Archive for the 'fearbuster' Category

What do you do to overcome fear of public speaking?

Published on in fearbuster and You the Presenter. Closed Tags: , , , , , .

Roger was a successful executive working with an international technology company. Having just completed his MBA, he was promoted to general manager. In his new role, he would have to give more public presentations to his team in China and the head office in California.

Despite a strong technical background and good industry knowledge, Roger was never comfortable before an important presentation. Up to a week before, a general feeling of anxiety came over him which stopped him from sleeping well at night. On the day, and even hours before, he felt sick while his hands were cold and sweaty. As he stepped up to present, his mouth went dry and his heart was pounding. He could feel his throat tighten and his knees felt weak. He took a few rapid breaths and with trembling lips took his first words.

Fearbuster#1: Work your body

The first step in beating nerves, stress or a bad mood is a good physical condition. Water and oxygen are a great way to keep a healthy body. Imagine yourself standing on top of a mountain looking around breathing in fresh clean mountain air and sipping a bottle of cool clean spring water. You get the picture. It’s making me feel more relaxed already. Now you may not have the benefit of a mountain nearby, so what else can you do? Exercise. My business coach picked this out during one of our sessions. He noticed that whenever I was down on life in general, it was usually at the same time as a drop in my exercising. His solution was to swim, run and cycle more. It worked for me as I love triathlon racing. Here’s how it can work for you too:

1. Have a workout during the week of your presentation. Block out the time and spend two hours doing whatever exercise you enjoy most. Go for a swim, take a run or visit a gym. Finish off with a spa or massage if you have time.

2. On the day of your presentation, take a walk to get some air in your lungs, which improves your blood circulation and controls your nerves. See Fearbuster#4 for more on breathing.

3. A few hours before your presentation avoid drinking tea, coffee or caffeine based soft drinks (including colas). These are diuretics which remove water from your body. You should drink plenty of water as this has a calming effect by making your body aerobic.

4. Just before you come on stage, walk out your nerves. Don’t sit down just before coming on stage. Get the blood moving so you’re coming in at a higher energy level. You can also stretch your neck, shoulders, arms and fingers to relax any tense muscles. Meeting and greeting your audience can help you transform nervous energy and start to create a connection.

About the Author

Warwick J Fahy

“Warwick helps C-level executives, working in multinational companies based in Greater China, who struggle to get their point across and influence their key stakeholders. Warwick helps the executive project their message with confidence allowing them to express their opinions powerfully and gain respect from senior managers even when under pressure.”  Learn more about who I help here.

Warwick is the author of “The One Minute Presenter: 8 steps to successful business presentations in a short attention span world”.

Now available on Amazon.com.

New: Read “The One Minute Presenter” as an e-book. Available in all maor e-book formats here.

Sign up to “52 Tips to more confident public speaking” newsletter at www.warwickjohnfahy.com

The King-Size Fears of Public Speaking

Published on in Deliver with Style, fearbuster, presenter and You the Presenter. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , .

Tips to improve your next presentation

Is the fear of public speaking really such a big fear? The uncomfortable moments in the Oscar winning The King’s Speech, probably felt painfully familiar to many who have been under pressure while presenting. It certainly did for me and as someone who went to a speech therapist for elocution lessons as a child it made me think what we can take away from watching a movie about a man learning to manage his stammer. This article will cover some of the good tips and dispel the bizarre.

The King’s Tip: Always stand up to deliver a speech of importance.

An engaging speaking voice is very relevant today, as many business presentations are given through teleconferences. The lack of visual cues makes it harder for listeners to catch the message and tougher for speakers to read the audience. Standing up places you in an assertive posture and allows deeper breathing from your diaphragm which aids better vocal quality projection. Opera singers could deliver with such a wide range while sitting. Strengthening your abdominal muscles enables you to better fill your lungs with air. So you now have another reason to get to the gym. It’s optional whether you would want to have your wife sitting on your stomach.

The King’s Tip: Gradually expand your ability to project your voice.

Adding strength and authority starts with becoming comfortable with the sound of your own voice. Before I became a professional speaker, I was incredibly shy and self-conscious when speaking to groups. Partly this is because I am a natural introvert like many professionals in finance, IT and engineering. This can’t be changed overnight but like any skill can be developed. Practise your presentation out aloud, ideally in a meeting room, and project your voice so that someone at the back of the room would hear. While you don’t need to sing out your windows, find fun excuses to raise your voice, like playing sports or refereeing a football match at your children’s school.

Aside from voice improvements, the movie also highlights the importance of preparation and rehearsal.

