Tag: Stage fright

  • Fake It ‘Til You Make It – Annoying Cliche or Truth?

    I occasionally surprise myself by uttering the cliché above while encouraging a shy person to improve their presentation skills and confidence. I used to secretly kick myself for using such a hackneyed phrase—until I read Richard Wiseman’s great book, “As If.” In it, he cites dozens of studies showing that if we act a certain way, we begin to think and feel that way.

    Here’s one scientific study that’s particularly relevant to presenters:

    Vanessa Bohns and her associates at the University of Toronto asked one group of volunteers to adopt a posture associated with dominance and power: these volunteers stuck out their chests and moved their arms away from their bodies. Other volunteers were instructed to curl up in a powerless-looking ball.

    Then, the experimenters placed a tourniquet on each volunteer’s arm and slowly inflated it. The band got tighter and tighter, reducing blood flow. Volunteers were asked to say when they could no longer tolerate the discomfort. Findings: those in the powerful posture were able to tolerate much tighter tourniquets that those curled up in a ball. Simply acting as if they were powerful and strong helped push away an unwanted emotion.

    So-step into that “magic circle” and fake it ‘til you make it! Roll those shoulders back, opening up your chest. Separate your arms from your body. Be BIG! No one will know you are quaking inside…go on and give it a try. Science supports you!

    Learn about Guila Muir’s Presentation Skills Workshops.

    Guila Muir is a premiere trainer of trainers, facilitators, and presenters. Since 1994, she has helped thousands of professionals improve their training, facilitation, and presentation skills. Find out how she can help transform you from a boring expert to a great presenter: www.guilamuir.com

  • FEAR, Revisited: Manage Your Presentation Nerves!

    AfraidDo your hands sweat at the mere idea of public speaking? Does your stomach flip-flop, your mind go blank?

    Four guidelines from professional speaking coaches will help.

    1. Don’t hate your nerves.
    Remember that your goal is NOT to overcome fear. Your goal is to deliver an effective message. When you invest yourself fully in your message, fear takes a back seat.

    2. Be able to clearly state your presentation‘s purpose.
    Your nerves will undermine you if you’re not able to state the purpose in one short sentence, starting with “The purpose of my presentation is to…”

    In the words of Dianna Booher, an international communications skills expert: “If you can’t write your message in a sentence, you can’t say it in an hour.”

    3. Work That Heart.
    Cardiovascular fitness acts as an “anxiety shield.”  Whatever physical exercise you like, do it, and do it regularly. Your lowered blood pressure, heightened endurance, and increased oxygen flow will protect you against an attack of nerves.

    4. Do it over and over. The best way to feel calm and confident is to practice your presentation multiple times, OUT LOUD, both by yourself and in the “real world.”

    Use these four suggestions as you prepare for your next presentation. The antidote to nervousness is not “out there” somewhere…the keys are already inside of you.

    Want more tips to improve your speaking self? Learn about Guila Muir’s Presentation Skills Workshop.

    Guila Muir is a premiere trainer of trainers, facilitators, and presenters. Since 1994, she has helped thousands of professionals improve their training, facilitation, and presentation skills. Find out how she can help transform you from a boring expert to a great presenter: www.guilamuir.com

  • Your Biggest Gift as a Speaker

    by Guila Muir
    info@guilamuir.com

    Does this sound like you? “I’m a fine communicator one-on-one, but put me in front of a group and I just die!”

    Why is it easier for many of us to present in front of a few people than to a larger audience? Why do many of us believe that some people just “have what it takes” to present effectively, and the rest of us don’t?

    The truth is that everyone has the innate gifts to speak in public. True, few may possess the flamboyance of a professional motivational speaker. But I question the value of this presentation style, which often looks inauthentic. And although it does matter how you use your hands (avoiding the infamous “figleaf” pose, for example) and how you pitch your voice, the real gift you have to offer is YOU.

    Three Tips to Enhance Your Gift

    • Connect.
      It’s important to remember that speaking publicly is a relationship event, NOT a performance event. Your audience remembers what you say because you connect with them, not because you are the smartest or most charismatic person in the world.
    • Don’t speak “to,” speak “with.”
      Think of the event as a dialogue or conversation. Look directly at people and share your knowledge with them.
    • Express yourself.
      Remember that your unique style is better than any set of “stage skills.” Be yourself.

    But Is “Being Yourself” Really Enough?

    All truly compelling presenters use their greatest asset–themselves–to sell their concept and get their message across. All also realize that they can intensify their authentic selves for a more dynamic effect. Don Pfarrer, author of Guerilla Persuasion: Mastering the Art of Effective and Winning Business Presentation, calls this the “Intensified You” persona. It is “a task oriented, turned-on, intensified version of yourself.”

    When I work with clients to achieve their own Intensified You personas, I notice their increased confidence and resilience as speakers. This is particularly useful when they deal with jaded or potentially hostile audiences.

