Paddy Spruce | Confident Public Speaking

Confident Public Speaking

fear

Courage to Speak

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Does it take courage to speak in public? If courage is managing your fear, then you may need courage. If you intervened when seeing a single woman being abused for singing in her native language on a bus, would you need courage? There is a risk that the perpetrators will turn on you and make you their target. It’s your call as to whether you will take this risk to assist someone in need of help and support.

The risk of speaking in public is surely not in the same category. If you choke, the audience won’t abuse you. If you lose your place, the audience won’t call you names. They will just wait patiently for you to recover.

The real action will be in your mind, not theirs. You might come up with a worst case scenario with no supporting evidence. The worst case scenario might make you feel very uncomfortable. Just remember all this is happening in your imagination, not in reality.

Try ignoring the thoughts in your own mind and get on with the presentation. They might think the pause is part of your presentation. It is for many speakers.

I remember one occasion when I was speaking to a large audience when the CEO entered the room. I don’t know why, but I felt the need to acknowledge his presence. I said something like ‘ we are very fortunate this morning to have someone join us who as done so much…….’ Actually I was stalling as I had forgotten his name. I paused and then kept going ‘someone whose input over many years…..’ I asked my memory to keep looking while I stalled, believing that it would come.

It did. I tried to remain calm, knowing that my memory doesn’t like pressure.

I then said ‘Please welcome……….. this morning’. I don’t think anyone knew that I had forgotten his name.

So you don’t need courage. You need patience and a sense of calm. Rehearse. Have brief notes as a backup. Use powerpoint for details that you are likely to forget. Breathe deeply. Trust your memory if you have rehearsed. Trust your notes if you haven’t. Some of the world’s best speakers use notes.

You will need courage to intervene to support a person being badly treated on a bus. You don’t need courage to speak in public.

Call me if you need Public Speaking Training.

Paddy Spruce
03 9808 8990

Fear is not so bad

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Do you have to avoid or manage the flashing light on your dashboard that tells you your door is not shut or that you are running out of petrol? It’s just a warning. Helpful. You don’t need to panic. You just need to take action.

Same for the ‘nerves’ you get when thinking about Speaking in Public. It’s a warning. Usually an unnecessary warning. You won’t die. You won’t faint. You reaction is probably exaggerated because of  circuit sharing. Your brain is saving itself by sharing a circuit for something much more dangerous. Shark attack or microphone attack? Actually horse attack is more dangerous but we think horses are not dangerous. On average, twenty Australian die each year because of horses. Sharks seldom attack. A microphone has never attacked.

So feel the nervous reaction which has come from a lightning fast thought. Acknowledge the warning. Recognise the thought ( as a thought ). ‘Thank for the warning’. Keep going and focus on what you are doing. Same as in the car. Thanks for the warning. I will get some petrol soon. Thanks for the warning. I will get on with my talk. If someone tells you the world is going to end soon, drive carefully. Probably won’t but driving carefully is smart anyway.Getting on with your talk is just as smart.

So, use fear to help you prepare but don’t let it inhibit or paralyse you. Assess the risk. Have a back up computer just in case. Be ready to acknowledge that you don’t know the answer to a question. Keep breathing. Do your best. You’ll be better next tim,e especially if you get audience feedback and don’t treat fear more than a warning.

Contact me if you need help with Public Speaking Training.

Paddy Spruce CSP

Pecha Kucha

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If one of your fears about Public Speaking is ‘I will lose my place and forget what to say’ and you don’t want to use notes or tent cards to advertise that you are scared of losing your place…..

Try www. pecha-kucha.org

Twenty slides without words. Twenty seconds for each slide changing automatically. You just fill in the story. People look at the slides while listening to your running explanation. You are lead by the pictures. You speak almost ‘off the cuff’. Everything seems spontaneous. There is nothing to read on the screen. Short, sharp, spontaneous, informative, potentially inspiring depending on the pictures and the story.

I have seen speakers use the technique for a presentation lasting over an hour.

You can rehearse to improve the flow of your patter. Hit automatic on powerpoint or keynote and see what comes out of your mouth. The pictures will keep you on time and pull you along.

Try it.

Contact me if you want help or Public Speaking Coaching.

Paddy Spruce CSP