Practical Tips
Fight, Flight, or Freeze Response to Fear of Public Speaking
In a previous article I talked about how a fear of public speaking could have an evolutionary basis. The fight, flight or freeze response that many people experience is a primitive response to danger. Although the danger is clearly not life-threatening, our bodies respond as...
Nine Ways to Calm Your Nerves by Connecting With Your Audience (and Imagining Your Audience Naked Is Not One of Them!)
Presenting to an audience can feel unnatural. Most people don’t like being in the spotlight. It is tempting to become less noticeable by hiding behind a PowerPoint presentation. But that is an unhelpful strategy. We need to do the opposite because connecting with the audience...
How Finding Something Important to Say Can Boost Your Confidence
While researching this topic, I came across a comment in an online forum. “I put on my first parent seminar this week. I was so terrified I almost cancelled! But I got over myself because I know parents are a bit desperate about how to...
Using Your Nerves to Enhance Your Public Speaking Performance
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to stand in front of an audience and feel calm and relaxed? Actually, that should not be your aim! While it might be nice to feel calm, the reality is that you generally perform better when you are...
Stop Trying to Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking
Body language expert Mark Bowden tells a memorable story in his book “Winning Body Language”. A man came to him, desperate for help because he broke out in hives every time he presented. Instead of trying to “fix” the symptoms, Bowden encouraged him to do...