The King’s Tip: Great speakers are made, not born.

No infant starts to speak with a stammer and no one starts with a fear of public speaking. Conversely, no one is born a natural public speaker. Circumstances, experiences and environment all play a key part in how people develop. I had a bad experience in a school drama class that put me off public speaking for decades. The good news is that these fears can be overcome. Hard work and determination to improve are the greatest success factors in becoming an effective public speaker. How many presenters could match the King’s dedication when he visited his speech therapist 82 times before a six month world tour? Many presenters do not allocate any time to rehearse their speech. If you have three weeks to prepare a totally new 20 minute presentation allow between 30 minutes and 1 hour a day for preparation and time-block it in your calendar. You wouldn’t expect to become a better swimmer if you never went to the pool, so find the time to practice your speaking skills.

The King’s Tip: Learn to self-evaluate

You don’t learn by doing, you learn by re-doing. Accelerate your learning by listening to your presentation on a video or audio recorder. This highly effective way makes you more aware of the areas you need to focus on – if you can get over the embarrassment of looking or listening to yourself! After watching a recording, take a piece of paper and divide it into two halves. Write down all your strengths on one side and areas that you would like to improve on the other. You will be surprised after this exercise, sometimes you sound better than you imagined. Most audiences don’t judge us as harshly as we critique ourselves.

Tips to avoid

Tips to avoid include relaxing your throat by smoking deeply into your lungs! Voice care is important so drink plenty of water and add lemon or honey. You can also lightly massage your vocal chords before you start presenting. Another piece of bad advice is “always start with a joke”. While humour can connect with your audience, it’s such a high risk approach. You might offend, not deliver it with the best timing or just not tell a funny joke. Not the best way to start your presentation.

In addition to the above tips, The King’s Speech highlights two key lessons. Firstly, only you can change you. If you don’t want to improve or if you don’t think it’s that important then your progress will reflect that. Secondly, being consistent and realistic about changing an engrained behaviour is essential. Put some time aside to rehearse and the improvements will follow.

About the Author

Warwick J Fahy

“I work with high-potential senior executives who need to be more confident and influential with their key stakeholders. I help the executive quickly and powerfully express their opinions into message based presentations – even when under pressure.”  Learn more about who I help here.

Warwick is the author of “The One Minute Presenter: 8 steps to successful business presentations in a short attention span world”.  Buy or download the book here.

Now available on Amazon.com.

Sign up to “52 Tips to more confident public speaking” newsletter at www.warwickjohnfahy.com

If you have ever sat through a presentation and felt like this picture, then give us a call. We help executives learn how to get to the point and create memorable and persuasive presentations. Call us on +86 21 6101 0486

“Ever feel like the presenter is making too many points?”
“Ever feel like the presenter is making too many points?”

Photo credit: Piotr Bizior

Feeling nervous: Find out why

Published on in fearbuster and You the Presenter. Closed

Matt Church has an excellent blog. Check out his article on what causes nerves.

Nervous speaking in public? : Try this fearbuster: Work your body

Published on in fearbuster, presenter and You the Presenter. 2 Comments

work-your-body There are many reasons why people feel nervous before a presentation. In my experience, the more presentations you give, the more you are able to cope with most of the visible signs of nervousness:  sweating hands, dry throat, increased heart rate. I believe that while the nerves don’t go away, the fear does.  Let’s assume you haven’t had any traumatic past experiences while presenting in public (this needs a different approach), there are some proven steps you can take to lower your physical reaction before a presentation.

Let’s look at one approach: Work your Body.

A good physical condition will help manage your nerves.  Whatever exercise you enjoy most, schedule in a workout during the week before your presentation. Block off a couple of hours and add in a spa or massage afterwards. Pamper your body, it will help reduce your tension.

On the day of your presentation, take a walk outside or find somewhere quiet, like a garden or park, to breathe in some fresh air and get a bit closer to nature. It will calm your mind and the fresh air will improve your circulation.

A few hours before you present, stop drinking coffee, tea or sodas and switch to water. The more aerobic your body is the calmer you will feel.

Just before you come on stage, walk off your nerves and think about your opening words.  By starting your presentation from a walk you are turning your nervous energy into excitement which is a good way to open.

Make sure you have a good supply of water during your presentation. Take deep breathes between main points or sections to ensure you have a good lung full of air. This calms and also improves your voice quality.

While most people do feel nervous before a presentation, by keeping in good shape and taking a few simple precautions you can help your body cope better with the physical reactions to feeling nervous.