Any public speakers here?

[cantdrv55]

Looking for advice on getting over my fear of public speaking. I'm in sales so I'm pretty outgoing. I'm comfortable leading informal group sessions but when I have to give a talk behind a podium or just be in the front of a large group of people, I suffer the usual anxiety attack symptoms. I'm pretty sure that even the most seasoned public speaker still get the butterflies but they make it look so easy. I'm going to join Toastmasters Int'l. Do you have any secrets you can impart?

I sell to a largely female customer base so picturing my audience naked doesn't work. I just get wood.

[Westy]

Hey Chris,,,I do a lot of teaching and speaking. Audiences are alweays deer in the headlights until things get rolling. I usually start out by telling them a joke. Of course it has to be politically correct, but once the crowd loosens up then everything just flows smoothly. AND, they will get interactive. Once it's Q&A time, the day flys by.

If this doesn't work try plan B. Jack Daniels!!!!

[cantdrv55]

Hey Brian, next time we get together, I'd like to pick your brain about this topic. Maybe you can tell me some of your jokes.

[Westy]

A six pack of miller light and some tacos and I can go all night long

[84porsche]

Being in school only a few years ago, we a had a great deal of speaking events required. So, here are a few things that may or may not help you.

1) Remember these people are here to hear you speak so what you have to say must be important so a no fear attitude is important.

2) Bribery works well - provide your audience with something to keep their attention with something at the door either a bag full of reading or advertisements so they can follow along.

3) Visual aids to keep those visually inclined attentive on the walls or next to you.

4) Get your audience involved - stop every 5 minutes or often to answer questions and try to use light humor - nothing too serious or that involves thought on the part of our audience.

5) Have your topic well researched and have cue cards for yourself so that if you freeze up you will have something to spark your memory.

[Superman]

I don't do as much public speaking now, but until recently I did quite a bit of it. There are two key elements. The first is simple practice. The more you do it, the less nervous you will be. The second key is knowing what you're talking about. A canned speech is only a partial fix. I was lucky. I talked about the same subject, albeit a complex and highly controversial one, for a dozen years.

In reverse, it sounds like this: If you have no public speaking experience and are nervous in that role, you are hosed. You will be nervous. It will go away with experience. Toastmasters will help a great deal.

If you step up there unprepared, to talk about a subject you do not fully understand, then it is going to be a nightmarish experience. Prepare prepare prepare.

Oh, and one last tip. Talk as slowly as you possibly can. Speak slowly and loudly, and enunciate. After each sentence......pause. Look out at the audience. Remain paused. Speak the next sentence, slowly, loudly, and enunciate. Then pause. Then look out at the audience. Then resume. Especially pause after you say something important. pause pause pause....then say the exact same thing again.

One principle that good speakers also understand is that you cannot impart much detail. Detail is for the printed word. Hand that out AFTER your talk. If they have paper in their hands during your talk, you will see the tops of their heads and you will hear the paper rustling. The quaint saying is: "Tell them what you're going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you told them." Pick between 1 and 3 things you really want them to remember, and be aware that this is their limit. You will not get them to remember five things.

Pause pause pause, and do not vocalize those pauses. Do not say "ummm" or "well......" or anything like that. They will wait for you.

[oldE]

Know your subject material inside-out and backwards. If you are confident in your knowledge, that is something to build upon to get you started. Toastmasters will help, as you will get practice in a non-threatening setting.
I too was in sales for 25 years, and used to have a 'comfort number' of 10 (thats the number of people I could address before I felt nervous) Since I am semi retired, I put in time at a visitor information center/Tidal Power plant in this area. After a week, I did my first bus tour. By the end of the summer, I was working humor into the talk to keep it interesting for all of us. My big moment was giving the talk to two bus loads at once (they just showed up) Seventy people I'd never met before listening and laughing and learning for about 15 minutes. An absolute ball.
I also discovered if you have enough microphones put in front of you and cameras pointed your way, you can learn to ignore them and continue to enjoy doing your job. (We had a humpback whale get into our headpond and shut down the turbine for a week or so. News folks all over the place.)
You can do this.
Les

[Superman]

Yep. Preparation.....and practice. My experience was like Les'. I had been a salesman for seven years, so I had lost my shyness. But I was nervous in public speaking. But repetition and familiarity with the subject matter, eventually will make you a good speaker. Eventually, like Les, I became a bit of a speaking personality. At times, my audience and I had a BALL. The room usually had under 50 people, but there were times I addressed 350. It gets pretty fun.

[cantdrv55]

Originally posted by Superman
The room usually had under 50 people, but there were times I addressed 350. It gets pretty fun.

Yow, 350 people! I better get to a Toastmasters meeting quick.

[Overpaid Slacker]

I believe rule #1 is know what you're talking about. It's also rules #2 - 5.

