Nervousness in Public Speaking

http://www.nosweatspeaking.com/ezine/back_issues-2002/nss-ezine11-2002v1-1.txt

Dear Allan and Allan,

I'm a real estate agent and give talks on investment real

estate to attract new clients. My associates have told me that

I avoid looking at my audiences. I look over their heads or at

the ceiling. I guess this is because I'm nervous. I'm not getting

many new clients from my talks. What can I do?

Nervous in New York.

Dear Nervous in New York,

Because you're nervous, you avoid looking at individuals in

your audiences. This is a common behavior of presenters who are

anxious or nervous. Unfortunately, not making eye contact with

audience members tends to make a speaker more nervous. Pick out

one person in the audience and talk to him for 5 to 7 seconds.

Then make eye contact with another person and talk to her for 5

to 7 seconds. Continue doing this throughout your talk. Now,

instead of giving a presentation to a sea of faces, you're

speaking to one person at a time, and your nervousness will

diminish. We bet you'll even get more clients.

Allan and Allan

2. No Sweat Speaking(sm) Tip (Reducing Performance Anxiety)
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PSYCH YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
by Allan Misch, DTM
 
One way to reduce performance anxiety is to program yourself, or
psych yourself up, for a successful presentation. You do this
through mental imagery as part of your practice routine or just
before you fall asleep. Here's how I do it and how you can do it.
 
Close your eyes and picture in your mind's eye where you'll be
speaking. Imagine the introducer introducing you. See yourself
confidently walking to the lectern, and hear your audience
applaud you. Experience a successful presentation in as much
detail as possible. Hear and see your audience applauding you as
you end your presentation. See yourself walking confidently back
to your seat. Bask in your feeling of confidence.
 
Do this exercise a few times. Your brain will act like a video
camera, recording your imagined experience. When you're ready to
present, your brain will replay "the videotape." How you feel in
your real experience will mirror to a degree how you felt in your
imagined experience. So what you've done is psych yourself up for
success.
 
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 "In minutes you were able to do for the audience what some
 people have been trying to do for themselves for a lifetime.
 You two helped audience members get rid of the fear of
 public speaking right before my very eyes.... Any
 organization can benefit greatly by witnessing your
 seminar.... You two are a great team!"
 
  Craig Valentine
 Toastmasters International
 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking
 
2. No Sweat Speaking(sm) Tip (Reducing Performance Anxiety)
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**Honor Your Fear to Conquer It!**
by Allan Misch
 
Some people blame themselves for having public speaking fear and
anxieties. They think there's something wrong with them, and they
avoid public speaking opportunities. The truth is before you can
solve a problem you must first own up to it. Before you can
conquer your speaking fear, you must first acknowledge that you
have it and that you're still a good person even though you have
it.
 
In our No Sweat Speaking(sm) process for eliminating public
speaking fear and anxiety, Allan and I use a positive affirmation
that helps those with whom we work prepare for changing their
behavior from fear to confidence. Try saying, "Even though I have
this speaking fear, I still accept myself for who I am."
 
This affirmation tells your mind that you have a problem, and
that you're still okay in spite of it. It causes you to honor
your problem and yourself. Once you do this, you begin to
prepare yourself mentally and emotionally to conquer your fear.
 
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 "In minutes you were able to do for the audience what some
 people have been trying to do for themselves for a lifetime.
 You two helped audience members get rid of the fear of
 public speaking right before my very eyes.... Any
  organization can benefit greatly by witnessing your
 seminar.... You two are a great team!"
 
 Craig Valentine
 Toastmasters International
 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking