There are plenty of useful articles about public speaking, but many of them repackage similar tips. Remember to pause; practice your presentation thoroughly; maintain eye contact; focus on your audience; tell stories; and so on. Don’t get me wrong — it is all great advice! But I get excited when I stumble upon new insights.
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In this article, I have put together five less-known tips. Some of these I have discovered through my own practice and all of them I have put into effect or tested for myself. 

​Tip One —  Try Elongating Your Vowels to Slow Down 
A lot of people speak too quickly when they are nervous. The traditional advice is to pause more frequently. The powerful pause is an effective tool to slow down your speaking, but it is not your only option.

Another way to slow down is to elongate your vowels. I often hear people who have a slight clipped or ‘staccato’ quality to their speech. Their consonants are prominent, and it sounds as if they are spitting out their words. Listening to them makes me feel like I am driving fast across cobblestones!

Why this tip is important
Drawing out your vowels slows you down and improves the quality of your speech. It softens your voice so that it is no longer abrupt or jarring, and is much more appealing to the audience.

It also has other benefits, including adding emotional quality to your speech and aiding relaxation.

This article Empower Your Speech by Using Vowels, describes how we can lengthen vowels to convey emotion. The author, Emily Serlin, explains that vowels are a space to put feeling. 

Drawing out vowels will also improve your breathing because you require oxygen to form vowels. And breathing properly will help you to relax.

How to apply it
I intuitively know how to apply this tip which means I don’t have to think about it as I speak. But if you are having problems, practice elongating your vowels by reading out loud to yourself.

Reading to yourself will help you establish good habits so that it becomes automatic when you are presenting to an audience. You don’t need to overdo it by elongating every vowel. For example, try these:

The man yaawned
A cloouudy day
The fire buurned ferociously 
The fire burned feroociously.

Tip Two — Reading a Script Sounds Unnatural Because You Are Pausing in the Wrong Places
Until recently, I was aware that reading a script sounds different from conversational speaking, but I had not thought much about why. Then I read this article about how to read aloud so that it sounds natural.

Jason Feifer explains that when we read aloud, we pause at the periods and commas. But we don’t do this when we speak. Instead, we tend to run sentences together and pause mid-sentence.

Why this tip is important
The best public speakers sound like they are having a conversation with the audience. I now know why this is hard to achieve if you read (or even memorise) a script.

I would still recommend that you do not read when presenting to a live audience. It is much harder to connect with your audience when you are looking at notes or slides. 

But if you have to read a script — say from a teleprompter — you can make it sound more natural by ignoring the punctuation.

How to apply it
Practice reading a script by pausing where it feels natural and not where you see a comma or period. Start by removing the punctuation, and use trial and error to find the right places to pause. Eventually, you will be able to ignore punctuation and use your intuition to know when to pause.

Tip Three — Expressive Body Language = Expressive VoiceI
f you use gestures as you speak, your voice will sound more animated, and your face will light up. I discovered this tip myself and surprisingly have not read it anywhere else.

I demonstrate this tip to my classes by pairing people off and asking them to do the following exercise. One person has to think of something they are looking forward to and describe this (preferably standing) to the other person. For example, “This weekend, I am going to try out a new restaurant that has had great reviews, and I am really looking forward it to it.”

I ask them to say the same thing four times, and their partner has to make notes about what happens each time. These are the instructions for what they need to do each of the four times.

1. Keep your hands by your sides and use a flat voice.
2. Now put some expression into your voice but keep your hands by your side.
3. Go back to having a flat voice but use your hands to express your excitement.
4. Don’t hold back. Tell your partner how much you are looking forward to this event or occasion.

Now I ask their partners to tell us what they have observed.

Not surprisingly, the first time is not convincing. There is a disconnect between what the person says and how they say it. The second time, their partner notices that the speaker’s face lights up and their eyes widen. And this happens without the speaker being aware. 

The third time is the funny one! Partners observe either that the speaker’s gestures looked awkward and jerky, or that their voice gets more expressive despite trying to keep it flat! No one manages to use natural hand gestures and keep their voice monotone. This is the critical insight. It is just not possible for your voice to remain flat while using naturally expressive body language.

The fourth time the speaker’s voice and body language accord with their message, and it is much more convincing. I point out that this did not require any effort on behalf of the speaker.

Why this tip is important
When you are trying to improve your public speaking delivery, you have a lot to consider. You may be trying to reduce your filler words, make eye contact with audience members, pause, eliminate distracting habits, etc.

By the time you get to ‘use more vocal variety,’ you may be starting to despair! This tip is a short cut. Focus on using natural gestures as you speak, and the rest will follow. Your body language will automatically make your voice more expressive, and having an expressive voice will make your face light up.

How to apply it
Keep your hands free as you speak. Don’t put them in your pockets or behind your back, and don’t clasp your hands or cross your arms.

Keeping your hands free and accessible allows you to use them naturally. Often this is enough. But you may want to mark places in your presentation where you can use gestures deliberately — for example to indicate size or emphasise a point. Adding gestures for effect will take your presentation to another level.

Tip Four — If You Find Eye Contact Uncomfortable, Focus on the Forehead!
Nervous speakers often dart their gaze around the room, look down at the floor, or look past their audience to the back of the room.

An ex-member of my Toastmaster’s club was so tired of people telling her to make eye contact that she gave a whole speech on how she was uncomfortable making eye contact because it felt too personal. I approached her afterwards and suggested that even if she couldn’t make eye contact, she could shift her gaze more slowly, as she had a habit of darting her eyes around the room.

Months later, after she had left our club, I discovered what would have been even better advice! I heard another Toastmaster say that people can not tell the difference if you look at their forehead instead of their eyes! I have tested this myself, and it works!

Why this tip is important
Making eye contact with members of your audience for a few seconds at a time makes you look trustworthy and engaged. It is one of the most effective techniques you can learn as a speaker.

This tip provides a practical alternative for anyone who finds eye contact uncomfortable for personal or cultural reasons.

A word of warning. For me, making eye contact is a two-way experience. When I lock eyes briefly with someone and see their acknowledgement, it boosts my confidence. For this reason, I personally prefer to make eye contact rather than forehead contact! 

How to apply it
Apply this tip in the same way as you would if making eye contact. Direct your gaze to someone’s forehead for a few seconds and then move on to someone else. Often it works well to shift your gaze as you pause. Try to cover the whole room. Some people like to adopt a pattern, such as following a figure of 8!

Tip Five — Others Probably Won’t Hear Your Voice Shaking
Many of my clients feel self-conscious about having a shaky voice when they are nervous. While your voice might have a quiver, the chances are the audience can’t hear it — even if you can!

