Taking Risks in the New Year

As we head into the new year, I hope one of your resolutions is to take more risks in public speaking.

Yes I know surveys show people fear standing in front of a crowd more than than they do taxes – or even death.    Overcoming our fear though can be simple – it requires three basics that lead to success.

First:    change your attitude.   It is JUST a conversation --- and you wouldn’t be doing the speaking if you were not the expert.   You know more than your audience   And both of you want YOU to be successful.  They want to learn, be informed, and sometimes, in today’s world, be entertained.   Don’t consider that a license to tell jokes however --- that can be tricky so know your audience well before you try it.  

Second: PREPARE.   I shudder when a client says they’re going to “wing it”.   Most of my clients tell me they are afraid they will either blank out and forget their lines; or that they will do something stupid.   Good preparation prohibits that.   If you know your material, have it planned out well, and give yourself some tools to help you, there’s no way you’ll forget.   And if you mess up a line—remember that they never knew what you were going to say.   Add it later.    By tools, I mean an interesting prop, perhaps an old fashioned flip chart to write on (people remember things twice as long when you write it down), or simple slides with few words and lots of images.  

And third:   find your purpose.   Studies show that if you focus on WHY you are there, you forget about fear or anything else.   Now your passion comes forth --- you resonate better with the audience and become relatable.   That can even mean you will HAVE FUN   yes FUN!   Usually you are talking about a project you love, a job you enjoy, or something you truly care about.   And sharing that can bring us joy.  

Concentrate on this – and soon you’ll be begging to do more speaking. I have had many clients who went from fear to fabulous by using these techniques.    Make this new year a new you.