We are currently looking for an Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to "Stage Fright and Overcoming Stage Fright". If you have expertise in Stage Fright and Overcoming Stage Fright and your own website and/or product for this topic, please review this form for complete details. The Official Guide Position is part of our Premium Placement Package
Body language. The nonverbal communication of your body that can tell your audience you are speaking with confidence or cowardness, delight or disingenuity. Do you know which language your body is speaking?
Something as simple as an arm gesture could be telling your audience one thing ... Views: 2853
Absolutely. While it may not seem possible to be both composed and nervous at the lectern, it is most definitely what happens when you take control of your nervousness and let it work for you and not against you. Therein lies the problem for many novice speakers.
When you are nervous, the ... Views: 3517
One of the requirements for dynamic speaking, whether it is at the lectern or just in normal conversation, is to be expressive when you talk. This is known as color and refers to your vocal variety, facial expression, and body language. All three elements work hand-in-hand to make your ... Views: 3047
Fear Public Speaking? No More!
Man, I wish it was that easy. I speak publicly often, and I still get nervous prior to every speech or presentation. Every single one.
That being said, I’m in pretty good company — it has been noted that Sir Winston Churchill and President Lincoln also got ... Views: 2146
Fear of Public Speaking, Pt. II – Breathing Techniques
In Pt. I of this series I went over a number of tips and tactics to deal with the fear of public speaking. One of the tactics was breathing, which sounds so simple, and is often anything but the night before, or the hour before, you are to ... Views: 2040
Fear of Public Speaking, Pt. III
Fear doesn’t just exist for the days and hours prior to an event.
In Pt. III of this series, I am going to address tips and tactics when the nerves kick in within minutes of your presentation actually beginning (although every one of these tactics also work ... Views: 1716
One of the most common complaints I hear from clients is that they run out of air at the lectern. If this is a problem for you, let me ask you a question. Do you experience breathlessness in normal conversation? Your answer is probably No. If you do not run out of air when you are speaking ... Views: 3242
Without a doubt, The King’s Speech deserved its Oscars and I would recommend it to all. Yes, I enjoyed the biographical aspects and the acting; but, what is even more insightful is how this man was able to overcome a debilitating vocal ‘handicap’ in order to deliver speeches during his reign as ... Views: 3946
"American Idol" (FOX) isn't just a singing contest. It's basically a televised audition process to produce the next pop music star. Year after year, teens and adults audition for the show hoping to make it onto the show, and eventually win the show. Having watched every season, I've developed ... Views: 1877
Sent via email this week was ‘When it comes to speaking up in meetings, I just panic, my mind goes blank, I feel stupid and it looks like I don’t know my job!’
Yuck! Not pleasant, and yes we all know that speaking in public is a huge trigger of anxiety for many.
Here’s my reply and ... Views: 2277
One of the reasons I like writing articles is that I can test out real world public speaking techniques and then share my results to you.
Which brings me to a recent speaking engagement that was… how do I say this delicately …well, NOT the ideal speaking situation.
In fact, for any ... Views: 1691
While I believe there are 5 things you must do to gain control of your nervousness and actually put it to good use, the most important of those 5 is something many people do not do and never think to do. To make matters worse, the only time many speakers are aware of it is when they have ... Views: 3300
Recently, I read about a pill you can take to eliminate your nervousness in public speaking. I was floored! Why would you take a pill to get rid of that which is so beneficial when delivering a speech or presentation?
The problem for many people is that they are intent on ridding ... Views: 6261
Public speaking skill is just like any other skill in that the more success that you have, the more self-confidence in public speaking that you develop. The more failures, or perceived failures, that you experience, the more public speaking fear that you are going to experience. The ... Views: 10017
Narrating PowerPoint Presentations designed by someone else can be very challenging. In fact, one of the fastest ways to increase public speaking fear and make your PowerPoint presentations sound canned and… well boring, is to try to deliver a PowerPoint slideshow that someone else designed for ... Views: 10159
Have you ever really sat down or studied what it takes to become and effective speaker? Well, to begin, you should first determine where you are in the speaking world.