I read this tip several years ago, and although I can no longer find the source, I have tested it on many clients. Very often they tell me that their voice was shaking as they presented — but I can hardly ever detect it. And others in the group agree with me! Even when I do hear a slight quiver, it is barely noticeable.

I understand that the reason other people can’t hear the shake in your voice is the same reason that your voice sounds different to you than it does to others. When you speak, you hear your voice both externally and internally (travelling through your bones). But others only hear your voice externally.

Why this tip is important
Some people don’t mind feeling nervous, but they hate appearing nervous! However, usually, their nerves are not as noticeable as they believe. The shaky voice is an excellent example of this. Some people are put off when they hear their voice shaking, and this tends to make their nervousness worse. It can be very reassuring to learn that others can’t tell!

How to apply it
If you don’t believe me, arrange for someone to video your next presentation. While you probably won’t like the sound of your voice (few people do!), you will probably agree that your shaky voice is mostly in your head (literally!)

I am constantly reminded that public speaking involves a set of skills that anyone can learn. It is easy to assume that great speakers were born that way — and in a few cases that is probably true. But most of us have worked hard to develop our skills. I know that I still have plenty to learn, and often it is simple but non-obvious tips like the ones that I have shared here that help me improve.
 
I love hearing new tips, and so please feel free to post a comment if you have discovered a tip to improve your technique or reduce nerves. 

Article written by Catherine Syme 

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Few people can engage an audience without preparing and practicing. Even presenters who look like they are speaking ‘off the cuff’, have usually prepared thoroughly— or have presented the same material many times previously.

When I first started as a public speaking coach, I stressed the importance of good preparation. But I noticed that some people would still turn up unprepared. And they often started their presentation by telling us that they hadn’t prepared.

I realized that they were using this as a ‘get of jail card free card’. If they told us how unprepared they were and it didn’t go well, they could always blame their lack of preparation. It was an excuse for failure. But it was also self-sabotage.

And so, I doubled down on my preparation message. I even suggested that if people turned up unprepared, they shouldn’t tell us!
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Then I started noticing something else. While I always have a few unprepared clients, the majority spend so much time preparing that they become rigidly fixated on what they have prepared. They often memorize or read their script. They don’t sound natural, spontaneous, or conversational. And my preparation message was potentially making this worse.

I started to soften my stance on preparation. But it still wasn’t right because I was taking a middle road that failed to cater adequately for either extreme. And many of my clients were at one of these extremes.

Procrastination and perfectionism can have the same root cause 

One day I was listening to a conversation on Sam Harris’s “Waking Up” app. If you are not familiar with Sam Harris, he is a neuroscientist and philosopher. His mediation app covers much more than just mediation. It includes conversations with other meditation practitioners, philosophers and teachers.

This particular conversation was with the Leo Babauta, author of the blog “Zen Habits”. Leo explained that, when people fear something, they tend to do one of three things — avoid, procrastinate, or seek perfection.

Bingo. I had my explanation! All of my clients fear public speaking. Many of them have spent years trying to avoid it. But they have finally decided to tackle their fear.

And when they do my course, many of them exhibit — depending on personality type — as perfectionists or procrastinators. These seemingly opposite behaviours derive from the same source — a fear of public speaking.

And so now I explain it like this.

I tell people that many of the people who do my courses are either over-preparers or under-preparers.

Under-preparers are procrastinators. They know they have a presentation looming but delay preparing until it is too late. They turn up on the day and try to ‘wing it’. They often ramble and talk for longer than they need. If they have notes, these are usually unstructured and unhelpful — and so they abandon them.

Over-preparers are perfectionists. Being a perfectionist is about control in the face of fear. They attempt to control every aspect of the situation so that nothing can go wrong. Their presentations are often well crafted, but the delivery is self-conscious or unengaging.

These habits have short term rewards — but they are costly in the long-term
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The reward for the over-preparer or perfectionist is avoiding disaster because they can resort to reading their notes if necessary.

There are short term rewards for the under-preparer too — they don’t have to put in the effort. And as I said before, they have a ready-made excuse when things go badly.

However; neither habit is conducive to a great presentation. Equally, neither habit will help the speaker deal with the fear of public speaking. The perfectionist can’t be confident of presenting without reading notes or spending hours memorizing, and the procrastinator is always terrified that their presentation will turn into a train wreck!

Both habits can be hard to break

For the under-preparer, it sounds simple. All they need to do is to prepare more. But this takes effort — and there is the risk of failure! Although I have some success with the strategy of suggesting they refrain from telling us that they are unprepared, it is quite hard to shift someone who likes to ‘wing it’.

The perfectionist has to be willing to relinquish some control. They need to believe that less preparation might improve their performance, even though it feels risky. They have to trust that they will find the right words on the day, or that it won’t be a disaster if they don’t. But they find this hard because losing control is their worst fear.

Understanding how preparation works can be helpful

In the case of public speaking, a moderate amount of preparation and practice will make a huge difference. But continuing to practice, has diminishing returns — and it can even have negative returns. 

To explain why, I need the help of Tim Urban, author of the “Wait but Why” blog.

In his blog article, Doing a TED Talk — the Full Story, Tim suggests that there are three approaches to planning for a presentation. They are, ‘wing it’, talk through a set structure, or stick to a script.

For obvious reasons, Tim does not recommend winging it — the procrastinator’s preferred approach!

Tim recommends the second approach — talking through a set structure — for most occasions. It requires you to be very familiar with the content of your presentation and the order of your points. But you don’t have to remember each the exact words.

How about the third approach, to follow a script? This sounds great to the perfectionist, but the problem is, to pull it off, you have to memorize the script to what Tim calls ‘Happy-Birthday-level’ memorization. In other words, you have to be as familiar with your script as you are with the song “Happy Birthday”! Your alternatives are to read the script, which is boring, or ‘just barely memorize’, which sounds unnatural.

Let’s take a further look at what this means for the under-prepared procrastinator and the over-prepared perfectionist.

A little preparation and practice will allow you to talk through a ‘set structure’. This approach will yield great results and requires minimal effort compared to memorizing a script to ‘Happy-Birthday-level’. Combine this understanding with a commitment not to say, “I haven’t practiced,” and the procrastinator might have the incentive to do a bit of practice!

For the perfectionist, it is helpful to understand that if you are going to memorize a presentation, you will need to practice much more than you think. 

You will get most of the benefits of practicing a presentation by going through it out loud, three or four times. For the majority of situations, this is the preparation sweet spot. If you continue practicing, you may not improve. That’s because you are ‘just barely memorizing’. Quite likely, you would need to practice a presentation 100 times or more to know it thoroughly. It might be worth it for a TED talk — many TED speakers do memorize their talks — but for most other purposes this is a waste of my time. 

Applying this to other things in your life

If you are still with me, it is probably because you recognize one of these habits. And perhaps you respond in the same way in any situation where preparing will increase your chances of success but not guarantee it — like a job interview or an exam.

Maybe you self-sabotage by leaving things to the last minute or seek to control things you cannot fully control by preparing well past the point where the benefits are clear. 

My natural tendency is to over-prepare. For example, when I am not 100% satisfied with aspects of my course content, I have an urge to revise (yet again!). But I remind myself that the content is already good and that I am better to spend my time on other things like marketing, blogging, or client relationships. 
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Recognizing that procrastination and perfectionism can be opposite responses to a fear of failure, was a light-bulb moment for me.

Hopefully, this article has helped you understand that by shifting your behaviour slightly, you can achieve significant gains. Being prepared to put in a little more effort or learning to let go just a little, will help you find the preparation sweet spot. Although my focus has been on public speaking, you may also be able to apply these principles to other aspects of your life. 
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Article by Catherine Syme 

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Here in New Zealand, two high profile people recently made public statements expressing self-doubt. In different ways, Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Todd Muller have helped expose that leaders are not immune from self-doubt.

Dr Bloomfield, Director-General of Health, has become something of a national hero during the COVID19 pandemic. 

​Since March 2020, he has fronted a 1 pm media conference most days. His role is to provide the public health update – on case numbers, deaths, testing, and critical public health messages.

His briefings are informative and clear. His style is direct but empathetic. He acknowledges the suffering of those directly affected and the public’s sacrifices.  

He never strays from delivering the tough messages and directives about restrictions on our freedom. And he handles the barrage of media questions with clear, well-informed responses.

On a few occasions, he has been caught on the back foot – having to admit a failure in the system. For example, there have been mistakes with testing and border control measures.

Any reasonable person would understand that errors and system failures are inevitable during these unprecedented times. But he has always accepted responsibility for mistakes and carefully set out the steps he has taken to remedy the mistake. 

In short, he has done the public service proud. His performance has been exemplary, and his leadership qualities indisputable. On a personal level, he appears incredibly humble. 

Last week Dr Bloomfield revealed that he has not found it easy, and at times has been plagued by self-doubt. 

In a webinar hosted by the Graeme Dingle Foundation, he talks about feeling his cortisol levels rising from 10 am every day he has to do a media stand up. At one stage that was six days a week! Even now, it is at least three times a week. And he admits he is probably not much fun  to be around at this time.

"In this role – and I'm quite open about it with my staff – I have moments of great self-doubt and of anxiety, and I love the days when I don't have a stand-up to do."

He says that it is important to acknowledge and name the anxiety so that others can support you.

It is not surprising that he experiences self-doubt. The pressure to perform is enormous. The Government has relied heavily on his advice for its COVID19 response. His reputation and the reputation of our country are both at stake.

It is one thing to experience self-doubt. But it is another to express such feelings publicly. Many leaders prefer to cultivate an air of supreme confidence. They would be reluctant to reveal what could be interpreted as ‘weakness’.

In my line of work – coaching people with extreme anxiety about public speaking – self-doubt is rife. And many of my clients believe that they are unusual in their feelings of doubt and inadequacy. 

Dr Bloomfield's response normalises such feelings and proves we can still do our jobs well. Self-doubt is part of the human condition. In my view, Dr Bloomfield has taken the concept of servant leadership to a new level by admitting self-doubt. 

The second example is a little more complicated.

In May 2020, Todd Muller became the leader of the National Party after he mounted and won a leadership challenge against the increasingly unpopular Simon Bridges. 

The National Party was polling badly under Bridges in election year and Muller was under tremendous pressure to turn things around. Instead, he faced a series of scandals and mishaps.

After 53 days he shocked the nation by announcing his resignation. He cited mental health reasons.

“The role has taken a heavy toll on me personally, and on my family, and this has become untenable from a health perspective,” he said.

Reactions were mixed. Most people applauded Muller's honesty, but I wasn't so sure. I felt a little uncomfortable that he was using the mental health label to describe his inability to handle the pressure of a tough job.

There are certainly some differences between Todd Muller and Dr Bloomfield’s public statements. For a start, Dr Bloomfield is speaking from a position of strength, and Todd Muller was explaining a “failure”.

Dr Bloomfield labelled it as self-doubt. Todd Muller implied self-doubt but cited health issues. Yes, his symptoms were more severe and included panic attacks. But the realisation he was not the right person for the job caused the panic attacks. Is that self-doubt or a mental health issue? Or a mental issue brought on by self-doubt? And does it matter? 

Dr Bloomfield is a public servant and has nothing to gain professionally from expressing self-doubt. Todd Muller is a politician with motives. To retain constituent support (he is still a Member of Parliament) he had to produce an explanation. And by calling it a mental health issue, perhaps he was taking advantage of the mental health label.

Dr Bloomfield talks about being open with his staff. Muller talks about being open with his family, but his closest advisors say they were unaware.

This was July 2020. Two months later, during Mental Health Awareness week, Muller elaborated on his reasons in a Facebook post. He describes experiencing panic attacks, night sweats, insomnia, tightening pressure in his head, and severe anxiety.

He talks about how these feelings were new to him. In the past, he faced high-pressure situations in the corporate world but had never had a panic attack.

“I had never experienced panic attacks before. When I had heard of people talking about them, or even sharing their experience previously, I thought people simply just had to try harder, or get a grip, or focus on something else more positive.”

I would have preferred to see Todd Muller explicit about his realisation that he was not up to the job. He seemed very sure of himself when he staged the challenge, but quickly discovered that the pressures of the role were beyond anything he experienced the past. His inability to cope triggered panic attacks, which further impacted on his performance. 

But, to give him credit, he did say that he had come to the realisation that he was not the right person for the job. And I applaud the way he came forward in Mental Health Awareness week to elaborate. This would have required him to “re-live” what must still be a raw, painful and embarrassing experience. I especially applaud the acknowledgement that he was dismissive of such anxiety in the past. 

Despite the differences, I believe both men have spoken publicly to benefit others. 

They have helped us understand that tremendous pressure can induce feelings of inadequacy.

Dr Bloomfield has provided inspiration and reassurance to others who sometimes experience self-doubt. 

Todd Muller’s experience is a reminder that self-doubt can become overwhelming. And sometimes we have to take a step back. While his story did not have a fairy tale ending, that also is life. 

Written by Catherine Syme 

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A few months ago, I had a phone call from a young woman who needed help. Anna (not her real name) was a marketing graduate who had landed a great first job in the grocery sector. But she was suffering from anxiety because she was required to present to a corporate audience of more than one hundred people. The audience included members of the senior leadership team.

She explained to me that she had had a bad experience of public speaking at college. And it still haunted her. Apart from that one experience, she had done very little presenting. 

