Word Choice for Public Speaking : Speaking Clearly in Public Speeches

Here's another great video on public speaking. Speaking clearly is definitely a great tip to getting your point across to the listener. This lady really knows her stuff!!! Let me know what you think about her technique. -Mello




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How Public Speaking Can Enhance Your Job Performance

Several years ago, I joined Toastmasters because I always enjoyed speaking in public and I felt like the group could add on to my skills. I was already a music artist and I had performed in front of many people so I did not have stage fright or a fear of speaking. I had taken a break from the music business for various reasons and I needed to fill that space in my life.

My church had started a local Toastmasters charter so it was great opportunity to get in on the ground level. At the first meeting, I sat in just to listen. By the next meeting I was doing my 1st speech and I received many compliments. I kept on doing speeches and gaining more and more confidence. I started back recording music and doing live performances.

I had been recording and performing music since I was a teenager but this time my experience was different.

I learned how to use my body language to deliver more effectively on stage. I also learned the value of using props to connect with the audience. The value of rehearsal was also emphasized during my classes. My writing even became better because I had to write speeches to be delivered at every meeting.

Within a year I had recorded some great music and I opened up for the Grammy Award-winning Hip Hop group, The Roots…3000 miles away from my home!

My new found confidence allowed me to meet more people too. I even became so confident that I would strike up a conversation with complete strangers. From millionaires to homeless people, I began to communicate on all levels with ease.

Now you are probably thinking, “But I am not a music artist nor do I care to be one.” That is fine. You do not have to be one to benefit from a class on public speaking.

Toastmasters calls itself a “communication and leadership program.” I can agree with that one hundred percent! I enhanced my leadership skills not only in my music career but in my day job as well.

I work as a dispatcher in the transportation industry. I supervise approximately 20 drivers and 4 office staff. There are many different challenges and no two days are alike. In my position it is essential that I use effective communication because we are always facing deadlines with our clients.

My job as a leader is to inspire my team to willingly reach further than they normally would to complete our goals. My team has to trust me in order to let me lead them. Learning how to speak in public has helped me become a better leader and has truly improved my communication skills.

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin

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Click here for more public speaking tips

Public Speaking - What Not To Do With Your Body

Here is a good video I came across on YouTube about what body language to avoid when you are speaking in public. These are some good tips your can use immediately!!!




Enjoy!

Let's Make It Happen!!!

-Mello Melanin

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P.S. If you would like more training on public speaking, click on the link below:

Speak In Public Like a World Champion!

Public Speaking - A Greater Fear Than Death?

Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners. It is definitely an important skill that everyone needs, especially in the work force because in just about every well-paid position, some form of speaking in public is required whether it be presenting to the board of directors, giving a group sales presentation, speaking to a committee, or just a group of peers.

According to studies, the fear of speaking in public is a bigger fear than death and is reported to be the number one fear of American adults, with many people experiencing tremendous suffering because of it. The fear of public speaking is the most common phobia that has ever been diagnosed and while this does not mean people would rather be dead than speak in public, as some authors would like you to believe, it does illustrate why communication of ideas through this means is often avoided by professionals. Yet quite simply, one of the most powerful sources of confidence in your speaking ability is knowing that you are prepared.

Mastering the art of public speaking may not make you world famous, but it will most certainly help you to succeed in anything you do. So let's jump right into my quick guide. Your first step in preparing a speech is to understand the nature of the people you' will be speaking to.

Choosing your audience is almost as important as choosing your topic when you are speaking in public. You can distract yourself by paying attention to the environment in which you're speaking and seeing how you can make it work for you. So to help you gain more confidence when speaking in public, think of ways to engage your audience.

You can learn to enjoy public speaking and become far more effective at standing in front of a group of people and delivering a potent message especially if you distract yourself by paying attention to the environment in which you're speaking and seeing how you can make it work for you. By all means make use of your hands when speaking, but be sure to avoid problem gestures, such as pointing.