Do you want to be a professional speaker who makes this your livelihood? Are you a weekend warrior who does this part-time to ... Views: 1496
New speakers (as well as audience members) occasionally approach me after one of my keynote presentations and ask me how I knew I wanted to be a speaker. Well, that is certainly a good question that has many answers. However, the one resounding theme that percolates inside my head as to why I ... Views: 2160
Have you ever really sat down or studied what it takes to become and effective speaker? Well, to begin, you should first determine where you are in the speaking world.
Do you want to be a professional speaker who makes this your livelihood? Are you a weekend warrior who does this part-time to ... Views: 1552
If you want to clearly get your message across in front of an audience, guess what? You can communicate in a very effective fashion with not only your words, but with other methods of communication that do not involve speech at all. Alright, now you're wondering how a speaker can speak to an ... Views: 1812
Humor and the Size of the Audience
Welcome back to part II. In a group of ten or more, there is emotional protection and thus it is easier for someone to laugh. The jokes that work for a large group of people are those with generally accepted interests or concerns.
Example: Here’s a ... Views: 1552
If you know your material really well, make eye contact with your audience, speak as if in conversation, breathe before and during your delivery, and believe in yourself, then your nervousness is the charm. Trying to eliminate it, stop it, or end that wonderful rush of adrenaline is not the ... Views: 2769
There's no getting around it: The moment you bound onto the platform or stage your credibility is at stake. And one way to cement your credibility is to master the art of Q & A (short for Questions and Answers)
Look at how Q & A's are done on the political battlefields. Remember the Hillary ... Views: 1788
Preparing your speech and writing appropriate stories can be a challenge at the best of times, but the real challenge is in using and writing those stories in such a way that they really engage your audience.
First, think about how other speakers and presenters manage to grab your ... Views: 1597
When I was in high school, given the choice between giving an oral report and a written one, I always choose the written report. In college, I did the same thing. My reason: fear. I was terrified of public speaking.
When I graduated from college, my father gave me some advice. He said, “If ... Views: 1739
Fear is one of life’s biggest roadblocks and fear of speaking in public is considered to be the number one phobia. Incredible isn’t it, especially when communication forms such an important part of our lives? We are constantly communicating something to somebody and if fear of expressing our ... Views: 1933
I always say when it comes to speaking or performing, you must adhere to Murphy's Law. What can wrong … will. I don't know who this Murphy was, but perhaps he should get in touch with Montezuma (and his revenge.)
Please note, dear reader, I am not a fatalist. I am more of a realist. Yes, you ... Views: 2971
The speakers people like the most, or who have the greatest impact, are said to have “presence.” Something special that leaps out at you. Certain actors have it, and that makes them "stars." Certain models (who by the way are sometime average looking people in real life) somehow "click" with ... Views: 3625
When you’re speaking, do you rely too much on your audience? Are you always getting negative messages from their body language and facial expressions?
When you’re speaking, do you rely too much on your audience? Are you always getting negative messages from their body language and facial ... Views: 2835
Phone call anxiety happens to all of us: we need to make an important call. We have the number. We are well aware of the purpose of the call. As our fingers commence dialing, we sense a small cyclone of winged creatures cavorting in our bellies. Our breath shortens and a cold sensation runs ... Views: 6798
Do you dread public speaking? Do you avoid situations where you might have to stand up in front of others? You are not alone. Research once found that people feared public speaking even more than death!
If like many people, you are filled with apprehension about presenting to groups, you can ... Views: 4216
I saw a painful surveillance video the other day showing a thief attempting an escape from police by climbing a ten-foot ladder. He plummeted to the ground on the first attempt. The sirens grew louder and he tried again, and fell. In fact, he fell five more times to the cement floor of the ... Views: 2170
When the chips are down, the athlete often cannot share his/her inner fears, anxiety and anger issues with the coach or their parents. Now, the athlete has a critical ally...the professional Sports Psychologist (also referred as the professional Sport Psychologist).
The Sports Psychologist, who ... Views: 3915
Find the freedom that comes from giving you a break
Are you a perfectionist? If your automatic response is “no!” I invite you to take a closer look; there is a well-meaning perfectionist in every one of us!