I discovered she would be presenting with two other more experienced people. I suggested that she tell them that she was nervous so that they could provide her with some support. But she couldn't do this, she told me, because everyone expected her to be excited about this "opportunity". Instead, she was full of dread!

Her story sounded familiar. Many years ago, I graduated with good grades but limited public speaking skills. Eventually, in my forties, I joined Toastmasters. But that was after twenty years of intermittent anxiety and avoiding public speaking at times. 

Anna's story was also familiar because I have heard similar tales from other clients. Often they have had a bad experience at school or college. I even had a young man who dropped out of school at age 17 to avoid giving a speech! At age 21, he decided he wanted to go to college but needed to do something about his fear of public speaking first. 

I have older clients - in their thirties and forties, or even fifties- who still have a fear of public speaking. And almost always, it has adversely affected their career. It has also taken a personal toll. 

All my clients complete a pre-course questionnaire. Over 80% say that they actively avoid presenting if they can. And nearly 45% say that their fear has affected their career choices. 

These are talented and motivated people who set high standards for themselves. They are well regarded by their peers and managers. And often, like Anna, they are hiding a "shameful" secret. 

It is never too late. But young people can avoid years of distress by acting quickly to address their fear and improve their skills. Failure to act will have a significant impact.
If you suffer from performance anxiety or a fear of public speaking, this article explains why you need to act and what you can do.

Why You Need to Act 

Having a fear of public speaking causes stress and anxiety
If you are nervous about public speaking, you may start worrying and losing sleep weeks before you have to give a presentation. And if it doesn’t go well, you will dwell on it afterwards. This makes it worse the next time. 

Avoiding public speaking is also stressful. There is the anxiety caused by having to find an excuse or someone to cover for you. The relief you experience is usually short-lived. Your anxiety returns, often intensified, when the next ‘opportunity’ comes along.

Stress in the workplace is a serious problem in many organisations. The Health Navigator website lists common causes of workplace stress. The last bullet point “Poor support for workers experiencing personal or professional difficulties” obviously covers a wide range of problems but undoubtedly includes people who struggle with public speaking. And this is not necessarily the employer’s fault because many people do not tell their manager about their fears.

Poor public speaking skills or avoidance can hold you back from being noticed or recognised 
Many of my clients know they are good at their job but feel that they are invisible or underrated by more senior people in their organisation.

I also ask about the types of audiences that worry people the most. Here a few responses: 

“Presenting in front of more senior people is harder for me. I had to present a whole bunch of facts and figures to a senior management team once, and they then bombarded me with a whole lot of curly questions. I found it hard to keep my focus and feel confident in this situation.”
 “Work audiences in the boardroom at senior levels.”

 “At work. Our executive team.”

 “Probably presenting to people more senior than me in the company.”

 “A year ago, I positively died on the stage in front of the whole team (while in a panel discussion with upper management).” 

If your presentation skills are lacking, employers may be reluctant to promote you even if they recognise your technical abilities. Senior roles almost always require good communication skills. 

And if you are avoiding public speaking in the workplace, you are even more likely to be overlooked. 

Fear of public speaking can stop you from taking opportunities 
As I said in the introduction, a startling 45% of my clients say that their fear of public speaking has affected their career choices. Here are a few of their responses:

“Last year [in] August my manager left, and I know I have the skills, knowledge, experience but I just lacked the confidence to apply with the fear of potentially having to talk in front of a large audience (even 700 people) as part of the job.”

“I didn't apply for a leadership position because the application process involved presenting to senior management.”

 “There was a curatorial position at a museum I was working at about ten years ago. I didn't apply because the curator usually gave a talk at the opening. I really kicked myself as the person that got the job was terrible, and I had to work under them. They didn't give talks at the opening anyway.”

“Didn’t apply for a job (EA to CEO role) where regular presenting and providing updates to team members on projects was required.”

“Lots of times! I just make excuses! I want to maybe move on from my job now but am too scared that in my next job I won’t be able to hide my fear! So, I’m just staying out!”

 And it is not just employees who are missing opportunities. Some of my clients are business owners or artists, and they are missing the opportunity to grow their business or their following.

What You Can Do

As a young graduate, you are in a great position to act now and avoid years of stress and distress! 

You are not born with a public speaking gene! Public speaking is a skill that anyone can learn. And you need the opportunity to practice in a safe environment. 

Here are the steps I recommend. 

Talk to your manager
Do this first, because your manager may pay for training or give you the time off work to attend a course. 

Many people are reluctant to talk to their manager about their fear. They see it as a sign of weakness, and like Anna, feel the need to adopt an appearance of confidence. 

There is no shame in being a nervous presenter, and it is much more common than you think. A good manager can support you in your journey to improve and gain confidence. 

Take a public speaking course
There is a great TED talk by Eduardo Briceño, “How to get better at the things you care about”. He talks about the “performance zone” and the “learning zone”. To improve, we need to spend more time in the learning zone where we can make mistakes, and the stakes are low.

Find a public speaking course or join Toastmasters. Toastmasters is a cost-effective option for anyone prepared to make a long term commitment. But most public speaking courses will teach you some valuable skills and help grow your competence and confidence. 

If you are investigating courses, make sure that you find a course that has a practical component. You can't improve your speaking by just taking notes. 

Fear-less courses are targeted at people with high levels of anxiety. You will learn skills, strategies for managing nerves, and have plenty of opportunity to practice. 

Look for regular, small opportunities  
Confidence grows from having lots of practice. The problem for many people is that they don’t present often. When they do, it becomes a big deal, and if it goes badly, this has a huge impact. 

Get into the habit of speaking up at meetings and social occasions. It will start to feel more normal eventually. Even speaking to yourself will help! Try giving yourself daily short speech topics and record it. Dale Carnegie, who wrote the Art of Public Speaking, had to overcome his own fears first. Apparently, he began by lecturing his father’s livestock! 


Taking the first steps won't be easy. You will be outside of your comfort zone, and it will feel a little scary. But the potential benefits are hard to overstate.

I first visited a Toastmasters club in my twenties. It took me nearly twenty years to go back! If there is one piece of advice I could give my 21-year-old self, it would be to invest in developing public speaking skills as soon as possible.

Article written by Catherine Syme 

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​It is easy to recognise an “authentic” speaker but unpacking what this really means can be confusing. Public speaking is a performance;  so how can you perform and be authentic at the same time?

Although public speaking is a performance, it is not the same as acting. As an actor, you are pretending to be someone else, but as a public speaker you are yourself. In fact, the trick is to come across so naturally that it doesn’t look like you are performing!

But this highlights a problem for inexperienced speakers. The advice to “be yourself’ is not helpful when you are trembling bundle of nerves. 

