I hated the feeling I got when I knew I was just moments away from having to stand in front of a room full of people and say…stuff. Public speaking. Scary to even think about, right? I dreaded doing it. I almost packed it in 7 months after joining Toastmasters (a sort of workshop dedicated to helping you become a … Read More
5 Ways To Ensure You Don’t Sound Like A Robot
Attention all humans! Okay, okay, robots are welcome too. Just turn your emotion controls to ‘OFF’—or risk being offended. Today we talk about a subject that can save humanity. Or at least defend against a level of boredom that is entirely unnecessary. You’ve no doubt experienced a speaker with some or all of these special traits. Perhaps you’ve been scarred for life. … Read More
Overcome Your EGO And You Can Overcome Your Fears
The thing that holds us back the most in this world, is ourselves—at least what we think is us—the EGO! The reason is fear, and how the ego holds us back is through the struggle against being exposed to fear. The E-G-O is feisty and it claims that it simply doesn’t want you to get hurt.Gee, thanks! Sounds like a good thing doesn’t it? … Read More
Public Speaking Anxiety: Fear The INSTANT Fix!
Whenever you see someone offering INSTANT tips and tricks for overcoming the fear of public speaking, please do me a favor. Be vigilant. Extend your B.S. antenna and jab it squarely into the chest of the messenger. It’s non-sense. There is no magic pill that you can catapult down the hatch and in an instant be cured. There are methods that work, methods … Read More
5 “Don’ts” That Will Make You A Better Speaker
There are a ton of things that can either make you a better speaker, or not. And personally I think it varies from person to person. Some can get away with being theatrical and over-the-top. Others, not so much. Take slouching for example. This gets associated with a lack of confidence and being “unprofessional.” I would never advise anyone … Read More
18 Reasons Why People Are Afraid Of Public Speaking
I know intimately the gut-wrenching, free-falling feeling of glossophobia (fear of public speaking) and I know many more who have dealt or currently deal with it now. Two words: it sucks! One of the most important things you can do when it comes to problem solving, is to IDENTIFY the problem. Many of the reasons we humans fear public speaking are universal … Read More
14 Specific Reasons To Overcome Your Fear Of Public Speaking
It’s hard to see the value in some things, and especially things that have to do with self-improvement. The concept is vague at best. In the case of public speaking, one might say to himself, “Okay, so I’ll be able to speak more awesomer in front of an audience? Hmm. Sounds lucrative. But what good would it do me in my … Read More
How To Memorize A Speech When You’re Nervous
I recently stumbled on a Reddit thread in the Public Speaking section. The question was about memorization and being able to calm the body down.Here’s the question: Straight up, I don’t like the art of memorizing. I prefer knowing my content and knowing the points I want to cover. I suppose, technically, I memorize the points I want to cover and their … Read More
This Is How Your Internal Critic Is Hurting You
“You suck! You’re a failure! Why do you even try? All you do is make mistakes you loser! And you smell…”How would you respond to someone if they said those things to you? You’d probably return fire or even start throwing dukes around. Those are fightin’ words!So why the hell do we take that kind of crap from our internal … Read More
Is It Okay To Cuss Or Use Slang As A Public Speaker?
Most people naturally tend to talk to the audience as if they were talking to the Dalai Lama. They clean up their language. Not just holding back on “f-bombs” but also cutting out the “so-like-totallys” and any overt slang words or phrases. I can’t say that I disagree with this approach in principle. However, is it the best approach? And if so, … Read More