Public Speaking

If you google "fear of public speaking statistics," you'll learn that most people are more afraid of public speaking (glossophobia) than death (necrophobia). Yikes! Like most fears, fear of public speaking can limit us in the areas of career and success if nothing is done about it.

I attended a series of communications workshops sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the following notes are from a session with Eda Roth. She is a trained actor and coaches others to speak more confidently in the workplace - learning to use our voice takes work.

Five essential components that make presentations work:

1. Life
2. Truth
3. Clarity
4. Language
5. Caring/Connection

Framework for communications

*Who are you talking to?
*What time of day is this?
*What do you want to accomplish?
*What is their attitude toward you and your issue?
*What is your strategy? You become more yourself strategically.
*What are the obstacles?
*Are you invested in the issue and the outcome?
* It’s not about you – it’s about the passion for the people or issues that you are representing. To emphasize this point, she told a story about how mother love, which helped her to lift a car to save her 12 year old child, was greater than her fears.

The introduction engages the audience
* Get their attention
* Give background and context
* Establish credibility – not resume/CV but few key points
* Give them a reason to listen – create the "need to know" – what are you gonna talk about and benefits – the "so what?" of listening
* Preview – what you’re going to cover

Ways to begin
• Story
• Validate people as a connector to topic
• 7 seconds for people to make an impression
• Fact or social math (social math is putting the number in a context that really makes it stick)
• Thesis statement – the headliner of what you’re talking about
• Background or context
• Picture with Quote that is relevant
• Reference to occasion or previous speaker on a panel
• Guided visualization
• Humor is an attitude towards life

Think about a presentation that you will give and construct an opening – the introduction engages the audience

• Why listen to me?
• Get their attention
• Give background and context
• Establish credibility
• Give them a reason to listen
• Preview

Being believable in a given set of circumstances
Move the audience to see more
Hearing the words and feeling the importance of it – investing ourselves and being strategic – varied capabilities of our own expression
Awaken something in other people – she’s got something that’s gonna help me not feeling dumped on
Feel cared about
Embody authenticity – it is costly to step out and be daring, real, caring, present with people instead of being protected by professionalism
Theoretical vs. lived experience

Elements of the voice
Pitch
Volume - Fill the space with your voice
Inflection
Rate – pause as the white space, don’t talk faster so that people get more in
Diction
Non-words
Pauses
Words are music

The body says a lot
Posture and positioning – open and balanced
Gestures – using your hands
Eye contact – the vectors of relationship, focus lands your point, make the connections
Facial expressions – life comes through your face
Purposeful vs. nervous

How to deal with performance anxiety
Sigh of relief – breathe (even though it is counterintuitive)
Connect to the audience and message – higher purpose overcomes the fear
Know that you are adding value
Communicate conversationally
Try to enjoy yourself (take what you're doing seriously but not yourself – when focused on self not focused on what you are doing)