“Be yourself” does not mean for you to stand up and tell everyone how nervous you feel, then waffle on about your topic! You might look “real” but in a raw, uncomfortable way that lacks professional credibility and leaves the audience squirming.

Instead, you need to bring your best self to the stage – you “on form”.  A high energy version of yourself. The self that you might bring to a job interview! And it takes much practice to achieve that. Being “real” is not quite enough. An authentic speaker also has confidence and credibility.

Let’s take a look at what an authentic speaker does – and how you can do the same. 

​Previously I have rejected suggestions to run Fear-less courses online because I was not convinced that it would work effectively. Then Covid19 came along! I had to cancel a course due to start on the first day of lockdown. And I had to decide whether to shut up shop and wait it out, or to try something new! I decided to run a ‘trial’ online course via Zoom and this article is about what I found.

Let me start with my misgivings. I had two reasons for my doubts about running the Fear-less course online.

1. I didn’t think that people would be so nervous online. Now that might sound like a good thing! But you gain confidence by doing the thing that makes you nervous (with the right support of course). And so it is important that the online experience at least approximates the experience of speaking to a live audience. And that is what I was unsure about.
2. I did not believe that the participants would develop a sense of rapport with one another. This was my biggest concern because having the support of other participants is so important in developing people’s confidence.

I was surprised and pleased to find that both my doubts were unfounded.

Participants reported that they were very nervous presenting online – especially when I suggested they stand up! They also reported that they gained a lot of confidence through doing the course and felt much less nervous about presenting by the end. I believe the online course worked just as well as an in-person course in terms of growing confidence.

Of course, the next time they speak to a live audience I am sure some of those nerves will return. But that happens after any public speaking course. The difference is that people have more confidence in themselves and can employ strategies to ensure the nerves don’t get the better of them.

I was especially surprised by how well the group bonded. They were supportive and encouraging of each other and gave great positive feedback as well as suggestions for improvement. I had to work a little harder to make all this happen. I used break-out rooms and the chat function and I put effort into drawing out feedback. But the group responded very well and were sad to say goodbye to each other at the end!  

The sessions were also very interactive. They asked a lot of questions and we had some great discussions. Again, I had to do things a little differently – like asking targeted questions rather than open ended ones. And not rushing but allowing time for people to respond even if that meant a bit of silence at first.

There are few other things I learned. The online course had some unexpected benefits. I had a great attendance rate and people were on time! There was no rushing to get there from work and it felt like an efficient use of everyone’s time. I even had someone attend on her wedding annivesary. After the break she came back with  glass of wine!  Participants also had practice presenting online and using functions like screen-share to support their presentations.

I will admit there were some minor drawbacks. I encourage people not to read notes and that was a little harder to ‘police’ during an online course. Having said that I can usually tell by the tone of voice when someone is reading and so I was able to comment on that. Also, it was a little harder to teach the basics of eye contact and movement as these are different online.

All things being equal, I would still favour attending an in-person course – but only by a small margin. If an in-person course doesn’t work for you I would not hesitate to recommend an online course. Here a few things to check first:

• Make sure it will be interactive. I found many people reluctant to sign up for the online course because they thought they would be ‘talked at’.  This was never my intention but it is important that you confirm the course format.  
• Ask about numbers. I limited my course to six people and I think that this is a good number unless there is a second instructor.  I may consider increasing the course size to eight but I think this would be a maximum.
• Ensure that you have the right technology. The main requirement is a good Wifi (or a hardwired internet connection) otherwise you may experience freeze. I recommend a laptop or desktop rather than a phone – so that you can see all participants. Also, you need a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted.

Fear-less is currently offering online courses by request only. Make an enquiry through  Our courses page. 

Article written by Catherine Syme 

This article is about real-time or ‘live’ online courses. There are also public speaking courses that can be taken at your own pace. Fear-less is developing an online course that you can do in your own time. It is for people with a fear of public speaking who want to increase their confidence and competence, and who are unable or not ready to attend a public speaking course. It includes videos, training materials, and daily speaking exercises that will help prepare you for speaking to an audience. It will be available in early 2021. Please join our mailing list so that we can keep you up to date. 

I am doing something new for this month’s blog article. I want to tell the stories of a seven  people who decided that they were no longer going to let their fear of public speaking define them.

Why am I doing this? Most people with a fear of public speaking take years to do anything about it. They wait until the impact on their career or personal lives is so damaging that they have to act. I hope that these stories will encourage people to take action sooner. I hope that people will read these stories, recognise something of themselves, realise that it is possible to move past a crippling fear of public speaking, and find the courage to take action.

These are all true stories (although some names and details have been changed to protect the privacy of the people behind these stories). I know all these people personally – most but not all are past clients. There is a common theme that you might recognise. Most of these people say they still get nervous and that they are still working on improving their speaking skills. But in all cases they are no longer overwhelmed by fear to the point that it is impacting their lives. They are now able to feel the fear and do it anyway! ​

Karen’s story
Karen can trace her fear back to a particular incident when she had a panic attack as a 12-year-old auditioning for an orchestra. She failed the audition, felt shame for years after that incident, and was never able to talk about it. Karen is a very warm ‘people person’ who loves to be challenged and appears outwardly confident. But her fear made her follow career paths that were more hidden away. She has worked in IT most of her life and describes her roles as ‘deskbound’ and ‘unchallenging’. She was never happy in these jobs and realised that if she wanted to do something more fulfilling she was going to have to throw herself into the situation she was terrified of!

Karen signed up for a Fear-less course and was very heartened to meet a group of people who were all clearly successful in life but had one debilitating fear in common. “I was not alone and my secret was no longer a secret!” she says. She realised, through the course, that she was intensely self-critical and was fixating on things about herself that other people did not see or barely noticed. For example, she realised that her nervousness was far more obvious to her than to others. By concentrating on delivering her message rather than judging herself she was ultimately able to relax more. (See a previous blog post “Think purpose, not performance” for an explanation of why this works).

Karen says that she has achieved what she thought was impossible and can now speak to audiences without falling apart. This has removed a cloud that has followed her for her whole life and has given her a huge confidence boost in all areas of her life. She has finally been able to choose a new career path with nothing to hold her back. She has followed her heart and become a primary school teacher and ‘couldn’t be happier’. Her only regret – that she did not act sooner!

Hamish’s story
Hamish is a little different to many of my clients in that his fear of public speaking has impacted his personal life more than his career. Hamish is a tradesman and has never been interested in climbing the corporate ladder. He has always considered himself an introvert but the realisation that he hated public speaking came at a wedding. As the groomsman he had to read messages from people who  couldn’t be there. The formality and size of the event made him freeze and he decided that he would steer clear of public speaking after that.

