Strong Tips to Cure Stage-Fright

There are many ways to overcome a fear of public speaking. This Article looks at a method which is widely used by many different types of people, often with beneficial results allowing people to effectively communicate publicly and beat stage fright. This practice is commonly used in NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming) and is often referred to as ‘modeling’. This process involves studying someone who is an idol to you, someone who does what you want to be able to do with complete ease an confidence. By emulating the person you admire, you can in fact change your behavior and rid yourself of a public speaking fear. In fact NLP practitioners state that this process not only works for fear of public speaking but for all other phobias too and can produce positive results all aspects of your life. Follow these tips to successfully ‘model’ your idol and speak effectively.

1. Identify

Pick someone who totally embodies what you want to become – in terms of beating your fear. If you lack confidence then you may want to pick someone who oozes it and has no problems with public speaking. This can be someone you know, or someone you have watched speak before, even an actor. If you have trouble with the tone or quality of your voice you may want to pick one of the public speaking greats, or even a President. Each person is individual, but the more you respect your role model the more successful you will be in this exercise.

2. Study
Now you have chosen your role-model it’s time to put a bit of effort in and spend time studying him or her. Try and watch videos of them in action (try YouTube or perhaps rent something they appear in). Notice their mannerisms, how do they talk? What is their body language like? Try to notice all the tiny details and remember them, write them down if you have difficulty in doing theirs.

3. Become One
This is the hardest part, but once you master it you will find it easy to emulate almost anyone. Some people find it easier to do this exercise with their eyes closed. See your role model in front of you, add small details to make them more 3 dimensional and life like. Then imagine yourself stepping into their body and take on all of their positive characteristics. Feel your body language mimicking theirs. Adjust your quality of voice and feel your confidence shoot up. Try and feel exactly how your role model would.

4. Keep Practicing

Keep visualizing yourself as the role model until you really believe you are them. It is important not just to ‘copy’ them but to actually be them to take on their attributes that you want to have. This might take a while but once you feel this way you will be able to overcome your fear of public speaking.

If you don’t feel it working for you perhaps change who your role model is. It’s okay to think outside of the box, your role model can be an athlete, or musician – even your grandma, as long as they totally embody thing you want to have. Good luck!

Profit From Effective Public Speaking

Developing and utilizing presentation skills can result in increased income for you. Here are a few ways that you can turn your public speaking experience into business profits.

1. Free Speeches to Promote Your Business

A lawyer might make a speech to a group of business persons, free of charge, about the advantages of incorporating their businesses. This could result in obtaining new clients. It could also cause existing clients to purchase additional services, such as incorporations, minute book work, income tax election filings, and so on.

2. Paid Seminars, Workshops and Teleclasses

You could charge admission fees to attend a seminar entitled “How To Incorporate Yourself Without a Lawyer”. This seminar could detail the considerations and mechanics of incorporating your own private corporation.

3. Sell Information Products

The information presented during a speech or seminar could form the basis for information products such as books, courses, special reports or folios, audios, videos, DVDs, electronic books, and so forth. For example, you could write a book entitled “How To Incorporate Yourself Without a Lawyer”.

Including such products as handouts at your seminar would increase the value for the attendees (which you could charge for). Even if you gave a free speech to a group, you could still receive back-end income from the sale of such information products.

Obviously, your public speaking skills will be especially important when producing an audio or video cassette. Your listeners and viewers will make certain judgments based on your personal appearance, poise, audience contact, use of gestures, enthusiasm, how informative the material is, and many other factors.

Your information products establish your credibility as an expert, resulting in even more business. As well, you can market those same information products through mail order, direct mail, Internet marketing, and other methods.

4. Consulting and Other Opportunities

As your reputation as an expert in your specialized field grows, you will become more in demand. Clients may seek you out for lucrative speaking engagements. You may be invited to write magazine articles, consult for large corporations, act as an expert trial witness, become a syndicated columnist, et cetera.

Therefore, whether you are a novice or an experienced public speaker, it pays to increase and utilize your public speaking skills.

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Public Speaking is NOT Easy or Natural, But it Doesn’t Have to Be That Way

5 Ways to Liven Your Audience

Has a boring speaker ever put you to sleep? Your head begins to nod as you fight off the urge to slip mercifully into the Land of the Z’s. Or has your mind ever wandered during someone’s dull presentation? Although you appear to listen intently, what you are really thinking about are the million tasks waiting for you at home.

