Four Ways To Get Ready For Public Speaking

Which sounds more appealing, getting up in front of a group of strangers and talking, while they all sit there looking at you like a dog watching a ceiling fan or gargling with Drano? It's no surprise how many would choose the Drano.

Public Speaking has been ranked as the "number one fear" among thousands of us. You're whole body shakes, you feel sick, and suddenly, you can't remember what you were supposed to say. Why is that? Because you are scared to death.

Here are some tips on overcoming this fear of Public Speaking.

Picture yourself speaking in front of a crowd. Go ahead picture yourself standing in front of all these people saying what it is you are going to be talking about. Picture yourself from start to finish. Start with walking towards the mike, through your speech, and up to the victorious ending.

Always practice. Do your speech 'out loud' over and over again. Now, do the same thing to a real live person (just make sure they will be honest with you about your presentation). It's been said: "Repetition is the mother of all skill". It really is and you do it everyday in your real life, because you have done the same thing over and over again. You can just about overcome any fear you have by doing it over and over again. Take sports, for example. These professional athletes never miss a shot. This is more because of endless practice rather than some inborn skill. This applies to public speaking, too.

Whip out the camcorder and tape yourself giving your speech. This will give you the chance to see and hear yourself as the audience will.

Relax. Before your speech, calm down. Take some slow deep breaths and remind yourself that all these people are here to listen to what you have to say. The audience wouldn't want to know about your personal life. They aren't interested in your personal life.

The more prepared you are, the less anxiety you'll experience, which in turn, will boost your confidence sky high. Then after you are all "said and done"…you will never look at a can of Drano the same way again.

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