Avoiding public speaking has definitely taken its toll on Hamish. He managed to avoid it for years as friends and family always stepped up to help him out. However, he reached the point where it became harder to avoid and he ‘no longer wanted to be that person’. He was also envious of his brothers who were good public speakers and he wanted to be able to have his say at family functions and events.

Hamish enrolled in a Fear-less course and realised that his fear was a common problem. He found that with the right tools, adequate preparation, and taking ‘baby steps’ he could improve his skills and increase his confidence. Although it hasn’t always been easy and he is still working on it, he also feels that something he saw as a huge problem is actually quite simple if you just stick with these things.

Hamish now actively looks for opportunities to have is say rather than avoiding it. He feels that the ability to have your say is a real gift.

Melissa and Charlotte’s stories
Melissa and Charlotte do not know each other but they have a lot in common. I have decided to tell their stories together as they are typical of many of my clients. They have both feared public speaking from a young age, work in marketing, achieved career success at a young age, have experienced the ‘imposter syndrome’, and are outwardly confident and competent people whose fear of public speaking would probably surprise their colleagues.

Melissa says that her fear began at age 10 when she had to give a speech to her class that she felt went badly. She felt very embarrassed at the time and afterwards and began to dread speaking up in front of others. She avoided activities like debating that interested her. She believed that public speaking was a talent that others had and she lacked so made no effort to improve. (See a previous blog article “How to apply a ‘growth mindset’ to public speaking”.)

Professionally, Melissa had early career success and was still in her twenties when she led a team. However, she describes herself as suffering from the ‘imposter syndrome’ where she doubted her own abilities as an employee and team leader and was worried about being exposed as a fraud (see a previous blog article “The ‘imposter syndrome’ may explain your fear of public speaking”).
Her profession meant that she couldn’t avoid public speaking but she felt very anxious beforehand and afterwards she would beat herself up about things she didn’t feel went well.

Melissa enrolled for the Fear-less public speaking course and has also gone on to do a Toastmaster sponsored course. She says that persistence, patience and kindness have helped her make a lot of progress as well as the realisation that the majority of people, including some very famous people like Richard Branson and Julia Roberts, have had a fear of public speaking at some point in their lives.
She now volunteers for speaking opportunities and is careful to acknowledge what she has done well and avoid focussing excessively on what did not go as well. She also makes a point of asking others for feedback and been very encouraged to have colleagues comment on how much she has improved – including people who have no idea she has taken public speaking courses.

Charlotte doesn’t remember exactly how her fear of public speaking came about but remembers shaking in front of her classmates as she did a presentation as an 8-year-old. She always felt awkward about having attention directed towards her.

Charlotte has also felt like an imposter and had a period, following a promotion, where she was  convinced that her boss was about to tell her she was not  up to the job every time he asked to see her. She feels that her fear of public speaking has held her back professionally as she has avoided putting herself forward for tasks where she would have to lead and present.

For Charlotte, the breakthrough was the realisation, after watching herself on video, that she was better at public speaking than she thought. This has led to more positive experiences that have helped give her confidence that she can do it. She sees this as a gradual process and is still working on improving. She feels that taking steps to address her fear of public speaking has really helped her to lead workshops for work colleagues on subjects that she feels strongly about such as wellbeing, mindfulness and nutrition.

Reza’s story
Reza is a GP and entrepreneur who had an intense fear of public speaking despite being highly articulate! Although most people who fear public speaking, are better than they believe, the gap between Reza’s ability and his confidence was extreme.

Reza believes his fear of public speaking developed as a student when he was underprepared for the intense oral  testing. Reza says that he assessment methods “involved public humiliation in front of peers and seniors, in the form of probing interrogations designed to put students on the spot.” His self-confidence plummeted and he once fainted in front of a teaching group which was a deeply embarrassing and pivotal moment. The final turning point for Reza came at his own wedding where he nearly fainted again – his vision started to darken peripherally, his ears were ringing, and he was drenched in sweat. Interestingly his audience did not seem to notice his nervousness and he had great feedback on his speech, but this experience was the catalyst for seeking help. Like Hamish, he wanted to enjoy delivering speeches to loved ones.

Reza joined a Toastmasters club where he has made tremendous progress with the help of his peers and mentors. Like Karen, Reza has found it useful to focus on his audience and what they could gain from his words, rather than his own internal state of unease. He also spent many months cultivating mindfulness and these techniques have helped him to quieten his intense self-doubt.

Since joining Toastmasters Reza has delivered key notes speeches at international conferences, lead meetings and teams, pitched to investors, and even won a public speaking competition. Reza points out that the fear is still there but it is now on his terms and at a level appropriate to the occasion. This is an important point that many people don’t realise. Public speaking is a form of performing and it is natural (and even helpful) to feel some nervousness before a performance.

Sharon’s story
While many of my clients have had a life-long fear of public speaking, there is another large group who have lost their confidence in public speaking at some point in their lives, usually as a result of a change in career or taking time out of their career to care for children. Often they have also experienced a stressful event in their lives that has contributed to general anxiety. Sharon is typical of this group of clients.

Sharon is an architect who was always very confident about public speaking and performed very well in pressured situations such as interviews and client presentations.  She also taught for a few months and was used to presenting to other teachers and speaking up in staff meetings.

Then she had an incident that completely blindsided her and knocked her confidence. She was asked to present for the launch of a course she was involved in teaching and was excited by the opportunity. She prepared some great visuals that she knew would stun the large audience of media, students, photographers, parents, teachers, and industry peers. On the day of the launch she was surprised by the size of the audience but it did not bother her until five minutes into the presentation when her voice started shaking, she felt panicky, her legs felt wobbly and she had to clutch the podium to struggle through. She managed to pull it together and finish but afterwards she felt mortified by the experience. Any time she was asked to speak from this point onwards the panic would set in and she was terrified by this, knowing that it could appear from nowhere. Sharon says she lost her professional spark after this incident. She stopped teaching, avoided applying for exciting new roles as they specified you had to be a ‘confident communicator’ and felt that she was not performing to her full potential in her current role.

I recall Sharon calling me about the Fear-less course and her biggest concern was that she would be the worst person there! The first night of the course Sharon said that she was so scared that she texted her husband saying “OMG! I don’t want to do this. Why did I do this?” She told herself that she didn’t have to come back but even after the first class she started to feel that maybe it would be OK.

Through the course Sharon started to realise that she was better than she gave herself credit for. Her shaky voice had really worried her as she thought it was a complete give-away about the state of nervousness, but when I explained that we hear the shake in our own voice before anyone else does, she understood that it was probably not obvious to others. She realised that preparation and practice are essential. She also gained a bit of perspective - that others are not ‘hanging on your every word’ and that it is often hard to know what our audience is thinking.

