The Fear-Less Public Speaking Blog
You will find articles here, mainly about public speaking nerves. These articles feature many of my clients and their stories about dealing with public speaking anxiety.
If you are interested in a course or one-on-one coaching, see what others say for direct testimonials.
Public Speaking and the Shame of Appearing Nervous – Why Do We Care and What Can We Do?
Do you worry that your audience will notice your trembling hands or shaking voice? In this article I explore why we care about looking nervous, whether the audience really does notice (or care), and what we can do to hide the nerves. Why do we...
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...
Why Do So Many People Fear Public Speaking? – The ‘Spotlight Effect’ and Other Explanations
At my Toastmasters club, Talking Heads, we have a quote on our website that always gets a chuckle:“There are two types of speakers – those that are nervous and those that are liars.”– Mark Twain Sound familiar? You’ve probably seen the headlines too—those dramatic surveys...
Presentation anxiety in students – How can we help?
Periodically, a debate blows up on social media about whether young people should be forced to present in front of the class. The Atlantic reported one such debate in September 2018. The story was about a tweet posted by a 15-year-old high-school student: “Stop forcing students...
Why practice impromptu speaking?
Do you find impromptu speaking difficult? Are you articulate giving prepared presentations but struggle to “think on your feet?” Many people find this hard. Even when you have plenty to say, organizing it into something coherent can be challenging with no time to prepare. In...
Why good verbal communication skills will improve your employment prospects
In 2015, Victoria University of Wellington did an Employability Skills survey to find out what employers are looking for in their graduates, apart from a degree of course! The survey found that the number one attribute (also known as ‘soft skill’) that employers want from graduates...
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 help...
When your topic scares you!
When I ask a group of people if they have ever had to talk to an audience about something they didn’t understand or were not convinced about themselves I usually get a lot of nods. Then I ask them how they felt about it. They...
Using your nerves to enhance your public speaking performance
(Updated February 2020)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...
Does your audience really notice when you make a mistake in your speech?
Many years ago, I did a public speaking course through work. At the end of the course we each gave a speech which was filmed. We were given the video to review in our own time. I was really unhappy with my speech because at...
You don’t have to battle your fear of public speaking
Body language expert Mark Bowden, in his book “Winning Body Language” describes a man who came to him for help because he broke out in hives every time he presented. Mark urged him to accept his fear as the first step forward. Bowden says, “In...