Wanting to be the best, and see things executed to the highest level of quality is ... Views: 2737
Everything is going on along perfectly fine and then that thought creeps into your mind: "What if something happens so that everything isn't as good?" Then your worry-mind takes over and decides that it is going to give you a full account of the worst case scenarios for any and everything. ... Views: 2906
We have heard the phrase, “God doesn’t make junk,” but do we realize how divinely equipped we each are? Do we wake up in the morning and see a reflection of God’s best work in our mirror, or do we focus on the negative? Do we see only the things that we would like to improve in our lives ... Views: 2091
I couldn’t believe I was going to open my presentation with that joke. Me, of all people! Yet, there I was. With my heart pounding in anticipation… I was about to bound onto the platform and speak in front of over 250 people…
Not only that, I was going to open my presentation with a bit I ... Views: 3176
You just submitted that article or book and some of the reviews are not very nice. Or even just getting 4 out of 5 stars can get you going- why did they give me 4 and not 5??? You can even feel a certain rage for the person. This guy wants to put me down to make himself look intelligent,” you ... Views: 2988
At 10, Dalton Sherman is a speech-making pro. Since winning a big oratory competition in Dallas, he has spoken at numerous churches and events all over Dallas. He was keynote speaker at an educational conference for 20,000 people on 25 August 2008.
“He has the ‘it’ factor,” said Dawn ... Views: 4533
I have always enjoyed performing arts. I started to learn the piano at six years old, went to acting class at elven and became a student of professional magic at fourteen. But for a long time, when I was called upon to perform in front of an audience, I turned into a bag of nerves and was often ... Views: 2445
Victor Borge, the late, great, Danish comedian once said, "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people."
Well, it can also be the longest yard in trying to make an audience laugh, as I tell you what happened to me when I once performed on a cruise ship.
Remember: when it comes to ... Views: 2998
One of the skills a marketer knows if he wants a high response from his campaign is to understand the make-up of his audience. He (or she) will dig deep to understand their core desires, needs, and wants.
In essence, what “makes them tick!”
Well, the same type of expertise is needed to win ... Views: 4009
One of the most important things as a speaker has to do to make an impact with their audience - is to control the environment they are in.
Believe it or not, some speakers get the “gig” (aka the engagement) show up at the correct time and realize the seating arrangements or the lighting is ... Views: 2820
After you have given a presentation, and especially at the beginning of your career (and even when you are at a level of expertise), you should critique your presentation skills to improve. It’s safe to say the more proficient a speaker you are, the better the communicator you are. The better ... Views: 2260
Any way you look at it, most people are failures. You know, there's the 80/20 rule, which some people correctly say is really the 90/10, or really 95/5. All this is true. I definitely agree with you.
Most people are failures—like if you believe the oft-touted Social Security System study. I ... Views: 2072
Have you often avoided making those "dreaded cold calls?"
Do you dream of how much better your business could be but just can't bring yourself to pick up the phone?
You're not alone. In the 12+ years that I have specialized in coaching real estate agents, I have noticed the same avoidant ... Views: 2953
People who perform in front of audiences can have very special challenges. For some, it’s just a few jitters but for others, stage fright can be debilitating – or at least harrowing.
There is plenty to worry about: dry mouth and shaking hands to begin with. And what about that difficult ... Views: 3390
"According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy."
-Jerry Seinfeld
This morning I had a ... Views: 2129
Trembling hands. Dry mouth. Weak legs. Your mind is racing and so is your heart.
Sound familiar? Welcome to the very popular “glossophobia” club, more commonly known as stage fright.
If you suffer from speaker’s anxiety, you’re in excellent company. Fear of speaking in public still ranks ... Views: 2120
With increasing information and the demands of workers to provide real-time responses, it is no wonder that stress is on the rise.
Stress is an everyday part of life. While we intuitively understand what stress is, a definition of stress is more elusive. Many theories of stress suggest that ... Views: 2465
The beleaguered carpenter ran his hand over the wood the way a horse trainer stokes the back of the thoroughbred that he is about to take out for a run.
In happier times this artisan was in high demand. Of course, this was before “the accident” that shocked the town. “No mistakes… not THIS ... Views: 3946