Who is not afraid of something new? Some people are afraid of parachuting, others avoid playing casino games on playamo.com for real money. But some activities scare us, even if we’ve repeated them a lot of times.
How often do your knees shake when you have to say something on stage? Do you have to defend your thesis, give a presentation to your colleagues, or congratulate your beloved grandmother on her anniversary in a restaurant? How do we overcome the nagging terror that constrains our movements, freezes our tongues and makes our brains forget articulate speech?
Why do we fear public speaking? Because of the fear of judgment. Here’s an algorithm to help cope with that feeling and enjoy speaking.
Give Your Audience the Best of Everything
Remember, you have to go with a sincere desire to share with people the best of what you have (whether it’s information, algorithms, etc.). Then people will be grateful either way. Either they get new information and tools. Or (if they know more about the topic), they thank you for your sincerity.
People are more sensitive to emotion than words. In this case, there is nothing to be afraid of, because your presentation will be evaluated as positively as possible by everyone. This will give you confidence in your preparation).
This is what all real good preachers do. – They go out to the audience with a pure heart and speak their best (what they can tell at the moment) without worrying about structure. They are grateful for the emotion, the message, and the information. This one will help even if you’ve never done it.
Preparation Algorithm
Determine the purpose of the speech (what outcome you want). Most people say they want to deliver information and tell you something, but that’s not the goal. Try to evoke an emotion, change people’s thoughts and beliefs, or motivate them to take action.
Maybe you want to make people happy and believe in themselves or their spirits rise. Maybe you want to convince everyone that you are an expert, that you need to protect the environment, support your project, work with you on the same team, or hire you.
When there are clearly articulated goals, you keep them in mind, and your presentation is focused on that goal.
You need to decide who the audience is (so that people can get more out of the speech and your goals are realized). Try to understand:
● Who these people are.
● Why they are listening to you.
● What they know about you or the issue/topic.
● What they are really interested in.
● What age they are.
● What examples they care about.
This analysis will allow you to reach their minds and hearts.
Think about the format of the presentation (how long the presentation will take, will it only be a voiceover, or is there an extra visual component that needs to be prepared).
The Content of the Presentation
Once you understand these three things, you can get down to the content. The most common mistake is writing the entire text or wanting to put everything in the right order at once.
Sketch out the content, best of all make a list of talking points or, if you know how to work with mind maps, make a big mind map (include everything you know about the topic). There will, of course, be a lot more thoughts than you will eventually say, but you won’t have to fear that you’ll forget to add to your speech plan.
Now you can put them in order. If it’s a mind map, take a pen of a different color and arrange the sequence of blocks. Circle each block and determine what place it occupies in the canvas of the narrative. If it’s difficult to sequence, resort to visualization.
You can cut up the mind map itself or write the theses on the cards. By rearranging them among themselves and photographing different variations, you won’t have to rewrite the structure every time you see it as in the palm of your hand.
Next, by no means write the text. Better yet, make a brief structure for one minute. No matter how much time is given (an hour, 3 hours, 15 minutes), prepare a brief presentation with the main talking points spelled out and told in one minute.
Why? This will give you a clear skeleton of a speech in which you can engage only the main blocks. You’ll remember them for sure, and you can rehearse a one-minute speech at least 10 times in a row.
With most speakers, it’s the structure that suffers. If there will be a concrete structure for one minute, which you will run through many times and become a great navigator in it, you can supplement it, expand it (to three, five, ten minutes, an hour) and adjust to the format you want.
Having rehearsed a minute presentation, expand it to 3 minutes, then to 10 (and so on to the planned duration) and rehearse each option at least 2-3 times. This will give you an ironclad detailed structure in which you will navigate perfectly.
Rehearse
We dread the first experience more than any subsequent one, so rehearse each new performance. If it is long, it is unlikely that you will be able to “run through” it more than once or twice. It is desirable not just to run the text in front of the mirror, but to recreate the stressful situation, fully telling your friends or acquaintances.
Write down in advance any questions that may arise on the subject, and collect questions from those to whom you will be telling. First, if you prepare answers, you can add missing information to the structure. Second, you will prepare yourself for questions that may arise and you will feel more confident.
By following these tips, not only will you stop being afraid of public speaking and feel confident as a speaker, but you will also help your audience enjoy themselves.
