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| Confident Public Speaking: Traps To Avoid
| By:
Michael A Jones | |
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Copyright (c) 2009 Michael A Jones
Confident public speaking does not necessarily mean the total elimination of nervousness. Many good public speakers still feel a little anxious before giving a speech but they have learned to focus this nervous energy in a way that actually enhances their presentation.
All the same, while confident public speaking doesn't necessarily mean a total absence of nerves, it does involve learning to speak and act in a certain way so as not to betray one's nervousness.
You can go through the list below and make a mental note. Then have a friend check your next presentation or even check yourself through a video playback and see if you give any indication of nervousness by watching for the signals in the list.
Mannerisms and Awkward Gestures
As well as destroying your professionalism, they can be very distracting for an audience. Ask a friend for a favor and get them to let you know if you start to do any of the following:
stand with one leg wrapped around the other
stand on the sides of one's shoes
keep touching the nose, mouth, ears, or any part of the face
lean on the speaker's stand using it as a prop
keep putting hands in and out of pockets
fiddling with one's wrist watch
repeatedly swallowing
buttoning and unbuttoning the jacket
standing with hands clasped behind the back
Visual Aid Dangers
If you use a flip chart, whiteboard, or projection screen, avoid constantly fiddling with the marker pen, mouse, or projector control as if they were worry beads. This can betray nerves and also be quite distracting.
Far better to have your hands free, only picking up the marker or control when you intend to use it and then put it back again on the table or speaker's stand.
Using your hands deliberately for descriptive or emphatic gestures will be far more effective than haphazardly waving a marker pen or projector control in the air.
What Do You Do With Your Hands?
Confident public speaking means you know what to do you with your hands.
When you are not using them to gesture, let them hang by your side loosely and naturally. They won't remain there for long if you are giving an animated presentation.
Your hands and arms will frequently be moving, gesturing, but in between times, just let them hang loose, ready and waiting.
Concentrate On Ideas
Confident public speaking involves the ability to concentrate on expressing your IDEAS rather than exact words. Doing this will help you considerably to avoid the traps and mannerisms listed above.
This will contribute to an easy listening style of delivery which is not stop-start and likely to irritate the audience.
Apart from your introduction and conclusion which require more attention to exact wording, thorough preparation and total immersion in your subject will allow you to speak extemporaneously without worrying overly about exact word choice.
The latter can result in a speaker gazing into the air fumbling for the right word which in time will destroy the concentration of the audience.
Even if you don't feel you are confident in public speaking, you don't have to advertise the fact. Using the checklist you can identify any obvious signs of anxiety and lack of confidence and then do something to avoid them so your audience will feel relaxed with you, not on edge.
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You must take a quick look at the Coaching Manual and Self-Analysis Questionnaire Michael has prepared. It will have a major impact on your confidence. Click here:
http://www.about-goal-setting.com/public-speaking-coaching-manual.htm |
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