A great deal of people in this world cower at the very idea of speaking in front of a crowded room. Even those who do so on a regular basis tend to become a jumble of nerves right before approaching a podium. When the age-old trick of picturing everyone in their underwear just doesn’t work, how can you get over your fear of public speaking?
Michael Hyatt, author of “Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World,” says he was able to tackle his fear of public speaking when he realized that he needed to stop focusing on himself. His insecurities would get the best of him, wondering what people would think of the speech and what they would think of him.
As Hyatt began focusing on his audience, his nervousness began to dissipate. He chose to focus on three main aspects of speech-giving and his audience.
Oftentimes, people will attend a keynote speech because they are confused about something and are looking for a solution — they want to learn how to become successful, how to stand out in a crowd or how to better take care of their finances. Hyatt says his job then is to simplify things and “enlighten their minds.”
The second job of a speaker is to “engage their hearts.” The speaker has to convince the audience that they have what it takes to become financially sound, to stand out or to be a success.
Lastly, Hyatt says he needs to “move their wills.” A speaker should end the presentation with some form of a call to action, telling the audience what their next move should be and encourage them so that they don’t give in to their hesitation.
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Thank you Marissa for sharing this information. Personally, I believe practice is the most important part of public speaking. Tom Woods’ on his blog, http://curefearofpublicspeaking.com/, teaches the importance of practice and it has really helped me to overcome the fear.