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Discover the secrets of presentation that will make people buy
whatever you
sell.
Everything You’ve Ever Learned about Public Speaking Is Wrong
By Doug
Staneart
Copyright 2005 Doug Staneart
Many
myths about public speaking have been passed along from person to
person over the years, and the one thing that is consistent about
these myths is that the people who pass them along are still nervous
about speaking. After facilitating over 200 public speaking classes
and never having a single person fail to significantly reduce
his/her fear of speaking, I had a dramatic realization. Just about
everything I was taught about public speaking while I was in school
and from well meaning peers and coworkers – WAS WRONG!
Below are
the top three myths that we have identified, and some simple tips
that will help you reduce your fear or nervousness.
Myth #1:
If you write out a talk and memorize it, you’ll be more comfortable.
This is the fastest, easiest way to make your presentation boring
and canned and to make you more nervous. When you memorize a talk
word-for-word, any slight hick-up or distraction can throw you off
track. That can increase your nervousness. Instead, write out just a
few key points and practice giving stories or examples to back up
each point.
Myth #2:
More facts/details will better clarify your topic. Most of us
believe that a little is good, more is better, and a whole bunch is
just right in public speaking. If I can give you 10 reasons why my
topic is true, then that is obviously better than two or three
reasons, right? Well in public speaking, the more points we offer,
the more confused our audience can become. A good rule of thumb is
five or less. So, after you decide on your topic, narrow down the
key points that support your topic to around five key points or
fewer. If your talk requires more than five points, then it would be
best to divide the presentation into two different talks.
Myth #3:
Nervous habits make you a poor speaker. Most people think that “Uhms,”
talking fast, and nervous gestures are bad, but in fact, these
things can make you very relatable to your audience. “Uhm” is a
normal word in the English language. We say this word all the time
in normal conversation. When it’s not there, the speaker can sound
phony and forced. Plus, I’ve found that if you try to get yourself
to stop saying “Uhm,” you’ll probably just start saying it more
often anyway. Also, when people speak fast and move more, they show
energy and enthusiasm. I’ve had many speakers come through my
classes who were scared to get up and speak at the beginning of the
program, but when they did speak, the audience thought that they
were excellent speakers. The audience saw the nervousness and
assumed it was enthusiasm.
Realize
that speaking well is like learning to play golf. If you get a group
of hackers together to coach each other, you’re just going to get a
group of people very proficient at a bad golf swing. However, if you
get a good coach, he can shave strokes off in no time. If you really
want to get good at public speaking quickly, get a good coach who
doesn’t buy-in to all the speaking myths.
About the
author:
Doug Staneart, mailto:doug@leaderinstitute.com
, is CEO of The Leaders institute® (
http://www.leadersinstitute.com). His classes focus on
overcoming the fear of public speaking, building confident and
autonomous leaders, and improving employee morale. He can be reached
toll-free at 1-800-872-7830.
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