I agree w/ supe that you must speak more slowly than you're accustomed to in conversing; however, go easy on the pauses between sentences. Don't make it into a Pinter play for Chrissake. If you expect your audience to take notes, give them the time to do so, but don't drag it on. I think cadence/rhythm is very important to keeping an audience engrossed.

Pausing at appropriate times (ends of topics or sub-topics) to solicit questions, or to provide a break before you either recap or launch into the next topic is very worthwhile.

I'd recommend an outline, written in LARGE font, as opposed to cards, which make their user frequently look like they're fumbling. If you're going to have a podium or a lectern, bring a bottle of water with you.

I strongly recommend a bit of humor to begin, and self-deprecation is almost always a hit. Use these if you like:

"I'm sorry if I seem a bit nervous. This is my first [type of speech]. The good news is, no matter what happens, this will be my best [type of speech] ever."

or

"I will try to be brief. After all, I'm here to talk and you are here to listen. The hope is we'll both stop around the same time."

And, most importantly, cantdrv55, try to keep the nudity tasteful and integral to the plot.

Levity, charisma and energy are all actually very easy if you know what you're talking about. If you don't, you're pretty much doomed. And don't get wrapped up in the number of people you're addressing, for a variety of reasons.

JP

[lendaddy]

I can only tell you what works for me. Start by drinking alot of champagne before hand to loosen up. Walk (whilest shaking visibly) to the podium and proceed to spill your champagne on both the podium and yourself. Follow said spilling with a not-intentionally loud YEA WHOOOO! This is a crowd pleaser as at this point they feel your pain. Wait nervously for a friend to bring you another glass Proceed to tear-up and crack your voice during the emotional part. When finished, return to your seat and vow to never ever under any circumstances do that again. There you go, YRMV.

[Moses]

I had a terrible fear of public speaking. My pulse would race, my heart would pound and I would get short of breath. My mind would start spinning so fast I'd forget even the basics of a well prepared lecture.

I don't think I would have ever conquered it without help. A wise old doc knew about my problem and recommended a small dose of Inderal. (CHECK WITH YOUR DOC.) A small dose will lower your pulse and blood pressure so you don't feel anxious. All the biofeedback ques of anxiety are missing. I only used it two or three times. I don't need it at all anymore.

[vash]

moses, you would be the ideal "best friend"!

personally, i cant do any public speaking. doesnt matter if i am giving a lecture about something i know about inside/out. strange thing is that i was kickass back in college. i could give a lecture to a classroom without a hitch. i guess something snapped. i am now a nervous fool. i would need to wash down one of moses' pills with scotch, and smoke some weed.

[Moses]

Give this a read;

http://www.siegelproductions.ca/fiddlefarmers/stagefright.htm

It worked wonders for me.

[Superman]

Weed won't help.

[Teutonics]

I have to do sales and training seminars for work, usually groups of 20 to 100 or so, but sometimes much higher. In the beginning I was very nervous, but the more you do it the better it becomes. The keys I have found for me are:

- Know your subject material. You are in front of the crowd for a reason (because you are the expert), and they are there because they WANT to hear what you are saying (at least usually ;-))

- Remember that each person is an individual... you are speaking to multiple individuals, not a group. Make eye contact individually, and talk to THAT PERSON. Move around the room and try to talk to each person directly at least once (if small enough group)

- Involve the group, make it 2-way communication as much as possible. Beneficial information is shared during question and answer, and can often be more important (and more "real world") than the presentation itself.

- Keep slides brief, and don't read the slides... use them only as an outline for the presentation.

HTH!

[350HP930]

The largest group I ever had to speak to was a little over 200.

As far as drugs go, beta blockers are the best. Perhaps moses' suggested drug falls into that category.

[Superman]

I'm not sure how much I agree with the suggestion to stop and invite a Q&A session. Or maybe it's just the controversial subject matter I always was handling. There was always a Q&A portion, but it fell at the end. That way, I was able to get all the way through the material I needed to present. And, by the way, some of you might guess that the Q&A part was my favorite. It certainly was. In fact, I always hoped for a heckler. Someone opposed to the controversial program I administered. You know me, and you know this is what I would enjoy. But some of you probably think I crushed (or attempted to crush) hecklers. I did not. But they presented an excellent opportunity to instruct in the point/counterpoint style. Compare and contrast. Those were the best situations. Some of you who I anger regularly, would actually like me. Believe it or not.

Oh, and I am fairly negative on the visual aids. Not entirely, since some folks are visual learners. But it is very easy to lose control of our audience by giving them distractions that are too complex or tantalizing.

[350HP930]

Hmm, that reminds me. When I attended U of F they would often have interesting speakers come to campus. There were a couple that drew thousands where I got up to ask a question. That can be pretty nerve wracking if you have a complex question.

[azasadny]

The more public speaking you do, the better you'll be at it. I went to an "instructional technology" school while I was in the Navy because I was assigned to instructor duty teaching a paramedic course. We practiced on each other, starting with small (1) in the audience, then gradually getting to 100! No shortcuts, know your material and practice!!! (alot)!!!