Sure, this has happened to all of us, more than we would like to admit. However, don’t let it happen to you when you are the speaker. The key to keeping your audience from taking a mental exit is to involve them in your talk. Yes! Studies show that the more you involve your audience, the more they retain. Why? Because they are listening!

You can involve your audience in several ways, and I have listed 5 of my favorites below. Select those that will work well with your presentation and that feel genuine to you. If it feels uncomfortable, it will look uncomfortable—so don’t use it.

1. Ask questions.
Questions will cause your audience members to try to think of an answer. They can’t help it – it is simply how our brains are wired. If the energy in the room starts to drop, ask a question and select a member of your audience to respond. Then, thank him or her for participating and move on to the next person. Don’t worry about loosing control of your audience. Sales guru Brian Tracy emphasizes, “He (she) who asks questions is in control.” I personally prefer questions like “How many of you . . .,” and then I ask for a show of hands. These closed-ended questions get your audience involved both mentally and physically.

2. Finish your sentence.
For example, if you said to your audience, “Lions and tigers and bears . . .” and did not finish the sentence, what do you think they would say? As long as they are familiar with the movie The Wizard of Oz, they would respond with “Oh my!” This is a fun way to get your audience to participate. If they know the answer, they will blurt it out. If they don’t, you answer it. Choose something that should be so obvious they will absolutely get it.

3. High-five.
This is one of my personal favorites, and if you have attended one of my talks you have experienced it firsthand. If you ever feel like the energy in the room is heavy, you can change it by using this technique. Simply ask a question (remember the power of asking questions). Ask, “Is this good stuff?” When your audience responds with “Yes,” say “Then, turn to the people on either side of you and give them a high-five and say ‘This is good stuff!’” Most people get a kick out of it. However, if you have an individual in your audience who does not want to participate, don’t worry about it. Some people simply just don’t want to have fun.

4. Do exercises.
I learned this trick from the famous millionaire T. Harv Ecker when I took his “Train the Trainer” course. He says, “Get your audience to do the work.” To accomplish this, ask them to break into groups of two or three (with people that they don’t know) and give them an exercise that is congruent with your presentation. Afterward, ask them to share openly with the rest of the group and thank them for doing so.

5. Give them candy.
Reward your audience for participating, and they will participate even more. Simply ask a question and when someone answers it, gently throw a small piece of candy to that person. I find that chocolate works best. You will find that it becomes a game and people will compete for the chocolate. I don’t use this throughout my entire speech, only for a few minutes in the middle of my talk.

There are many other ways and techniques to get your audience involved. What is important as a speaker is for you to come up with as many different ways as you can think of that are appropriate for your audience and for you as a speaker. Believe me, your audience will thank you.

Top 7 Steps to Better Public Speaking

Whether you want to be a part time, full time or BIG time speaker you must speak, speak, and speak. At first, deliver 25-30 minute free talks to service clubs and community organizations. Consider it to be your off-Broadway tryout. A great opportunity to fine-tune your program…and maybe get some future paid business!

Do the following to put at ease when delivering a speech:

1. Your speech needs a beginning, middle, and end. You must grab your audience’s attention in the first minute…so begin with a starting comment, question, story, or humor. End your speech on a strong note by asking a question, providing a quote, tell a story or leave them laughing.

2. Every 5-7 minutes, back up your facts with signature (about you or others) stories. Stories are out there – everywhere. Find them in the stores, at restaurants, on the airplane, at home. People retain information better when hearing a story.

3. Practice your speech out load. Record it on to a tape recorder and/or video camera. Also do this when giving a program to a live audience. Do it every time!

4. Practice pausing before and after important points. Don’t be afraid to leave open space. The use of silence is a key requirement to becoming an effective speaker.

5. Use direct eye contact. You can focus on one person when making a point…and everyone else in the audience will think you are speaking to them also.

6. Don’t just stand behind the lectern: move around, gesture. Be animated. (Fifty-five percent of how people perceive you is by body language; 38 percent by your voice;
7 percent by your words)

7. Smile a lot. Be enthusiastic about what you are saying. And have fun.