Sharon’s career is on hold currently for personal reasons but she now feels much more confident about applying for new roles and taking on new exciting opportunities. Like so many others, she regrets that she did not act sooner.

My story
As I was finalising this article I decided that I should add my own story. I tell this story to my clients on the first night of the course and I do so to gain credibility, show empathy,  and to practice what I preach about ‘being vulnerable’. This is the first time I have told this story outside of my small group sessions. I sometimes tell others that I used to be nervous about public speaking but I tend to downplay it. This is because the recollection of freezing in front of an audience still feels shameful 15 years later!

I had mixed experiences of public speaking when I was young. Most were good but occasionally I became intensely self-conscious. I remember reading a poem at school that I had written and my throat closed up so that I could barely produce a sound. Despite having these ‘moments’ I developed into quite a confident speaker in my twenties and thirties. I was a policy advisor to local government and I led elected members (who are not always a forgiving audience) through some difficult decision- making processes.

But then I had a decade working part time and very rarely presenting to audiences. And I lost my confidence. When I returned to full time work I was at a senior level and expected to present frequently. I started having waves of panic and often felt ‘disconnected’ from my own words. One day my mouth went completely dry and I could not produce a drop of saliva. Another time I froze in front of the senior management team. I started blushing and sweating profusely and then the opposite happened -  all the blood drained from my face and I felt cold. I somehow recovered and carried on but after that incident I realised I had two choices – change careers and hide myself away or take action.

I finally joined a Toastmaster club and like many of my clients realised that I was being unduly harsh on myself. I discovered that I spoke best when I was well prepared and confident in my topic. By learning techniques such as pausing and eye contact, I was able to look more confident than I felt – until gradually my confidence caught up. For years after joining Toastmasters I sometimes still had moments of panic that would often appear from nowhere. But I also found that I could let a wave of panic wash over me and carry on without anyone noticing. The knowledge that I could do this meant that these moments became fewer and fewer.

I started Fear-less Public Speaking because of my knowledge that the fear of public speaking is incredibly common,  can be significantly reduced with the right support, and the gains can be life-changing. Taking action has allowed me to transition into a new career doing something that makes a difference to people’s lives. I thank everyone who has shared their stories so candidly as it reinforces for me, why I do what I do.
 
Article written by Catherine Syme 

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​More than half the people who register for Fear-less public speaking courses are actively avoiding public speaking. Some have chosen their career to avoid it. Others have turned down a promotion. Many palm off every speaking ‘opportunity’ to someone else. As well as being highly stressful (it is harder to avoid public speaking than you think) this means that they don’t improve. In fact, the harder they work to avoid it, the greater the fear becomes.

Inconveniently, to get better at public speaking you have to do it! – which means moving outside of your comfort zone. This may seem obvious however there is a bit more too it. You get the best results by moving just outside of your comfort zone. While you will never improve by staying inside your comfort zone, being forced to move too far out of it can also be detrimental. For example, if you were forced to give an important presentation to a large audience with little experience and feeling terrified, the chances are it will go badly. And this will just make you dread public speaking even more. 

The 100-year-old Yerkes-Dobson Law explains the relationship between stress and performance.  This law tells us that we perform best when we are under a little stress – which of course is what we experience just outside of our comfort zone. But too much stress has a detrimental affect on performance as the body produces too many stress hormones. (I have previously written about this relationship between stress and public speaking performance).

There is a great TED talk by Eduardo Briceño  - “How to get better at the things you care about”. The terminology that Eduardo uses is different but the idea is similar. Eduardo talks about the ‘learning zone’ and the ‘performance zone’. He says that to improve at something we need to spend time in the learning zone where we can take risks and make mistakes. Too often, we jump straight to the performance zone which is risky because the stakes are high if we stuff up.

Public speaking courses and clubs such as Toastmasters provide the ideal environment for becoming a more confident speaker. I have witnessed hundreds of people transform their public speaking abilities and confidence this way. Even without an educational component people tend to improve dramatically by just getting up and speaking on a regular basis.

Sometimes the results can seem surprising even to me.  One day a course participant might struggle through a presentation, but the next week they make a huge improvement. I believe I can explain how this apparent magic works.
​
Courses provide a low stakes/low risk environment
To use Eduardo’s terminology, courses and clubs provide an ideal ‘learning zone’ to practice skills because your performance doesn’t matter. If you perform well you will get positive feedback which will make you feel great, but nothing bad will happen if it doesn’t go so well. You will probably get some encouraging feedback on the bits you did well and helpful suggestions for improvement. Although you may find the experience stressful, it is much less stressful than practicing in the 'real world' and therefore your stress levels are more likely to improve your performance. 

Everyone else is rooting for you
Everyone on a course is there for the same reason – to manage nerves and improve skills.  Other participants understand how you feel and want you to do well. In every course I have led, participants are highly supportive of each other and this is a huge factor in the success of the course. I often reflect that this is the one factor I cannot control and yet I have never seen a group that doesn’t bond! Outside of a course you may face difficult or even hostile audiences but this should never happen at a public speaking course. The feedback you get should be constructive and should build your confidence, not destroy it.

You are free to move at your own pace
 While most courses follow a set programme, there is usually scope for you to progress at your own speed if you are not comfortable. I always ensure that exercises can be modified for anyone who needs to take things more slowly. At Toastmasters it is very easy to take things at your own pace. Some people like to move through the educational programme quickly, while others choose to take longer.  
 
A good public speaking coach or mentor is able to get a bit more out of you than you think you are capable of
I started this article by saying that to improve your public speaking skills you need to move just outside of your comfort zone. The problem is that your ‘inner critic’ – that little voice in your head that says you are no good enough and are bound to fail – will fight very hard to keep you firmly within your comfort zone. Tara Mohr, in her book Playing Big, explains that the entire job of your inner critic is to prevent you from taking risks. This may keep you ‘safe’ but is not conducive to learning.

A good coach or mentor will recognise just how hard you can be ‘pushed’ without destroying your confidence and can often get you doing things you did not think you were capable of. For example, many of my course participants are very wedded to reading notes and are often surprised to find that they can tell a great story with limited use of notes.  
 
​
In summary, the combination of a low stakes and supportive environment and a good coach or mentor who can help nudge you outside of your comfort zone frequently produces ‘miraculous’ results. Provided you are prepared to put in the work and trust in the process, you won’t regret taking a step to manage your nerves and improve your public speaking skills.  

Article written by Catherine Syme 

Join our mailing list to be kept informed of new blog articles, upcoming courses, and the launch of our new elearning course planned for early 2021.

Have you made a New Year’s resolution to ‘do something’ about your fear of public speaking? That’s fantastic! You won’t regret it. Read this article to find out how to keep this resolution!