Knowing your material well will allow you to present your speech in a way that best keeps the listener's attention while allowing you to make changes based on the response of the listeners. The better you know the material the more confident you will be when presenting and the better the flow of the speech will sound. If you plan your speech and rehearse your presentation, you may still be nervous but at least people will listen.

Your speech will be most effective if you plan your opening and closing statements and key transitions down to the last word. Organize your speech logically with a beginning, middle, and end. Pay particular attention to the beginning and end of your speech, since these will be what the audience remembers most. Practice your speech carefully as many times as you need to until you feel the presentation flows and becomes natural sounding; you feel comfortable working without your notes, and you can complete the speech in the assigned amount of time.

Public speaking is not an art; it is skill that can be learned. It is an important element of effective communication that can be beneficial in so many ways. One of the most powerful attributes is to be believable; and that comes from your knowledge and enthusiasm for the material. When you understand that you need no longer fear public speech making or wish you were dead!

Peter Fisher is an expert Author and Webmaster for your-career-change.com for all the best information and ideas about how Public Speaking can help your career.

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Public Speaking and Panic Attacks

It is often observed that many people's top ranking fear is not death but having to speak in public. The joke is that these people would rather be lying in the casket at the funeral than giving the eulogy. Public speaking for people who suffer from panic attacks or general anxiety often becomes a major source of worry weeks or even months before the speaking event is to occur.

These speaking engagements do not necessarily have to be the traditional "on a podium" events but can be as simple as an office meeting where the individual is expected to express an opinion or give verbal feedback. The fear of public speaking and panic attacks in this case centers on having an attack while speaking.

The individual fears being incapacitated by the anxiety and hence unable to complete what he or she is saying. The person imagines fleeing the spotlight and having to make all kinds of excuses later for their undignified departure out the office window....

This differs slightly from the majority of people who fear public speaking because their fear tends to revolve around going blank while speaking or feeling uncomfortable under the spotlight of their peers. The jitters or nerves of speaking in public are of course a problem for this group as well, but they are unfamiliar with that debilitating threat which is the panic attack, as they most likely have not experienced one before.

Public Speaking and Panic AttacksSo how should a person with an anxiety issue tackle public speaking? Stage one is accepting that all these bizarre and quite frankly unnerving sensations are not going to go away overnight. In fact, you are not even going to concern yourself with getting rid of them for your next talk. When they arrive during a speech/meeting, you are going to approach them in a new manner.

What we need to do is build your confidence back to where it used to be before any of these sensations ever occurred. This time you will approach it in a unique, empowering manner, allowing you to feel your confidence again. It is said that most of the top speakers are riddled with anxiety before speaking, but they somehow use this nervousness to enhance their speech. I am going to show you exactly how to do this, although I know that right now if you suffer from public speaking and panic attacks you may find it difficult to believe you can ever overcome it.

My first point is this and it is important. The average healthy person can experience an extreme array of anxiety and very uncomfortable sensations while giving a speech and is in no danger of ever losing control, or even appearing slightly anxious to the audience. No matter how tough it gets, you will always finish your piece, even if at the outset it feels very uncomfortable to go on. You will not become incapacitated in any way.

The real breakthrough for if you suffer from public speaking and panic attacks happens when you fully believe that you are not in danger and that the sensations will pass.

"I realize you (the anxiety) hold no threat over me."

What keeps a panic attack coming again and again is the fear of the fear--the fear that the next one will really knock your socks off and you feel you were lucky to have made it past the last one unscathed. As they were so unnerving and scary, it is your confidence that has been damaged by previous anxiety episodes. Once you fully understand you are not under any threat, then you can have a new response to the anxiety as it arises while speaking.

Defeating public speaking and panic attacks...

There is always a turning point when a person moves from general anxiety into a panic attack, and that happens with public speaking when you think to yourself:

"I won't be able to handle this in front of these people."

