What's the secret to speaking in public or just in front of a group of people?

[frosty]

I'm terrible at public speaking. You think grad school would have made me overcome my fears of speaking to a crowd. No, I still get tense and very anxious when I have to talk in front of a group of people. How do I control the physiological changes? I feel my lungs deflate and my voice becomes very soft, and the fast heartbeat doesn't help much at all. My biggest fear is that I may stammer--gah! I know I can speak well and even sound intelligent and commanding, but the fear makes me sound like a nervous wreck! We have weekly meetings at work, and I often don't participate much because of my fear of speaking. It's really stupid when you consider that it's just adding your two cents and nothing like presenting something deep like in grad school where people can ask you questions and you have to be on your toes.

I have to admit, I think my crush on the dept. head has something to do with me not wanting to speak openly and risk making a fool of myself.

[kerry]

I speak in public for a living but after a few months off, I'm still a little nervous when I return. It's really a very widespread fear but overcoming it can be a huge factor in social success.
I wonder what the evolutionary roots of the fear are? It's not like being afraid of snakes or bears. Adam Smith argues that morality arises because we 'naturally' look at ourselves through the eyes of others. Could it be that fear of public speaking is an extension of process to such an extent that we can't deal with the overload, and become afraid of it.

[link]

I always had problems with speaking while in school. Since then I've given countless speeches and presentations on technical topics. I always 1) keep a water bottle nearby; 2) never drink coffee before hand (I'm a fast talker to begin with and when wired people can’t keep up) 3) keep a set of notes as a guideline and 3) most importantly, never….oh, crap I gotta go.

[G-Benz]

I find that the inate fear results from how confident you are with the skills required to perform in front of a crowd, as well as the subject matter and the crowd that you have to deliver....like defending your new scientific theory to a group of physicists!

I would recommend joining your local "Toastmasters" organization. Even if you are a seasoned speaker, you can still hone your skills!

[iwrock]

I get a kick out of public speaking...


I think I have only been anxious once or twice before starting the speech. There secret is... Know what your talking about. If you know your subject, you have confidence in your speech. If you have confidence in your speech, then you got nothing to worry about.

[MTI]

Even with a "born with it" ability, public speaking is still a trained skill. I believe that it is easier to accomplish if the speaker has a level of confidence in the message, not merely the delivery of the message.

Many people who are adverse to speaking have a tendency to rush and speak too quickly, in order to end the torment as soon as possible. That leads to out of rhythm speaking, run on sentences and calling more attention to the manner of speech and not the words. I usually counsel people to slow down.

Even in spur of the moment speaking, it helps to map out, in writing if you have the time, the points you need to cover and how to open and close. Without some form of map, you're likely to get lost, forget points or wander around the speech looking for the closing.

[tompaah7503]

Self-confidence and how you value your self has a lot to do with this. And knowledge of the topic too, of course. If you step up and know in your heart that you are right and that you master the topic, you shouldn't have a problem in a civilized crowd..
Of course there are some other techniques you also can practice. For example, in an audience there are always those more interested and those less interested in the topic. If possible, try to figure out who's interested before entering stage and direct your speech more to them than the non-interested bunch. Those interested will not pick their nose, play with a pen or gasp, they will listen to you, look you in your eyes and provide interesting feedback.. that kind of things that makes you more confident on stage.

[LUVMBDiesels]

Here are my tips... I used to do dog and pony pre-sales talks to CEOs and still run pretty big meetings at DHS...

1) KNOW your stuff. There is no substitute for the confidence you get from knowing your topic. This willalso help you not be nervous as you KNOW you know more about the subject than your audience

2) Speak S L O W L Y. You will find that you want to speed up as you start talking. Make sure that you speak at about1/2 to 2/3 your normal pace. This is especially important if people need to take notes.

3) Make eye contact with different people.

4) "Shatnerize" a bit... It you watch Bill Shatner you will see how he leans into the audience and uses his hands to build a bridge between the people he is talking to and himself. An extreme example is Eva Peron's gestures -- DON'T IMITATE HER...

5)If you are standing in front of a crowd, I find it to be easier to talk if I have a prop or two.Bring a chart, white board, or some other thing that you can use as a prop.

6) Act like you are loose and at ease -- If you 'act' this way the audience will relax as well letting you actually relax (it is a feedback loop)

7) Don't shout. I know you think youare speaking very softly, but do not raise your voice too much. Use a normal speaking voice.

GOOD LUCK!!

