Conquer Public Speaking Fear and Captivate With Confidence

What’s the first thing you do when you find out that you have an upcoming presentation? In one way or another you begin to anticipate it. Either with excitement or dread. HOW you anticipate your next presentation will determine how well you perform. Want to know why? Well, that’s what we’ll discuss in this training video.

Reflection: Please name a few specific steps you can take to more positively anticipate your next presentation. How do you think this will help you perform better in your next presentation?

Why would you want to prepare for an upcoming presentation and how can this process eliminate fear of public speaking an poor performance during a presentation? This phase and the next phase are almost magical in how they shift and refocus your attention and efforts to an activity that frees you from fear and equips you with a deeper understanding of what your audience actually wants and needs. I think you’ll really enjoy and benefit greatly from this and the next training unit and see clearly how this can take your presentation to the next level.

Reflection: How could this phase help to eliminate the fear of public speaking? How can it help your presentations more relevant, and therefore more interesting to your audience.

What if you could present without notes (or very few) and smoothly interact with you audience as if you were conversing with them? Well, you can. You can prepare yourself in such a way that you have internalized the material and able to freely and smoothly interact with the audience helping your project greater confidence and communicate with crystal clear clarity. Why is this important? Because when you’re clear and confident, people trust what you say and are more likely to act on it. Dig into this unit and everything you learn into practice for your next presentation.

Reflection: How can what you’ve learned in this training unit help you break free from reading from slides and note cards? How can this phase dramatically increase your confidence?

It’s show time. You’re on, now what? Well, if you’ve been moving through the previous phases this is simply a continuation. You’re already prepared because you’ve done this so many times already. However, there are few things you’ll want to know to more profoundly connect with your audience. These are the secrets I use and almost every other effective communicator uses to engage, connect, educate and inspire an audience. And, yes, you can use this process for weekly meetings as well. Come with me and learn how to present your ideas and information more calmly, clearly, smoothly and confidently. You’ll be amazed at how free and relaxed you feel, as well as how well the audience responds to you.

Reflection: How is this structure for giving presentations different from you own? What are the benefits of using this style?

Letting your audience know that you appreciate them taking the time to listen to you and spend time with you is a great way to establish great rapport. This sets the stage for a great relationship between you and the audience going forward.

Engage your audience IMMEDIATELY! Why would you want to do this? And, how do you do it? You'll learn the answers to both of those questions in this session.

Every audience has questions coming into any presentations whether they realize it or not. The better you identify, articulate and answer these questions throughout your presentation, the more satisfying their experience will be. You'll also learn a few additional benefits of using these structure of presenting.

I hate sitting through long presentations where there is no interaction. I also don't like when a presenter does not welcome or worse dislikes questions. As I'm probably not alone, you'll want to show your audience that you appreciate their questions and interest in getting clarity.

This not only works in presentations, but also in interviews, which is really nothing more than a series of mini presentations. Check with your audience to make sure you have addressed THEIR question.

While you may not want to need to smile the entire time during your presentation, when you smile it puts you and your audience at ease and projects you as more welcoming and open.

Some people in the audience will drain the energy right out of you. But, there will be others who boost your energy with their eye contact, nods and smiles. Look for them and gain energy from them.

You will have people in some of your audiences who love to talk and either purposely or inadvertently try to take over your presentation. Here's how to handle that...

What, exactly, do you want your audience to leave knowing? Focus on making sure that they leave with at least one thing. If they leave with more, great, but make sure they walk away with at least one major question answered, one new piece of information or insight.

While some people may not think this is appropriate with every audience, I've found that it works with virtually any audience if you do it right. Find out what IT is and why you should incorporate it into your presentations, especially at the end or major sections or the end of the entire presentation.

When you are sincere and transparent your audience will sense this. They will pick this up and resonate with you as a person. They will see that you are not pretending to be something or someone you are not. And, this quality is greatly admired and attractive.

Can they believe what you are saying? If they can, they will trust you. If what you are saying is clearly inaccurate, you'll lose all credibility. Here's why...

Where does your authority come from? How does authority impact the way you speak and your very presence? We'll explore those issues in this video and share with you how to actually gain and speak with authority.

In this special session, I go into the relationship between confidence and authority and what you can do to captivate your audiences with greater confidence as a result of your authority.