The Things That Stop Most People Presenting in Public & How to Overcome Them

Gerald R. Ford said "If I went back to college again, I'd concentrate on two areas: learning to write and learning to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively."

Public speaking is the number one skill that's guaranteed to position you head and shoulders above the competition, yet it's frequently overlooked, according to the female speaker, Patricia Fripp.

My own take on having the ability to give presentations is that it's probably the single most powerful thing you can learn to do that gives you the ammunition to say "If I can do that, I can do anything".

If you've ever marveled at the abilities of a great presenter, the clever use of words to draw pictures, the confidence and charisma that exudes from the platform and the awe in which they are held, you'll agree with the above statements.

So why is it that when it comes to attending training courses, presentation skills are not the automatic first port of call?  Could it be to do with that oft quoted (probably misquoted) statistic that speaking in public is feared more than death?  Let's not go into an examination of quite how ridiculous that would be if it were true.  After all, how many of you would really swap places with the guy in the coffin if you were asked to speak at a funeral?

There's no doubt that public presenting can get the old palms sweating, but given the benefits, you'll get when you know you can do it well, it really shouldn't stop you.  Let's examine the causes of nerves so you lay your fears to rest and get this most important of abilities added to your arsenal of talents, shall we?

First, examine why you're nervous.  There's always a reason for nerves so examine what the reasons are so you can deal with the cause and go a long way to eliminating the symptom.  Note that I say "go a long way to eliminating", the chances are that you'll always feel some nervousness which is when you need to remember that nerves are your friends because they keep your senses sharp & show that you want to do well. 

Even seasoned performers suffer from stage fright, some had it so bad they could barely perform.  Fortunately, the thought is usually worse than the task. Once you get started, you'll often find that your nervousness will disappear.  I liken it to knowing that you're about to tackle a drive round London's Hyde Park Corner or Paris's Arc de Triomphe in rush hour.  Thinking about it really freaks you out but when you're in the middle of it, you're too busy concentrating on not hitting anyone that it's only afterwards you get to think "Wow, I made it in one piece."

Some of the most common reasons I've found for people suffering from nerves are these:


Worry about forgetting what you're going to say
Worry that the audience will think you're a fraud
Worry about saying the wrong thing and offending somebody
Worry that someone will ask a question to which you don't know the answer
Worry that you'll get a dry mouth or get tongue tied
Worry that you'll finish too soon or run long


Some of the less common ones I've heard were "I'm worried in case there's a fire alarm halfway through my talk" and "I'm worried that the hem on my trousers will unravel in front of everyone whilst I'm speaking."

I could dismiss all these are "silly" or "invalid" and tell you that none of them will ever happen, but the fact is that they often will. (Yes, even the trouser hem thing's happened to me!).  Looking down the list, you can see that there's a lot you can do to avoid these situations occurring: being well prepared, stating your qualifications in your introduction, knowing your subject matter inside and out, timing yourself several times during rehearsals, and so on (sorry, I don't have a magic bean to disable fire bells during speeches).

But so what if any of them still come to pass? What's the worst that can happen? Well it's not life or death, you know. You have to learn to keep your fears in perspective.  And remember, the audience wants you to succeed. Nobody enjoys a bad speech.

Do what you can to be prepared and don't let fear of speaking stop you from gaining that most revered of all skills, the one that will impact every area of your personal and business life.  Give yourself the very best opportunity of succeeding and you'll find the rewards are massive.

By: Maria Davies
http://www.articlegeek.com/business/public_speaking_articles/public-presenting-how-to-overcome.htm
Author Bio
Maria Davies is the UK's most successful female sales presenter who trains others to overcome their public speaking fears and use presentation skills to increase the audience share for their product or service by around 91%.  Find out more about forthcoming seminars, worldwide e-trainings or speaker bookings at www.laddersofsuccess.com

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You Choose to , React or Respond

Choices abound. Sometimes choices confound us, while at other times, certain choices are rather obvious. Any way you approach the subject, choices present opportunities to either excel or hinder. As human beings, we were endowed by our Creator with the power of choice. It is one of the factors that differentiate persons from animals. Some people make these choices or decisions more easily than others.

Each day, we must decide how we will spend our precious twenty-four hours and deal with all that the world presents to us. We choose how we will be affected by both everyday occurrences and those that are much more extraordinary. Whether consciously or unconsciously, we choose to either react or respond. These are not the same, for one is negative and one is positive. Which we choose may have a significant impact on our life and possibly those close to us.

Reacting to outside influences, usually beyond our control is generally a negative choice. Reacting implies that we have given charge of the situation to someone or something else. We surrender our input and any control in the matter. We are now at the mercy of the situation and are forced to be in reaction mode where we are constantly dodging bullets and expending great amounts of energy just to stay afloat. In reacting to a situation, we do not anticipate that which is to come because we are too busy handling the present. The future then surprises us and the whole mess begins again.

Responding to a situation is a positive choice. It is the opposite of reacting. It is proactive and anticipates that which is yet to come. Responding is preceded by thought and often prayer. In responding, we take charge and have command over how the situation impacts us. We also have control over how it affects us internally. We decide upon the level of personal impact.

Our lives, families, careers and other everyday activities and interests are operating at breakneck speeds and appear at times to be accelerating. One thing is for certain, the old days of sitting around on the front porch each evening listening to Mother Nature are gone for many of us. The pace of life in Mayberry, as healthy and tranquil as it would appear, is, unfortunately, a thing of the past. We live life on the fast track.

A major newsweekly magazine is currently featuring material devoted to stress and distress in our lives and their effects on our cardiovascular health. Although not totally surprising, this information is disturbing. How did we ever get to this point? Witness the number of television commercials and magazine advertisements for gastric distress, acid reflux, anxiety, depression, headaches and other ailments that are increasing in frequency. There are millions of prescriptions written each day for these medical conditions, most of which will find their roots in internalized stress and distress.

People spend many hours of their lives worrying. Worry is a senseless, energy robbing activity that has engulfed many. No one has ever benefited from worry, yet countless people engage in it. Worry is the opposite of faith. Worry is negative while faith is positive. There is no mystery here. Many books have been written on the subject. The conclusions are the same: "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and "Stop Worrying and Start Living" are among the many themes presented. Good advice indeed.

Most areas of life present us with choices. We must choose either to respond or react to circumstances.  We choose whether or not to worry. Learn to be aware that you have a choice in these matters. Learn that there are ways that you can deal with everything either positively or negatively. Learn that your choices may influence your very health, both physical and mental. Learn that there will be costs associated with poor choices, worrying and negativity in general. These may include social, monetary, peace of mind and time costs. Certainly, the total cost associated with negative choices is too high.

Learn that positively responding to circumstances in life will significantly reduce or eliminate worry and contribute to your overall good health and well being. Find joy in life. Be happy.
By: Daniel Sitter

Author Bio
Daniel Sitter is the author of the popular, award-winning e-book, Learning For Profit. Designed for busy people, his new book teaches simple, step-by-step accelerated learning skills, demonstrating exactly how to learn anything faster than ever before. Learning For Profit is currently available at the author's web site www.learningforprofit.com and from numerous online book merchants. Mr. Sitter, having expertise in sales, marketing and personal development, is a frequent contributor to several publications.

Article Source:http://www.articlegeek.com/self-improvement/self_improvement/choose_to_react_or_respond.htm