[mgburg]

Originally Posted by kerry

...I'm still a little nervous when I return. It's really a very widespread fear but overcoming it can be a huge factor in social success. ... I wonder what the evolutionary roots of the fear are? It's not like being afraid of snakes or bears. Adam Smith argues that morality arises because we 'naturally' look at ourselves through the eyes of others. Could it be that fear of public speaking is an extension of process to such an extent that we can't deal with the overload, and become afraid of it.

I think it has to do with the "unknown" as in ... a large crowd.

You don't know where they've been, what they ate, how they feel (as a whole) and generally, they're your peers. So, in a sense, you yourself, fear their ridicule if you should say something silly or out of place...

For me, that was the makeup for a real "chuck-fest" in my mind...I used to perform solos in front of my junior- and high-school classmates in a 1,200-person capacity gym. Before the performance, I'd play, in my head, what I intended to do and as I'd stand up and start, my mind went right to that area of thought...I'd listen intently to what I was doing, then the accompaniment would start to filter in and I could get in rythm within the first few notes of the first bar...then it was a matter of pulling certain chains of fingerings and such that I had practiced and "jammed" in my spare time, shifted the tone either sharper or flatter for the piece and away I'd go...oblivious to the eyes staring at me...essentially, I shut them out of my mind and went with what made me feel comfortable in that situation.

In speaking, it's pretty much the same thing...if you know your subject, and you feel comfortable discussing the ins and outs of your favorite ideas, then use that as the starting point. Just remember that, as in music, there's ALWAYS someone that thinks they can do better. Well, next time, put the horn in their hands, or the mic in front of their lips and let 'em prove it.

The important thing? You're doing it right now...the critic has yet to prove he's better.

Think of it this way...

Would you listen to and follow a directorial movie review from Martin Scorcese or from Roger Ebert?

A secretary or bookkeeper of the company that makes widgets don't really know how those widgets are really made. Yet, the maker of those widgets, the secretary and bookkeeper all work for the same company.

We all know who makes the widgets now, don't we? So, would I be further ahead to ask the bookkeeper how the widgets fit into the project I'm working on?

Go get 'em...you know your product better than those that think they know.

[cmbdiesel]

In the format of the weekly meeting, plan your comments ahead of time. Practice saying them at home before the meeting, get the rhythm and tempo down pat. Then bust 'em out at the meeting. You will probably even be able to have intended comments scripted out in front of you shuffled in with other papers. Start with concise comments, and work your way up to more lengthy discourses. With some successful endeavors, you will feel more at ease, and will be chiming in spontaneously in no time.

Next thing you know, you'll be getting promoted, you'll get the girl, you will will have the corner office....well, that's a little too Hollywood. You will feel better about the weekly meetings.

Good Luck

[mgburg]

Originally Posted by cmbdiesel

In the format of the weekly meeting, plan your comments ahead of time. Practice saying them at home before the meeting, get the rhythm and tempo down pat. Then bust 'em out at the meeting. You will probably even be able to have intended comments scripted out in front of you shuffled in with other papers. Start with concise comments, and work your way up to more lengthy discourses. With some successful endeavors, you will feel more at ease, and will be chiming in spontaneously in no time. ... Next thing you know, you'll be getting promoted, you'll get the girl, you will will have the corner office....well, that's a little too Hollywood. You will feel better about the weekly meetings. ... Good Luck

BTW, a little humor (appropriate) for the occasion never hurts...

[PaulC]

I've made a few public presentations in my day.

Imagine that everyone in the audience is nude.

Don't sweat the small stuff. The more concerned you are about making an error, the more likely you will become nervous during the presentation and, indeed, make the error.

Know your subject matter. Knowingly coming into a presentation underprepared is a sure-fire anxiety builder, and the anxiety will sabotage the quality of your presentation.

Listen to yourself while making the presentation. Watch your cadence and volume. Don't be in such a hot hurry to mindlessly disgorge facts and concepts that you don't monitor your delivery.

Make sure that your fly is zipped up.

[Dee8go]

I've heard it said that people are more affraid of public speaking than they are of dying. I always try to make a story out of whatever I have to say. Then, I write myself a VERY brief outline just to use as a road map in case I wander off track. Mostly, it's easier the more you do it, like most things in life.

[mgburg]

Originally Posted by PaulC

Imagine that everyone in the audience is nude.

Ahhhh, wouldn't that make it "harder" to stand in front of that same audience?

[raymr]

I always get some butterflies when talking to a group. It doesn't even matter how many people are in the room. If its more than 5 or 6, it might as well be 1000. For me, the best solution is to take opportunities to speak as often as possible. Practice, practice. I have had some pretty bad things happen to me at the front of the room, but I use those memories as stepping stones, and not to punish myself. Just remember that no speech or presentation is perfect, but you become a little more proficient with each one.