Public Speaking or Death?

        How afraid are you of having to speak in front of an audience of any kind?  
       
        Does this ring a bell?

        I have trained so many people who would rather sell their kidneys than have to stand up and speak.   But many of them are almost as afraid of having to admit they're afraid, as they are of the public speaking that’s causing their panic.
       
        How many situations does this apply to?  So many.  
       
        You have to pitch to a panel of investors for funding, present a report to your board, give a speech in public or face journalists with cameras, lights and microphones.
 
        I always start any training course or consultation by addressing the fear.   The first thing to establish is that it’s ok to be afraid.  I’m going to repeat this because it’s really important   It’s ok to be afraid.      You will not lose face by admitting to it, and it’s better to acknowledge it and tackle it than to pretend it isn’t there.   If you are putting yourself in an unfamiliar situation, you are right to be nervous, you are not on home territory.   Or you have done it a few times and it didn’t go well.  That does not mean it won’t go well in the future.   It’s a learned skill not a dark art. 

        Here’s a typical list of what makes people sick to their stomach with nerves.

            Being/Looking nervous
            Your mind going blank
            Getting it wrong
            Not getting the outcome you want
            Someone stealing your idea
            Difficult questions
            Someone contradicting you
            Looking Stupid

        How do you get over these fears?

        Know your message and prepare…..prepare…..prepare. 

        If you find yourself in this situation and you can only go into that room to present your pitch or do an interview if you know there’s a fast car with the engine running at the back door…….

        Take a deep breath and grab a pen.

        Write down a list of things you are afraid of……absolutely everything, no matter how small or silly you may think it is, if it’s making you nervous, write it down.   Then point by point, write a strategy for coping with that particular fear.

        Here’s that typical list again with an accompanying strategy.

Being/Looking nervous -   The more you prepare and practise the less nervous you will be. 

Your mind going blank –  Keep it simple.  Don’t overcrowd your message with too many points.  Have a keyword for each point you need to make, if you go blank you’ll only have to remember the next keyword to jog your memory.

Getting it wrong – See the above answer.   If your message is simple,  it’s unlikely you’ll get it wrong.

Not getting the outcome you want - You can significantly increase your chances of a good outcome if you are well prepared and have a simple message that’s easy to deliver. 

Someone stealing your idea - You have to talk about your ideas, you never know who will be able to help you.   

Difficult questions - Prepare.  If you know your stuff, you can answer anything.  Anticipate all the possible difficult questions, so that you have an answer for them at your fingertips and stay on message.

Someone contradicting you – if you’ve prepared and you are confident in your message, you can answer your critics.  If you can’t then perhaps they have a point which you need to take on board.

Looking Stupid -  If you take on the above strategies you will not look stupid, you will look confident and well prepared.

        You’ll have noticed there’s a common theme that keeps cropping up in the strategies for overcoming fear. Prepare and practise.  There is no substitute for these two.  

        And remember the Golden Rule……Keep It Simple.   Make sure your pitch/message/presentation is simple enough to memorise and easy to deliver.  Don’t overcomplicate it. 

        And prepare …… prepare …… prepare …..