Public Speaking 101: Overcoming Nervousness
It is often said there are two things in life that are an absolute certainty and they are death and taxes. Of equal anecdotal prevalence is the notion that next to the fear of death; public speaking ranks number 2. The sort of public speaking that requires an individual to stand up perpendicular and speak before a crowd sends shivers up the spines of most people.
This is unfortunate in that the ability to stand up and speak publicly with the appearance of confidence is a very powerful skill, that properly cultivated and leveraged can lead to countless opportunities. Most people assume that people who are good and speaking publicly are just naturally gifted at it. It is widely believed that you are either born with it or you are not.
While such things as charisma are somewhat difficult to understand, the ability to become a good public speaker can be attained by anyone with the proper coaching and practice. There are 3 components that must be understood and worked at in order to become a good public speaker.
These 3 components when not understood or addressed are what contribute to stage fright and fear that properly understood and rehearsed can make anyone more comfortable and capable of speaking publicly.
They are:
- Physical: racing heart beat, palpitations, shortness of breath.
- Emotional: nervousness, cracking voice, sweaty palms, self conciousness.
- Mental: clouded thinking, tongue-tied, speaking to fast, thinking to fast.
For the purposes of this post we will deal with the physical dimensions of hadling nervousness an how to master them and use them to your advantace.
Physical Nervousness (Butterflies in the Stomach)
It is important to understand that the physical reaction to public speaking is a physical reaction to a stressful situation. It is not a special fear but the same fear as if a vicious dog was running at you, a car looses control and is heading your way, or if you are on a plane and it hits major turbulence and the pilot comes over the loudspeaker and says buckle up. It is the body’s way of bracing for impact.
The good news is that it can be effectively managed by taking very long slow deep breaths. You may even want to hold your breath for several seconds then take a deep full inhalation and slow exhalation as you contract your stomach muscles to force out all of the air. This will force oxygen to the part of your brain that controls your thinking and this will shut down the part of your brain that braces for impact. The former being the Cerebral Cortex, the latter being the Amygdala.
The Amygdala is the oldest part of our brain. It is designed for fight or flight decisions. True to its purposes it causes you to breathe fast, blood pressure to go up and all of the physical things associated with preparing for battle or the unknown. Not the best state to be in if you want to think or speak clearly.
Master the butterflies in your stomach and general nervousness by taking several deep breaths until you heart rate has come down and you feel under control. The good thing about this is that while you are collecting and steadying your self ; the audience will perceiver that you are deep in thought and about to say something very profound. Silence does more to get the audience’s attention than anything else you could do.
Submitted by Christopher A. Clarke on 11/15/14.
Christopher A. Clarke is managing editor of Black2020.Com and can be reached through the sites contact page.
Please view the master speaker and motivator himself: Les Brown
[youtube=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=acL7nhhwFcw]
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