***Don't Make Public Speaking More Difficult Than It Is!

While public speaking may be man’s greatest fear, often those who are scheduled to speak waste too much energy worrying about their talk and not enough energy in the planning, creating and delivery of their material. Whether you have been scheduled to speak at your next presentation skills class or at Toastmaster, deliver a 10-minute presentation to your leads group, or have been volunteered to give the quarterly budget report to the CEO, instead of approaching the date with dread, try looking at the event positively. If you are successful in your presentation, what will be the result? Maybe you will get an A or a B in your public speaking course. Perhaps you will get that long sought-after promotion at your job. Maybe standing at the lecte and presenting your thoughts on an issue will introduce you to someone who will change your life. Addressing an audience may sell your book or CDs at the back of the room. Speaking to your leads group, on the other hand, will possibly make it easier for the members to refer you and your business to others. The advantages of taking the chance and giving that speech or presentation far outweigh the disadvantages and the results can be life or career-changing. What you stand to gain is much greater than what you stand to lose. So, instead of dreading the scheduled date, temporarily put your fear aside and then create your script or your material. Once you are comfortable with what you want to say, start practicing out loud. Record yourself. Study the playback. Look at and listen to both the good and the bad. Pat yourself on the back for that which is good. For that which needs work, keep practicing and/or find a presentation skills coach. One of the best kept secrets for delivering a dynamic presentation is that of practice. You must know your material inside and out. There is no way around it. Without practice, you may be doomed for failure and that is a reason to be nervous. When you approach the lectern, the head of the boardroom table, or just the front of the room, believe in yourself. If you have done your homework and know your material, talk to your audience just as if you were having a conversation in your living room. We have a tendency to make public speaking much more difficult than it is. Instead of looking at what could go wrong, imagine what could go right and then make it happen! The rewards of delivering a successful speech or presentation are endless. And, in addition, a job well-done is a tremendous confidence booster.