That split second of self-doubt leads to a rush of adrenaline, and the extreme anxiety arrives in a wave like format. If, however, when you feel the initial anxiety and you react with confidence that this is not a threat to you, you will move out of the anxiety rapidly. Using this new approach is a powerful ally because it means it is okay to feel scared and feel the anxiety when speaking-that is fine; you are going to feel it and move with and through the sensations in your body and out the other side.

Because he or she is feeling very anxious, often before the talk has begun, that person may feel they have already let themselves down. Now, you can relax on that point. It is perfectly natural to feel the anxiety. Take for example the worst of the sensations you have ever experienced in this situation--be it general unease to loss of breath. You will have an initial automatic reaction that says:

"Danger-I'm going to have an episode of anxiety here and I really can't afford that to happen."

At this point most people react to that idea and confirm it must be true because of all of the unusual feelings they are experiencing. This is where your thinking can lead you down a train of thought that creates a cycle of anxiety that produces a negative impact on your overall presenting skills.

So let that initial "oh dear, not now" thought pass by, and follow it up immediately with the attitude of:

"There you are-I've been wondering when you would arrive. I've been expecting you to show up--by the way, I am not in the least threatened by any of the strange sensations you are creating--I am completely safe here."

The key to controlling your fear of public speaking and panic attacks is that instead of pushing the emotional energy and excitement down into your stomach, you are moving out through it. Your body is in a slightly excited state, exactly as it should be while giving a speech, so release that energy in your self-expression. Push it out through your presentation not down into your stomach. You push it out by expressing yourself more forcefully.

In this way you turn the anxiety to your advantage by using it to deliver a speech where you come across more alive, energetic and in the present moment. When you notice the anxiety drop as it does when you willingly move into it. Fire a quick thought off when you get a momentary break (as I am sure you have between pieces), asking it for "more." You want more of its intense feelings as you are interested in them and are absolutely not threatened by them.

It seems like a lot of things to be thinking about while talking to a group of people, but it is not really. You'd be amazed how many different non-related thoughts you can have while speaking. This approach is about adopting a new attitude of confidence to what you might have deemed a serious threat up until now. This tactic will truly help you with fear of public speaking and panic attacks you have associated with them.

If your predominant fear of the speaking engagement is driven by a feeling of being trapped, then I would suggest factoring in some mental releases that can be prepared before the event. For example, some meetings/speeches allow for you to turn the attention back to the room to get feedback etc. from the group.

If possible, you might want to prepare such opportunities in your own mind before the engagements. This is not to say you have to ever use them, but people in this situation often remark that just having small opportunities where attention can be diverted for the briefest of moments can make the task seem less daunting.

It my even be something as simple as having people introduce themselves or opening the floor to questions. I realize these diversions are not always possible and depend on the situation, but anything you can factor in that makes you feel less trapped or under the spotlight is worth the effort and can help alleviate fear of public speaking and panic attacks.

I hope you have found this public speaking and panic attacks page helpful. Please give it some careful consideration and you will realize it contains the truth.

http://www.panic-and-anxiety-attacks.com/public-speaking-and-panic-attacks.html

This article is copywritten material. Any requests for reprinting this article must be made to Joe Barry McDonagh

Joe Barry is an international panic disorder coach. His informative site on all issues related to panic and anxiety attacks can be found here:

http://www.panic-and-anxiety-attacks.com/

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How to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking in Seven Powerful Steps

Have you ever avoided a career or business opportunity because it required you to speak publicly? Did you ever have a great idea you wanted to share in a group setting but didn't because of your fear of speaking in front of a group of people?

You are not alone in the fear of public speaking. In my travels, I have seen where the fear of public speaking have kept otherwise very successful people in all walks of life from achieving their full potential. When you let this fear dominate your life, you lose out on promotions, business opportunities, community activities, and most of all self-confidence.

The following are seven powerful secrets to empowering you to overcome your fear of public speaking and achieving a new level of success in your career, your business, and your life:

1. Ask Yourself the Important Question

Ask yourself, "Where does my fear come from and is it real?" Was there a public speaking opportunity in the past that you think didn't go well or that you felt was poorly prepared? Maybe you had to stand up in front of your classmates in high school or college and someone made what you perceived as a negative comment concerning your presentation. Maybe you gave a good speech but you started to over analyze every detail of the speech.

