace.

Who attends Toastmasters (http://www.toastmasters.org/) meetings? It’s not about giving a “toast,” it’s about improving your skills in a structured and supportive way. Plus, you will be able to connect and make friends. If you are an entrepreneur you can even connect with potential clients and you will participate in everyone’s success journey.

Let me share with you an amazing success story Vonnie recently sent to me:

“Do you know what it feels like to get up in front of a group to give a speech? When you have physically made yourself sick, your hands are so sweaty and shaking so badly you can’t control them. You are standing in front of your audience and all you see is black, you can’t speak and your ears are ringing. You know you have to say something but all you want to do is cry. Finally words come out of your mouth. You see the confused looks on your audiences’ faces like you are speaking in code. You stop and walk out, humiliated. You learn later that none of your words made sense to anyone because they weren’t even sentences.
This happened to me in Jr. High School and I spent the next 40 years avoiding anything that would even remotely get me in front of people. Like a turtle I went into my shell and hide. I surrounded myself with very outgoing people so I never had to talk in groups.
Over a year ago I started on a personal growth journey and I hired Ulrike to be my coach. We started small and began to make striving changes. She kept suggesting I join Toastmasters. I kept telling her I would, knowing full well that I would NEVER join a speech club. I had spent my life doing everything imaginable to avoid speaking. I would not do this to myself!” Read Vonnie’s full story here (http://ulrikeberzau.com/read-more-about-vonnies-success/).

Toastmasters has mentors who guide you on your journey. I had the privilege of being Mike’s mentor and he shares here his experience here (http://ulrikeberzau.com/testimonials/).

Lastly, what can you do today to prepare yourself to give an extraordinary speech?

You can access your inner power in situations where you are experiencing a fear like speaking in public. There is an untapped power in you. You actually use this gift all the time but not always to your advantage. The power is your imagination.

Think about how often you imagine something could happen or worry about something that may happen. You see the image of what you are actually worried about, you feel it and get emotionally involved. Our imaginary world is mighty – it helps us to succeed and it also limits us.

When we imagine something, we create new neural pathways and we create experiences that our mind can tap into again. We create a frame of reference and cell memories. For example, you have a cell memory of how to ride a bike from your actual physical experiences biking as a child. You can create the same type of cell memory through repetitive imagination and condition your mind and body. High performing athletes use these techniques to optimize their performance and get to the top.

Success Imagery (http://ulrikeberzau.com/coaching/) is miraculous to prepare yourself for important meetings, sales encounters, presentations, and interactions that are important to you and your career.

Remember, you are not alone; most people are terrified of public speaking. It does not have to be that way; you can access your inner power in situations where you are experiencing a fear like this.