    Elements of The Intensified You

    • Subject Mastery: You must know your subject thoroughly AND know the limits of your knowledge.
    • Steadiness: You must “keep a steady hand on the tiller”–knowing you might need to change course to avoid a hurricane, but not allowing a small squall to deflect you.
    • Empathy: You must remain sensitive to your audience. If you were a member of your own audience, what would you need to hear? To see?
    • Candor: Include in your presentation what needs to be there–don’t hide anything. Show you are aware of challenges or problems; then present solutions.

    So — bring your authentic self as a speaker, but pump it up. This combination is unbeatable!

    Learn about Guila Muir’s Presentation Skills Workshops.

    Guila Muir is a premiere trainer of trainers, facilitators, and presenters. Since 1994, she has helped thousands of professionals improve their training, facilitation, and presentation skills. Find out how she can help transform you from a boring expert to a great presenter: www.guilamuir.com

     

  • “I Thought I Would Die!” How to Deal With Stage Fright

    First, let’s surface what you probably already know:

    • Americans rank the fear of public speaking far above the fear of death (41% to 19%, respectably.) Way overused by speaking coaches, this statistic was first reported by the London Times in 1973 in a survey of 3,000 Americans.

    • No one has actually ever died from public speaking (except, perhaps, William H. Harrison, the ninth president of the United States. He died of pneumonia soon after delivering a two-hour inauguration speech outdoors in the winter without a coat or hat.)

    • “Butterflies can be your friends.” (Admit it — you DO know this, at least intellectually.)

    Yet: do your hands still sweat at the mere idea of speaking in public? Does your stomach flip-flop? Do you avoid public speaking at all costs?

    Well, bad news first: there is no golden bullet for stage fright. Although some fearful speakers swallow beta-blockers (drugs developed to manage cardiac arrhythmias,) the reality is that no outside intervention will reliably rescue you. Which brings us to the good news!

    You are capable of dealing with stage fright. The antidote lies within you. And, surprisingly, the antidote is not only to practice, practice, practice! (Although you must practice a presentation at least 4-6 times to feel proficient anyway.)

    Three Guidelines
    If you’re serious about changing your pattern of stage fight, I’d like you to make a commitment: Take some time to read and reflect on these guidelines before running off to the next activity on your “to-do” list. If you give yourself time to fully integrate them, I guarantee that you will feel more comfortable the next time you present.

    Guideline #1
    To quote speaking guru Jean Hamilton: “Become friends with the part of you that is scared.”

    In order to change our patterns, we need to accept our whole selves. Too often, my clients truly hate the part of themselves that is nervous. They’re incredibly hard on themselves! These clients end up being “nervous about being nervous,” compounding their discomfort and alienation. This downward spiral quite neatly lays the groundwork for a dreaded “out-of-body” experience when they present.

    To quote Hamilton again: “Often the scared part of ourselves is diligent; it really wants to do a good job. It has a lot of energy, and it can also be vulnerable. Diligence, energy, and vulnerability are valuable assets to a presenter.” In fact, add “authenticity” to that list of characteristics, and you’ve got all it takes to be an effective, dynamic presenter.

    Love that part of yourself that is scared. Don’t reject it. You may even want to give it a name, and to picture what it looks like. Then accept it. You will feel more whole, stronger, and more full of integrity.

    One more quote from Hamilton: “When your scared part begins to realize its value, it can begin to relax.”

    Guideline #2
    Be clear on the purpose of your presentation.

    If you’re not able to state the purpose clearly in one short sentence, starting with “The purpose of my presentation is to…”, DON’T give the presentation. Nothing will make you more obscenely nervous than feeling unclear about your presentation’s ultimate goal.

    Remember—your goal is NOT to overcome fear itself. Instead, your goal is to design and deliver an effective message. Suggestion: if given a choice between taking a class on “body language for presenters,” and “how to design a presentation,” choose the class on design, hands-down. A well-designed speech with a clear purpose is one of the most powerful antidotes to fear you will ever possess.

    Guideline #3
    Keep yourself physically fit.

    Physical fitness reduces anxiety. It’s as simple as that. A state of fitness simply means that your heart and lungs are able to get enough oxygen—and if there’s anything we need to think and present effectively, it’s oxygen. Oxygen soothes nerves and increases our resilience as speakers.

    I often tell my clients “It’s not what size you are, it’s how fit you are.” Many, many studies make a clear link between fitness and lowered anxiety in general—and nowhere does this become clearer than during the stress of a presentation.

    Whatever physical exercise you like to do—do it, and do it regularly. Your lowered blood pressure, heightened endurance, and increased flexibility will act as a “shield” against an attack of nerves.

    That’s It!
    Let these three suggestions guide you as you prepare for your next presentation. Remember, the antidote to nervousness is not “out there” somewhere…the keys are already inside of you.

    Read more articles about Presentation Skills. Learn about Guila Muir’s Presentation Skills Workshops.

    Guila Muir is the premiere trainer of trainers, facilitators, and presenters on the West Coast of the United States. Since 1994, she has helped thousands of professionals improve their training, facilitation, and presentation skills. Find out how she can help transform you from a boring expert to a great presenter: www.guilamuir.com

    © Guila Muir.