PUBLIC SPEAKING OR DEATH, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Quoting Jerry Seinfeld :
“According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”

If Seinfeld is correct what does that say about us as humans?? Have we lost the art of communication?? Do we really prefer death over public speaking?? Are we not designed by nature to be able to talk to each other in order to convey information??

So where does it all start and why?

For most people the Fear of Public Speaking can be traced back to an incident that happened when they were young. It may have happened at school where, when called upon by the teacher to speak, they were teased by other kids.

When someone has a negative experience, the brain can link the negative feelings associated with that experience to other similar experiences.

Our brain is hard wired to learn and in learning it retains important information that can be accessed at a later time. If our brain feels that a situation is not in our best interest or may even cause us harm, it will do everything in its power to protect us.

In order to keep us from feeling bad again, the brain will attach terrible feelings to this kind of situation – that will stop us and keep us safe in the future and so Fear Of Public Speaking is BORN.

Attaching emotions to situations is one of the primary ways that humans learn. Sometimes we just get it wrong. Many people suffering from fear of public speaking believe that they are alone in feeling so frightened, but in fact it is shared by millions.

It is said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions!! The intention of our brain to associate fear with situations that can harm us is correct. What the brain can’t do is differentiate unpleasant but benign experiences from unpleasant but life threatening ones with ease. It has the same tools available to it to deal with both situations.

How do we fix this??

I taught public speaking and know first hand how hard it can be for most people to stand up before a group and present a topic. However like everything thing else in life, the more you do it the better you become and the easier the task seems.

Hypnosis is a great way to help individuals deal with this and any fear because it can help you face your fears in the comfort and safety of your own mind. A trained hypnotist can guide you to face any situation slowly using baby steps and other methods. The client is then free to review the original situation at their own pace and associate only as much as they feel comfortable each time.

When you have conquered your fear by utilizing the power of the mind, then you have conquered your fear for real.

Congratulations you are now free to speak to the world but before you do, let me give you a few tips that will help you do it well.

Here are some ways to insure that you can speak publicly with confidence:

Speak loudly.

Speak slowly.

Stand up straight (but not too rigid).

Make strong eye contact with your audience.

Project enthusiasm with your voice!

Avoid disclaimers. Disclaimers are statements such as, "I know this is a really dumb topic, but..." or "I know this isn't a very good visual aid, but..."

Dress appropriately. Be sure to dress like you take yourself seriously.

Take deep breaths. You'll be surprised at how well this works. If you know some special breathing techniques, use them, but all you really need to do is breathe deeply in and out a few times.

The night before, close your eyes and imagine yourself giving the speech and everything going well.

Keep things in perspective. You do much more dangerous things every day, like driving a car or crossing the street (not trying to start new fears just stating the facts).

Keep in mind that everybody is nervous. You're not alone.

Just do it. Speak. Speak more. The more experience you have with public speaking, the less nervous you will feel.

Most of all have fun knowing that you are one of a very small percentile that can public speak without fear!