First, realize that whatever happened did so at another time and place and you are no longer that person. With new experiences, you have grown into a more confident person with much to offer. Second, embrace feedback, extract the true areas of improvement from the feedback and work to improve your public speaking ability. Be honest and fair with yourself and determine if the feedback is coming from someone who is qualified to give quality feedback.

I had one presentation skills student whose manager told her she was a poor speaker because she moved her hands and arms during the presentation. Was the manager giving qualified feedback? Doubtful. Yet, this manager's feedback affected this employee in a negative way for years until the employee became my coaching student.

Again, separate qualified feedback from unqualified feedback and learn from it. Also, don't allow negative public speaking situations that happen in the past apply to your present or future public speaking opportunities.

2. Face Your Fear of Public Speaking

The fastest way to overcome any fear, much less the fear of public speaking, is to face your fear and attack it. Look for and embrace opportunities to make presentations. Start with non-threatening opportunities such as your children's school meeting or a non-work related situation and work your way up to more important, high pressure situations such as work meetings.

Realize that each time you speak is an opportunity to improve your speaking ability. Look at your public speaking skills as a muscle. The more you exercise your public speaking muscle, the stronger it becomes and you will improve your speaking abilities.

Go into each public speaking opportunity with a clear set of goals. Maybe for your first speech, you may have a goal of eliminating "hums" and "ahs." For another speech you may have a goal of completing your speech with a powerful ending.

3. Visualize Your Public Speaking Success

Invest time the night before you speak to visualize what a successful speech looks, sounds, and feels like and how you will feel while giving it. If you don't see it yourself, it won't happen. Most presentations can be dramatically improved just by investing time ahead of the presentation to visualize a successful outcome.

4. Master the Material

Invest the time to know what you are presenting. Invest time to rehearse several variations of your speech. Rehearse your speech as if something goes wrong. What if your PowerPoint goes down, you forget a section in your speech, or someone heckles you? How will you react? If you know your material well enough, you will be able to overcome any presentation challenge.

5. Master Your Public Speaking Mind

During a group coaching session, a presenter started speaking, made a mistake and promptly announced, "I hate speaking in public!" In this instance, she did not manage her public speaking mind, and let her fear of public speaking take over her performance.

When you make negative statements concerning public speaking, it will reinforce your fear of public speaking. Take the time to replace negative statements with positive public speaking affirmations.

6. Take Time to Analyze Your Performance

In most cases, we are our own toughest critics when speaking. Whenever you speak, videotape or audiotape your presentations, sit down, and honestly analyze your performance. Once you start to record your presentations, you will realize that some of the issues you were worried about aren't in your speech and you will instantly see areas of improvement and address them accordingly. As the old saying goes, "The video doesn't lie."

Ask for feedback from people you respect and who can give you quality, supportive feedback that will empower you to want apply the feedback in your next speech. Before your speech, tell the person you ask to give you feedback what your public speaking goals are and what you are working to improve.

Once you analyze your areas of improvement, immediately go out and exercise your public speaking muscle and apply the improvement.

7. Reward Yourself

Reward yourself for any improvements in your public speaking skills. The reward is up to you, but make sure to immediately reward yourself.

Bonus Public Speaking Secret: If you forget a word or a phrase during your speech, never apologize and keep speaking as though nothing happened. Unless the audience has a detailed transcript of your speech, they won't know what you forgot. Don't let the fear of forgetting something in your speech keep you from giving great speeches.

Now, go out and exercise your public speaking muscle to give outstanding presentations. When you apply the seven secrets to overcoming your fear of public speaking, you will realize more opportunities and gain a new level of confidence.

Ed Sykes is a highly sought after leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building expert, success coach, professional speaker, and author of "Jumpstart Your Greatness."
You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032.
Go to his web site, http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the free success newsletter, OnPoint.

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