3 Techniques to Help Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking

There will come a time in the life of most people when they will have to speak in front of more than 5 people at a time. Public speaking doesn’t necessarily mean a podium and a microphone. My first introduction to public speaking was in the class room and I was in the 10th grade. It was an experience that introduced me to fears that I never knew existed. To my surprise, I did quite well, this is not to say I was a natural, maybe I didn’t have enough sense to be scared at the time.Times are a lot different. Any professional will have to speak in front of a crowd at some or many times in their career. People have paid hundreds if not thousands to learn how to speak in front of more than 5 people. I will give you a few pointers that will save you those hundred of dollars in consulting fees.

During my military career, I was a Recruiter ( U.S.M.C). My training included being able to speak on a moments notice, unprepared, to hundreds of High School students, faculty members and parents. When I would visit a High School, the principal would meet me in the Hallway and say they needed me to fill in for about ten to fifteen minutes because their regularly scheduled speaker did not show. Without any prepared notes, I had about 3 minutes to gather in my thoughts in my head and figure out what I would spend the next 15 minutes talking about. As a military recruiter, I was trained to do exactly that!There are two types of speeches you might experience in your life time and they are:

1. Extemporaneous: Composed, performed, or uttered on the spur of the moment.
2. Impromptu: Made or done without previous preparation.

When you have time to prepare

When you have ample time for speech preparation, here are some tips that will help you with your delivery.

• Practice your speech. Practice it! Get in front of a mirror or someone else and get familiar with doing it in front of one person.
• Go to the place where you will deliver it. If this is possible, go to the place where you will deliver the speech and get familiar with the surroundings, build your comfort level, there. Go to the podium, start reading your speech in that empty room or auditorium. This will greatly help you on speech day.
• Make Notes on the speech and number your approach. Try and structure your speech around three points and number them on your paper so you will not lose your place.
• Eye Contact. If this makes you nervous, pick three objects in your audience or on the wall at make contact with them. It will give the appearance you are looking at your listeners.

When you don’t have prep time.

When you must give a speech on a moments notice, you may already have the material needed. It really depends on the events preceding your being asked to speak. You can draw from your general knowledge, current events, something job, school or career related. It also depends on who you are talking to, just make it relevant to the moment and the situation.

Finally, when you speak, if you can follow these three guidelines, you’ll do great.

1. Tell them what you are going to tell them. (Intro)
2. Tell them. (Body)
3. Tell them what you told them. (Conclusion)

Nathaniel Lewis is a technology professional helping the small and start up business owner implement technologies into their business processes by way of http://www.TheConnectivityPros.com. You can reach him at: nlewis@TheConnectivityPros.com.

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