You probably felt great (even euphoric!) when you made a decision that 2020 will be the year that you tackle your fear of public speaking. But that feeling might be short lived as you realise you now have to do something….
​
 A New Year’s resolution is usually a promise to yourself to do something about an aspect of your life that you are not satisfied with. Statistics tell us that most of us do not follow through New Year’s resolutions. However, by staying focused and being aware of three traps, you can fulfil your promise to yourself.

Trap one – Procrastination  
Tackling a fear of public speaking takes time and dedicated focus. Most public speaking courses have 5-8 sessions over several weeks, and if you have decided to join Toastmasters instead that is a long-term commitment. Obviously it is important not to sign up for a course if you can’t attend most of the sessions but remember there will be no perfect time. You will always find a reason why the current timing is not great (weather is too nice, busy time of year at work, can’t really afford it right now,  too close to Christmas etc..) You may simply need to prioritise this for a few weeks over other things in your life.

If you have decided to do a course I recommend doing it as early in the year as you can manage. That way you won’t leave it too late and be tempted to put it off for yet another year.

If money is a problem I suggest talking to your manager (if you are in paid employment). Public speaking is an important skill to have in many jobs and it should be part of your professional development. Many people don’t want to admit to a fear of public speaking but you may find your manager very supportive. In addition to paying they could even give you the time off work so you can do a course during the day.

Trap two – Talking yourself out of it
Once you start to research your options, the initial euphoria may wear off and reality will hit you (I am actually going to have to do this!!) and you may be tempted to change your mind. Your internal dialogue might go something like this. “Everyone on the course will probably be better than me. It might not work for me. Public speaking is not really that important – I have avoided it so far and I can probably continue to do so.”

Recognise this as your ‘inner critic’ speaking!  Tara Mohr in her book ‘Playing Big’ warns us that our inner critic will always work very hard to keep us safe. To get better at public speaking you will need to move outside your comfort zone (gradually and while you are well supported) but your inner critic will warn you that this is risky and/or dangerous and will work very hard to keep firmly inside your comfort zone where you can’t fail or make a fool of yourself.  

If you recognise thoughts like this, set aside some time to reason with your inner critic. Recognise that doing something about your fear of public speaking will challenge you but start by asking yourself “what is the worst than can happen?”. Rather than imagining and catastrophising, write it down.  

Perhaps your worst fear is that the course will be stressful and terrifying, that it won’t work and that you will waste a lot of money! But there are things that you can do to minimise the likelihood your worst fears becoming a reality.

• Research the course you are considering well – are there any reviews? Can you do some reference checking? (In addition to google reviews and reviews on the Fear-less website I have many previous clients who would be willing to talk to anyone contemplating a course).
• Fully commit – most cases where people do not make progress are because they pull out during the course because they get too busy or too nervous.
• Ask if there is a money back guarantee. While Fear-less does not advertise a money back  guarantee we would always be open to giving someone a second chance if they persevered with a course but did not get the results they hoped for.

Review this list then write down what you are going to do to help ensure that your worst fears are not realised.

You also need to balance your fears with  “what is the worst than can happen if I don’t do a course.” This is different for everyone but the chances are that you will always regret not doing something about a fear of public speaking. Or perhaps you prefer to put it more positively. What is the best that could happen if I follow through on my resolution?

What is the worst that can happen if I don’t act?

• It will limit my career options
• I might be put on the spot sometime in the future and have to do a presentation when there is no time to get help
• I have had to work hard to avoid public speaking and it is just going to get harder
• I might regret not being able to speak at a wedding or a funeral

 What is the best that can happen if I do act?

• It could open up new career opportunities
• I will no longer feel dread when I have to do a presentation and start losing sleep as I look for a way out
• I can take control of something that has been controlling me for a long time
• I will be able to speak from the heart at social occasions

I recommend doing both. Allthough the lists are similar one list is likely to trigger emotions such as fear and despair while the other list may trigger emotions such as relief and joy and it is hard to know which you will react most strongly to. For example if you decide that failure to act could limit your career opportunities you might quickly leap to “well that’s not so bad because what I am doing is OK” whereas if you imagine the career opportunities it could open up this might really excite you.

Once you have made up your mind that you are ready to act you need to decide what type of course or programme you are going to do (if you have not already done so).

Broadly there are two choices. You can join something like Toastmasters which requires ongoing commitment, or you can do a short course (or both).

If you have decided to do a course, pick one that suits your aims. If your aim is to reduce a fear of public speaking you must choose a course that has a practical competent. Most do, but there are observation-only courses which are great for picking up advanced technique tips but not for dealing with nervousness.  Fear-less specialises in courses for people whose main aim is to address a fear of public speaking.

Registering for a course will set you well on your way to achieving your New Year’s resolution. I find that very few people withdraw from a course once they have paid their deposit!

Trap three – giving up!
You have set aside the time, calmed your inner critic, registered for a course and are ready to go. Now there is one more trap to look out for. Although tackling your fear of public speaking will be rewarding it won’t be easy and there will be times that you may be tempted to give up.

The exercises suggested above will help when you feel like giving up. If you have written down your worst fears, how you might avoid these, and also considered the consequences of not acting, you are well prepared to last the distance. Here are a few more things to consider:

• Don’t compare yourself to others on the course. Everyone starts with different levels of experience. Your progress compared to someone else’s is irrelevant. This is important and something you need to continue to remind yourself.
• Find someone outside of the course to hold you accountable. I suggest telling a friend, a colleague, or your manager about what you are doing. Close family members are not always in the best position to support you if you experience stress during the course as things can get a bit emotional (they might talk you in to dropping out because they are concerned for your well-being – not realising that this is a short term fix only and your well-being is usually best served by tackling your fears).  
• Be realistic about your expectations. You will make a lot of progress by doing a short course but it can take many years to become a great speaker. Setbacks are normal too so don’t worry if you feel like you are going backwards at times.

Summary
To achieve your New Year’s resolution or goal to address your fear of public speaking:

• Avoiding the procrastination trap by prioritising your resolution and acting as early in the year as you can. Investigate whether your work will pay or give you the time off work.
• Avoid the ‘talking yourself out of it trap’ by recognising and quietening your inner critic. Write down your worst fears and some ways of reducing their likelihood. Also write down  the worst that could happen if you don’t act and the best that could happen if you do act.  
• Select a course or programme that is appropriate for your needs and register for it – even if it is later in the year
• Avoid the ‘giving up’ trap by not comparing yourself to others, confiding in someone who can help hold you accountable, and being realistic about your expectations.

Finally, congratulate yourself when you start and finish the course, not only for taking on the challenge, but also for keeping your promise to yourself! 

Post written by Catherine Syme

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